Scale...scale... Soft Brown scale. Spray with rubbing alcohol or acephate (Orthenex). Imidacloprid may also work. May have to retreat in 10 days. Should isolate plant from other plants.

Definitely scale

Oh no! This can infect my other plants?!? They've been right next to each other for at least two weeks!!!! Oh no!!! I'm glad I posted something because I was just assuming it was nothing! Uggghhh

Ok I just looked online and it says that if when I touch them they turn to dust that they are probably dead. Do yall agree with that? What do I need to look for to determine if they are alive?

From your picture my money is on live insects. When they are dead, they appear more flat and dried out. If you pick them off and they are moist/wet, ou know you've got living creatures!!!!

Bikerdoc- they are totally dry. No moisture at all. Still think they're alive? I just bushed them off with an old toothbrush and disheoap water.

I highly doubt they are ALL dead. Treat aggressively, scale is a PITA! Good luck!

I'd err on the side of "not dead" and blast them with some insecticide.....why risk it?

What would be a good insecticide to use? I also have several cuttings from this plant. It was a very large, over grown, poorly cared for jade that was in the graduate commons at my school. I pruned it way back just to stabilize it and have a bowl full of cuttings waiting to root should I just get rid of all the cuttings? See below for pics of before and after. I've already potted up some of it. I'm thinking of just taking it back up there and getting that scale away from my collection!

While I'm not a fan of Neem Oil, it will work for this situation. Just be aware plants will burn if used in direct sunlight. The other insecticides I mentioned above will also do the trick. If you use the granular form of imidacloprid, you can sprinkle it on top of the soil and it will be absorbed by the root system as a systemic.

Thanks biker doc. So, it sounds like I should use neem oil and place it directly on the brown spots and keep this guy out of direct sun for a little while?

And what about this imidacloprid? Should I just use that? I've never had a pest problem before so all this information is very new to me.

Of the options you provided what do you think is the most gentle on the plant? This jade has been through a lot lately prune, repot, new home. Although it is all to better conditions I know this jade must be stressed. It is showing new growth though, so that's a good sign

I'd go with the Imidacloprid.

The Neem oil that I've seen used on Jades has caused terrible leaf damage.

Josh

Thanks Josh! I'll see if a local place around here has it. If not I'll order it from Amazon. I really appreciate everyone's advice! Like I said before, I've never had to deal with a pest issue so this is all new to me.

Sorry about the location thing. I'll add that now. I'm in southeastern Iowa. We have a Lowes, Theisens, and Menards. I prefer lowes so I'll check them out first. Thanks again!

I just added my zone to my username is that what you did?

I added my location and name as my "last name"

Don't know about your Lowe's but here in Michigan they don't usually stock the concentrate. Depending on how much you anticipate your usage, the concentrate is much cheaper.

Deva, I'd just like to add - so you know it in the future - that sticky stuff on plants is likely "honey dew," which is just a nice name for sugary bug poo. Sucking insects excrete a lot of sugary liquid as they dine. Whenever you find something sticky on a plant, suspect sucking insects 1st. It probably isn't soda. :-(

Nice looking chop job on the jade, btw. I think you'll be okay if you follow the guy's recommendations for getting rid of the bugs. There's an excellent chance they've already spread, so watch your other plants closely.

Thanks everyone. That is so gross that all that sticky stuff is from the bugs! Ugghhhh...

I'm going to run around after class today and find that bug killer! Do you think I should go ahead and treat my entire collection? Just to be safe? It won't hurt them at all will it? They say no good deed goes unpunished! This is what I get for rescuing the jade from the grad commons! It'll all workout in the end though :-)

Oh and thanks for the compliment on the chop job I don't really think I'm done though. I had to prune all that extra weight just to get up to sit upright in a pot it was BAD!

I can't advise on the imidacloprid or other pesticide products as I had never had bugs until a recent spider mite infestation. I'm facing the same dillema about whether to treat my whole collection. Different plants are sensitive to different chemicals (and different pests) though, so get more information before you treat everything. You might damage a plant needlessly.