if the stems are not firm to the touch, i think your plant is lacking water

also, it needs more light, the internodal distance is greater than normal, and in good light the leaves take on a reddish tinge along the edges - but that's not the cause of the flop

if you want a nicer looking plant, trim back all the stem tips to 1 pair of leaves, place it in a sunnier spot, and it will sprout new, compact leaves

but 1st see if a good watering will perk it up

mealies are easily controlled outdoors by spraying the plant with soapy water, especially under the leaves and near the new leaves

mealy bugs are more likely to infest a weak plant, and your plant appears stressed from lack of water and sun. it's definitely not too late to get back a healthy plant.

I don't know if it's stressed from lack of water. I've been watering it right on schedule (about once every 2 months in the colder months and about once a month in warmer months), and it's been healthy up until yesterday. Also, the leaves are firm/plump and the rest of the plant looks great. It doesn't look like it's underwatered. I wouldn't think a big stem like that would just plop over and go soft from underwatering...wouldn't you see that with overwatering? And I think the leaves would be sunken in by now...no?

About the sun, I don't have much choice unfortunately. I have eastern exposure, and I wasn't able to put it outside until a few days ago due to reconstruction of my building's balconies. And it is in as much sun as it can get (there is another balcony right above mine, so we have a "covering" above our balcony). So I have to make do with what I have!

Anyway, thanks for your input Xerophyte. Anyone else care to take a stab at what's going on with my jade??

Thanks,
Gabi

Is there anything wrong with the affected limb itself? If not, is it possible a pet, pest or bird may have been the culprit? I agree it is etiolated. Is it sitting on a balcony? If so, can you put it on a table/box to raise it up so it can get more sun instead of "reaching" for it?

Yes, it is definitely a little etiolated. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can put it on to lift it higher (the plant/pot is SO heavy, and the balcony is too small for a sturdy table that would hold it up). Good thinking about the pet/pest. But that's not it. The trunk is completely limp (exactly like it was when I inherited from someone who overwatered it severly), and there is no evidence of any type of animal doing anything. It is whole, with no lacerations or teeth marks. I do have a dog, but she's harmless....also, she can't get to the balcony without me letting her out there.

What a mystery! Nobody agrees with my high humidity explanation?

gabro

once a month watering is not nearly enough, these are not desert plants and even if they were, that is not enough.

without knowing your soil make-up and other factors, i would encourage more like every 3-4 days watering in warm weather. the plant may not be showing obvious signs of water stress because it may have enough water stored in the succulent stem and leaves to make do, but in the right conditions you should see strong and active growth.

if the plant has been growing weakly for a long time without adequate light, maybe the stem is just not strong enough to support the weight of the leaves?

in any event, crassula roots easily from cuttings, you should not have a problem cutting off the fallen limb and rooting it

Thanks for your input Xerophyte. I really appreciate it.

I do disagree about the watering though. Once a month is more than enough for a jade. Also, keep in mind that it has been inside....so it hasn't been in the hot summer sun. Also, it was extremely humid for several days, with some rainfall (ever since I put it outside 4 days ago), so it just can't be dehydrated. I do appreciate your advice...please don't get me wrong. It's just that I really really don't think it is being underwatered. Put it this way...it's actually possible (not recommended, but "possible") to wait until the leaves start shriveling up before watering. So by the looks of the leaves, I just don't see how the plant can be thirsty. Also, I could never water that plant as often as 3-4 days...that's just way too much for a crassula ovata (and many other succulents). Once it is in sunny weather, I plan to water it every 2 weeks...no more frequent than that.

As for "strong and active growth"...believe me, it's been doing great ever since I pruned it in November. Before I pruned it, the weight of the leaves and stems on that one trunk was at least triple what it is now, and it was still holding the leaves up. So I don't know, I don't think the problem has to due with difficulty supporting the leaves. It didn't just "fall" from being top-heavy....it really is just completely limp and almost "moist-feeling" (if that makes any sense)

I know I'm making it very difficult to pinpoint a reason for this problem! I WISH it were as easy as an underwatering issue! I really want to find the cause so that I can fix it and make sure it doesn't happen again. If it's a humidity issue, I think we are over the worst of it(it's been so humid here up until today that you could actually SEE moisture in the air!).

I wonder if it could be another factor. I have never used Neem oil, but I just can't see why that would've caused just ONE limb to go down (or any limbs for that matter). Uggh...I just love this jade. I've made so many plants from cuttings I took after pruning, but those will take YEARS and YEARS to get as big as this jade.

By the way, I know it looks like the internodes are very big, but I just realized that the only "stems" where there is this etiolation are the stems that I didn't cut off when I pruned. The rest of the plant has very compact, tight growth (all the new growth). Not sure if that matters, but I just wanted to add that in just in case it does.

Thanks again everyone,
Gabi

Gabi

I will have to respectfully disagree about the watering issue, every 2 weeks for many succulents is not enough, just take a look at some of the pictures that I post on this board of my plants and flowers, there is no reason you have to treat these plants like they are in a desert, they are capable of luxuriant yet compact growth in the right conditions, most come from areas of seasonal drought, not year-long drought. Most are adapted to survive drought during a specific season, usually winter (species from the West and SW of S Africa and Namibia are the exception).

Crassula ovata happens to be from a winter-rainfall area, but it is not an obligate winter grower, it is opportunistic. It is hard to get out of the habit of treating succulents with meager helpings of water, etc. Why don't you try a rooted cutting from your plant and grow it in a different pot, but give it more sun, fresh air and water to see what happens? One of the best signs of healthy growth is flowering - if a succulent does not bloom every year, for the most part either it is not mature enough or conditions are not good enough.

I'm not saying that is the cause of the floppy stem, but based on your description and the photos, I don't see anything else really wrong, the plant does not look diseased, other than some etiolation the leaves are pretty normal, I suppose it's possible that high humidity might have something to do with it but I have never seen that in person and my summers in the NE are pretty humid.

The bottom-line is that I don't know exactly what the problem is, I'm just offering some friendly advice.

I do appreciate your advice. Thank you. I don't know what the problem is either...wish I did! The good news is that when I got home from work I found that it's standing up on it's own now for some weird reason.

I still don't think it's an "under"-watering problem, but I'm FAR from an expert. I just don't think watering a jade every 3 days is necessary (and can be a problem for certain succulent owners)...especially since I can't give it the amount of sun it needs. But either way, it perked up without adding water, so I'm guessing it was some other problem. I just hope it STAYS up.

maybe it was the garden gnomes playing tricks on you!

If the problem cannot be found above ground, you know what that means, right? Time to pull it out of its existing pot and examine the roots for rot, or pest, or whatever may have caused this. Let us know what you find! Jo

Haha...yes, maybe the gnomes got to it :)

SJV, it's looking great now...but if it happens again I might just have to do that. Have you ever heard of root rot affecting just one trunk/limb?

Well, it's nice and sunny today and the outside air and sun are just perking it right up. I even noticed some red outlines on the leaves...looking forward to getting those gorgeous red tips. I gave it a good watering today too.

Thanks,
Gabi

"SJV, it's looking great now...but if it happens again I might just have to do that. Have you ever heard of root rot affecting just one trunk/limb?"

No, I haven't...but that doesn't mean that some critter hasn't attached itself to one limb below the surface. One never knows until one looks. Let's hope for the best!
Jo