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elie_the_beginner

Jade needs MUCHO help!

17 years ago

Uhh, hello everyone. My name is Elie and my baby jade is in very big trouble.

You see ... I know nothing about gardening and I also don't know mcuh about my plants except what I've researched on the internet.

Anyways, my mother has over-watered it and the pot does not have any holes at the bottom for drainage and it's pure soil. My jade is DROWNING. I've considered re-potting it immediately, but I keep reading that you should wait till fall or spring or when it has dried completely. Is this true?

-Elie

Comments (4)

  • 17 years ago

    You not only need to repot it immediatly but you need to pot it in a pot with good drain holes.

    You need a good well draining potting mix. I use 1 part soil, 1 part pea gravel and 2 parts perlite. This will give good drainage to your mix.

    Dont be suprised if your jade looses leaves for a bit while it adjusts from the shock of being over watered and also transplanted into a new pot and mix.

    When you take it out of the pot check the roots for rot and remove anything that looks rotted so that the rot will not spread to the rest of the plant.

    Put the plant in a bright location. Jades love to be outside and in the sun..however if your jade is not used to the sun introduce it slowely with a couple hours of morning sun to start..then increase slowely over about a 2 week time period till it is used to being in full sun.

    You mentioned that it is a baby Jade? IS that the name of the plant or are you refering to the size of the plant? Do you have a picture you can share so we can see what you have?

    Mary

  • 17 years ago

    Howdy, neighbor, I'm over on the other side of the Sierra Nevadas in Nevada County...

    When you say "baby jade," I wonder if it's actually Crassula ovata or perhaps something else, like the Portulacaria afra ("Elephant's Food Bush").

    However, I'll assume it's the regular Jade species.

    My advice, get it out of that soil *pronto*!
    Wash the old soil off the roots, and look closely for any rotten roots. If you find any, cut them off. Dust any cuts you make with cinnamon (kitchen kind), then let the roots dry out for a day or so. After that, I'd re-pot in a new container with a fast-draining mix.

    By fast-draining mix, I mean something gritty without any peat-moss. I like 2 parts grit: 1 part organic (small pine/fir bark). My gritty ingredients are perlite, pumice, and small quartz gravel; and my organic ingredient is pine/fir bark 1/8 to 3/8 inch in diameter.

    After re-potting, I would set the Jade somewhere to recuperate for about one week - somewhere protected from direct sun, with good air circulation.

    Do not water - repeat, do not water - until any injured roots have had a few days to form calluses. Since you're in Reno, Nevada, your Jade will dry quickly...because of this factor, I'd only wait 3 - 5 days before lightly watering the container.

    Good luck! Act soon! ;)
    If you have any other questions, here's the place to ask!
    And please post an update.

    Josh

  • 17 years ago

    Elli these two people gave you very complete and well thought out answers what to do with you baby Crassula.
    Mary and Josha, you are both terrific and gave a very complete response. Eli may be taking about Crassula ovata v. argentea a very old named species from 70 years ago it does have redish trimmed leaves, it was named after Crassula ovata was named before any others. Don't get it mixed up with a similar plant that isn't even of the same species. Crasulady2

  • 17 years ago

    Thank you guys soooooo much! I have a few more questions though, before I do something I regret. I know my plant is a Crassula, but I'm not sure if it's an argenta or ovata. It has red rimmed round leaves ... That's all I can really tell. And how do I put pictures on here?

    Okay here are the questions:

    How will I know the difference between the rotten roots and the good ones?

    I think there are at least 5 independent stems in the pot, should I buy five small pots or should I put them into a very wide one and just leave room for them to grow?

    I have pea gravel and soil, do I really need perlite? I don't have much money to spend ...

    Should I use regular scissors to cut the roots?

    I live in an apartment, and the only well aerated spot is my patio, that only gets direct sunlight 3-4 hours a day, between 9:45 to 12:30. Is that okay?

    Should I at any time bring them inside?


    Ohhh noo. I'm getting nervous.