How much light does it get? Do you feed it? If so what and how often?

After you let the soil dry out you should water THOROUGHLY until water comes out the bottom drain hole. Then let dry out again.

Tom

It's on the floor next to our main front window, so it gets lots of light but not much direct sunlight.

I don't feed it anything...

Thanks for the tip on watering.

Jades need direct sunlight to flourish.
They come from South Africa, so it's good to grow them outdoors spring
through fall (before the frost). If you can't put it outside, put it
in an east or south-facing window.

As Tom said, water thoroughly when you water, and then allow the plant
to dry thoroughly. The leaves will visibly wrinkle (rather than merely
become soft) when the plant needs water.

That said, soil can have a big impact on a plant. If your jade is growing in
a mostly peat-based soil, you might consider re-potting in a course, fast-draining
medium made up of bark, perlite, turface, small gravel, et cetera.

How is the trunk at the soil level? Is it soft at all?
If the roots and trunks are healthy, it probably just needs more light.

Josh

I have some of mine in bonsai pots and some of mine in bigger pots. They are in window seals and get some direct light in the morning. It is normal for them to drop a lot of leaves in early spring right before growth spurts. Yours seems a little etiolated (too much space between each leaf set) which is from not enough light. If whole branches are flopping over it is something else. The root ball may be so compacted that it is not actually rewetting when you water. Get a water meter to stick in the soil. The soil around the root ball may be getting wet and the root ball is staying dry. It has happened to me. I don't ever let mine dry out completely to the point of leaves shriveling and I've never lost one to rot, but I also have them in a mix that is only 20% organic soil. Everything else is course drainage material (unpainted fish tank gravel, Turface, and perlite). The only way to rewet the root ball when it gets so dry it won't rewet, is to fill the sink and let it soak in a water level that is only an inch below the rim. When I was using a mix with peat and it was so hydrophobic I couldn't water my plants, I would soak each one for about 10 minutes (sometimes more depending on the size of the pot). Test it with the water meter and then run water throught the top to wash through any mineral build-up (or bottom water this time but top water next).

Tanyag, you've never had wrinkled leaves on your jade???
I thought it was standard practice to let these things tell you when to water them....?

One advantage of allowing the leaves to wrinkle slightly is that you then have a visible measure of water uptake in the day or two after watering. If the leaves become turgid again (within about 24 hours), all systems are go!

Josh

Thanks for the advice!

The healthy trunks are solid at soil level but i've had a number of trunks and branches just flop over and shrivel. Also a lot of leaves have dropped off, it used to be a very bushy Jade about 6 months ago. I probably have overwatered it in the past since i didn't wait for the leaves to start shriveling...

Hi Josh: No, I don't let them all shrivel. I have some that are in little terracotta pots outside and I use the shriveling method for those if we aren't getting rain. My indoor bonsai are in VERY free draining soil that I explained up top. It has been my experience that the shrivel method is one way of knowing when to water, but I personally feel no need to wait that long. I did that for a while and feel the growth of mine was stunted. I bought a water meter to check the moisture level in the soil. When it reaches dry, I water. It has been my experience that the jades will rot only if they are sitting in really 'wet' soil.

If the soil is evenly moist and very porous (O2 gets to the roots), then you don't have to let the leaves shrivel. That may tell you when the plant Really Really needs water, but if the soil is dry, it needs water to use for growth. When a jade turns to using water from itself, all of its energy goes into that process and it stops growing until it gets another drink. It is an adaptation for the plant in nature when it has to survive that way. If you wait for the leaves to shrivel, it may take a long while between when the soil actually dried out and the leaves shriveled letting you know to water it. During that time, it is surviving not thriving. If the soil dries completely out, then you water, it will not stop energy flow to growth in order for it to survive. It is a scientific theory that I started trying last year with my jade bonsais and their growth rate has been much better this year.

Jenricae: I still think your root ball may be dry. Branches flop over when they are not getting enough water. If they were rotting, they would be mushy, starting to turn brown, have a funky smell. The leaves normally fall off at this time of year to put on new spring growth. If it is managable, I would check the root ball to make sure it is getting water.

I realize this is a semantic issue, but I think it important to explain the difference, in my mind, between "shrivel" - which Tanya has been writing - and "wrinkle," which I've been writing from post one. In terms of how I care for my plants, the words are not synonymous.

Tanya, I don't allow my jades to shrivel.
(perhaps you're thinking of that red "junk" jade that I purchased over the winter in shrunken shriveled condition? - not indicative of my other plants, at all, let me assure you!).

I water when the face of the jade leaf develops wrinkles or fine striations, just like aged skin. Then, I feel the leaf - step two - to confirm that it needs water. I don't - repeat *don't* - wait until the leaf shrivels or changes from its oval/tubular shape.

Anyhow, to me, this is the difference between "shrivel" and "wrinkle."

And yes, Jenricae, jades will naturally shed leaves in the winter. Sunlight and water should thicken it up again.

Josh

Okay, Josh. I wasn't giving my advice based off of your advice first off. I've never seen your plants. I am sure they are beautiful. I was using the wrong word. Shrivel means to get smaller, shrink, etc. Wrinkle means to crease, fold, etc. It is a semantic issue. I should have said shrivel slightly or wrinkle. Either way, I don't do either. It doesn't mean that your way is wrong. Your way IS standard practice and what I use on my outdoor succulents/cacti. I was not happy with the growth rate of my jade bonsais last summer. On another forum, someone advised me not to wait until they 'wrinkled' to water but to only let the soil dry. Depending on the size of your plant, it can take up to a week or more between soil dryness to leaf wrinkle. During that time, growth rate slows significantly. The science behind my argument is still the same. Whenever a plant has to start using its reserves, it is adapted to stop putting energy into other things, like growth, in order to conserve in times of drought. I use this method to achieve better growth rates during the growing season because I want a LARGE trunk/jade bonsai. My soil does not stay 'WET', but rather evenly moist. When it registers dry on the water meter, I water thoroughly. I only use the meter for about two or three weeks after I repot and keep track of how often I have to water on a calender. Then I forgo the water meter and get on a regular schedule during the growing season. I feed pretty heavy towards the end and then cut off water more around fall to try to enduce blooming. I track the waterings with each repot because I have changed my potting medium two years in a row now.

This is a difference between what I do with bonsai versus regular potted plants. As far as knowing whether all systems are go by using the re-plumping of the leaves, I simply use the "It's growing, it's going" method. It works for me and my plants are happy.

I still believe that Jenricae's plant may not be getting water to the root ball, especially if her soil has a lot of peat in it. It has been MY experience that stems and whole cacti will flop over when they aren't getting enough water. When I water, they stand back up. If I have a rotting plant, the leaves typically turn yellow before falling off and the stems get really mushy and turn brown. IF this is the case, I would prune back hard, pull it out of its soil and rinse all soil off. Check for black mushy roots, and cut them off. Let it sit unpotted for a about a week and then repot. They can survive a long while without water. In Houston, I can leave one unpotted for six months and it will put on new growth. Thank you humidity!

Josh, once again, I wasn't knocking your practices or your plants. I was just saying what works for me. Everyone has to find what works best for their individual needs. Maybe I'll do a scientific experiment and try to prove my theory about getting maximum growth this summer when I'm not teaching math and science to a bunch of pre-pubescent fifth graders. =0)