I'm sure you hear from others, but it's my understanding that you need to keep cutting until you only see white tissue. The darker ring indicates that there is still rot.

I think so too; keep cutting off thin slices until no black/dark circles or spots of any kind are visible. You could dust it sparingly with a ground cinnamon it is natural fungicide (or you could get sulfur or such).

It is possible to root trunk of that size. It just needs to be healthy. I would suggest some branch pruning too, they are quite thin and long. But get the plant healthy first, pot it into well draining mix and do not water for a while - if there are no roots, plant can't take any water in and sitting without roots in wet mix would cause it rot again. Good drainage is essential, make sure the mix is and use container with drainage hole. It may be 'wobbly' at first without roots, so anchoring of some kind will help. I like to use larger rocks/stones, some ppl tie them down.

Thanks for the replies! I will cut more until I see the black ring is gone. What do you guys think about the roots? Are they worth saving? Do I cut from the bottom up anyway, or just where I saw the black?

You should cut anything that has rot IMO. If that means cutting off the roots, than do it. I do not believe that roots alone would start growing new plant...maybe someone else knows?

My guess is you will be cutting up until there are few or no roots anyway. BJ's succulent mix seems good to me. As suggested, planting a trunk with no roots works, and actually works rather easily, but it will seem like a game of chicken at first- will the plant die or will I blink and water it? But it's okay, it will live and you don't have to blink.

I usually plant trunks with no roots into dry soil (with the base of the trunk a few inches above the bottom of the pot) without waiting for the cut to callus over. I support the trunk so that it won't move, either by big rocks in the pot or some kind of supporting structure. This is important, b/c any shifting of the trunk in the next several weeks may well break off new, fine roots. After a couple of weeks I begin to water. The soil you've bought will drain quickly and you'll have no more worry of rot.

ez

Thank you both for your replies! Have I cut enough, or should I keep cutting? Should these brown rings not be here? Is this still rot?

I think you need to keep cutting. You don't want to have any dark areas.

Kate

If you don't mind me saying it, re-read few posts from yesterday and today - your question has been answered (I highlighted what I said yesterday). I am not scolding - I know that when one is upset or nervous about something, it is easy to miss the point or not notice or even maybe not understanding it. I am only saying it because there are same answers repeated over and over again (I am sure I have done it at times too :)

Rina,

I was definitely nervous about cutting it so much, as it was such a big beautiful tree at one point... and is being whittled away. I thought maybe once I saw green around the outside it could have been at a healthy enough spot. Oh well. I may not have an actual tree any more, but I was able to save a third of it.

This is where I'm at. The left side looks darker only because of shadow, but pretty much matches what we see on the right. I've dusted with cinnamon powder, and letting it sit out to dry. Once I plant it, I will stake it to make sure it doesn't wobble and break any new forming roots. I'll post a photo update before and after planting. It is unfortunate that there is no more trunk, but at least parts of it will live on.

It may become a twin trunk with special meaning...

ez

Can this type of fungus/rot spread to other trees in my house? I mentioned in the first post that my original tree started dropping healthy leaves. Just curious what you guys think.

Hi, Kate! Just my opinion, but I don't think this problem will spread to your other plants. However, if the growing conditions (soil especially) are the same, you should watch out for the same problem occurring.

I just went through having to to cut the trunk of a jade for the same reason. Here's my thread on it -

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/4046532/darn-repotting-jade-again?n=4

I have potted it up and propped it with stones. The stem is buried about an inch and the gritty mix is dry. (Please ignore the Jenn-Aire. I don't leave it so near a hot grill since my plants have enough trouble with the heat! This is only to take the picture.)

It's sitting in bright shade and the branches are a little droopy from the heat and not having any roots. I mist it every couple of days, especially where the air roots are. I hope this will help it recover and root. Many people do not believe in misting, and that's OK. But this plant has a lot of air roots, so I am trying to give it a chance to absorb some water and replenish energy. It will work, or it won't. Some will inevitably end up in the potting mix.

Before potting up, cut area dusted with cinnamon -

Good luck with your plants! And post a picture of the other plant if you are worried about the same problem happening there.

Kate

What I see in your photo looks is no rot. Follow Crenda's advice.

It is better ending up with 'no trunk' rather than rotting one. Once plant recovers and start growing roots, it will continue growing. Original trunk (whatever is left of it) will not grow, but branches will keep thickening and in the future you can even prune them off, ending with few plants, each having own trunk. At this point, be patient and just let it grow. I would put it into more light once new growth appears - good sign :)

There is excellent illustration by Al (tapla) who grows lots of great bonsai, about correct pruning. He posted it again on one of the current threads, I will have to look it up & post a link. Don't prune it now, but while waiting for plant to recover, it would be something to read and learn about (and it will take your mind off the plant and perhaps 'over-loving' it - by overwatering or constant tugging to feel if the roots grown and such, lol).

Keep updating and ask any questions should there be some.

Kerri - here is part of the post I mentioned above, with a drawing about pruning and explanation how to do it. This is a post regarding olive trees, but same technique applies to jade. I highlighted part referring to that. I hope you'll find it helpful:

tapla

This is an easy one. Use a sharp pair of pruners to prune the long branches back so there are only 2 pairs of leaves on each. Them pluck the leaves off immediately under where each of the 3 bifurcations (Ys) occur. You're done.

Your tree will grow LOTS of new branches, just above every leaf you left on the plant. In a month or so, you'll be able to prune those new branches back to 2 leaves. Your tree was left to grow much too long (time AND branch length), but the silver lining in that is, the wild growth allowed the trunk to thicken.

Notice that whoever pruned it before got rid of the trifurcations, a sort of pitchfork branch pattern with 3 branches originating from the same point, which is this plant's natural growth habit (not wanted - especially toward the top of the tree) instead of the slingshot type of Ys your plant now has (much better).

Maples, jades, portulacaria, also grow their leaves in opposite pairs and in an alternate arrangement on the branch. I drew a sketch to help the jade growers learn how to eliminate trifurcations and keep their plants looking more like trees than they would if left to their own habits.

Your tree grows like the one on the left, but note how much nicer the one on the right looks when you take care to remove the trifurcations.

Also, you can easily control what direction the new branches will grow in. The pairs of leaves that are on the sides of the branches will produce new branches that grow laterally - right or left; the leaves on the top/bottom of the branch will produce new branches that grow up or down. As your tree matures - pick your pruning spots carefully so the branches grow toward an open spot in the canopy - so they are growing toward where they will get light, and snip off branches that crowd other branches space or aren't contributing to the eye appeal of the composition. Don't be tempted to just shear the plant randomly. Think about what you're doing today & whenever you prune because you're plotting your tree's future appearance.

Thank you for sharing your experience, Crenda! I will follow your advice about misting any air roots. That seems like it will be helpful. Good luck with your plant! I will check out your thread.

Rina, thanks for all the info! You've been very helpful. The pruning article is interesting. I'll post photos of the other jades I have and the repotting when the new soil gets here. I think one of them could use a little pruning, and that diagram is helpful for that.

Update: the sister jade to this one (my original plant, that had recently started dropping healthy leaves) had root rot too, but not as bad. I've chopped it up the same way as the plant on this thread. I was able to save more of it, it's just in more pieces.

I also have a variegated jade plant that I'm currently in the process of repotting. I've just posted a new thread for suggestions for this one.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/4066307/variegated-jade-repot-advice

Hey guys, just an update. The jade has callused over, so decided it was time to pot. Here's what it looks like! Not exactly the big beautiful tree it once was, but it's at least got a chance to make it. I had it outside in the shade so it could get fresh air and the brightest light, but it's been hitting 90 - 100's so I've brought it back inside. (Especially now that I'm sure it doesn't have a different type of fungus - that white powdery mildew). It's now in an air conditioned and very bright room, no direct sun except for the tiniest bit of end of day western sun. I'll wait to water for another 2 or 3 weeks. We finally put AC in, but it seems the heat as taken all the moisture out of it's leaves. I'm thinking of misting the air roots as Crenda had suggested. Also, it's branches have turned down because it was laying down flat, and they adjusted to face "up" from that position. Hoping it can bounce back!

Looks good, Kate! I just wanted to reiterate that misting does not mean soaking the plant. I'm sure you know that, but I wanted to be sure.

I am sorry to report that my plant rotted away. It was my own fault. After getting it trimmed back to nice, clean tissue I set it on my island in bright shade. All was going well. But a storm came along with horizontal rain. The pot got soaked and I did not notice! With the heat and wet potting mix, it went pretty quickly.

The hot humid summer was not the best time for trying to root a jade outside. I knew it was going to be an iffy situation. That makes me even madder at myself for not noticing the wet pot. (sigh) I should have done like you and placed the plant inside. At least I do have another of the same jade.

Good luck, Kate!

Aw, Crenda. I'm sorry to hear that. I have another Jade that is cut up outside, resting in shade. Unfortunately it just down poured all over the pieces. There's a good amount of lightening, so can't move them. Hopefully they'll be in tact.

I want to add in another branch, but from my other Jade that also had to be cut up because of rot. I think it will be nice filling in that space in the middle.

The problem is, that Jade had a lot of whiter spots (could very well be water marks) and a sort of crystalized looking coating on it. Also some brown edges on leaves. Check it out. Could be normal, but what do you think? I also included how it callused. If that looks normal. My other tree healed clean, no spots and quite smooth. This looks more rough, and the other peices have little dark spots of mold. (Despite the cinnamon!) I've resliced them a few times. We'll see how they heal this time around. How does all of this look to you guys?

The brown rim looks like sunburn.

Kate

IMO, the callused part looks fine. You may have left longer stub so there is much more flesh to callus, but should not be any problem. When I cut, it is relatively close to the node - collar - so there is less to callus.

If anything continued rotting, it is likely there were remains of rot in the stem that were not visible before.

The whitish spots could be few different things: water spots (if water contains too many salts and/or minerals, it will leave spots on leaves).

Even water with some fertilizers will leave spots if splashed on the leaves - that may crystalize.

Fungal - like powdery mildew - is possible on jade.

Small brown spots like the ones on leaf edges could be from little sunburn, or they could be any kind of mechanical damage that healed over. Small black spots on trunk (I see only couple) don't look alarming to me - but I am only looking at the photo - plants are not 'perfectly' smooth-clean, so it could be just that.

I see just few of little sand-like bumps on some leaves - that is most likely oedema.

Edited to add: I would recommend to pot this branch separately, just as any others you may have. In case some may continue rotting, there is much less chance of rot affecting other plants. It will also give plant better space to grow, they are larger cuttings.

Thanks Rina! They were rained on last week, so maybe that's what caused the oedema? I'll read up on it more.

Yes, the rains could have been the culprit. Oedema happens when the plant takes I more water than it can transpire.

I have taken photo of sunburned edge of the leaf (looks similar to yours)

Thanks Rina! The area isn't soft, so I'm happy.

I'm going to take pictures of the cut areas of the other pieces. Hopefully you can tell me if you think that it is normal healing, or not good sign. I'm seeing mold, but not new squishy black areas. Just an exterior mold.

This is the bottom of piece A today, I re-sliced the bottom yesterday morning. Also, the bottom that I sliced off. What it looks like today.

Again, these were rained on. So I suspect that has something to do with it. They are now resting in the garage so they can't get rained on. I don't want to bring them inside because I don't want them to infect my other plants if they have any mildew or fungus. I'm suspicious of the white powdery mildew. I had apple seedlings inside that got it at one point when this jade was inside. Some leaves look like maybe it has it. I've sprayed them with neem since cutting them. Here is piece B and C today.

This happened with smaller branches inside as well, even though I dusted with cinnamon. When I slice a thin layer off, they are all green and perfect inside. Let me know what you think.

Since you say that the flesh was all of same color without any sign of rot, it must have been too much rain on the plant: freshly sliced, not callused yet and water (rain) got on it. I would keep them from getting any water on well after callusing.

Personally, I am not fan of misting succulents. That would be another thing to stop in case you were doing it. Jade cuttings can survive without any water for a long time and without any misting - I had many, many cuttings that were just sitting in empty containers for months. They will eventually shrivel as they use any moisture in their stems and leaves, but recover when potted up.

The cut end in first photo (branch A) of your last post is dark - I am sure it is starting to callus. It is very difficult to tell if there is any rot there (the area close to bark seems to be darker - but I don't want to jump to conclusions).

Try leaving a short stub as I mentioned before; cutting close to the collar leaving less flesh to callus over. In photo below (for illustration only - imagine you want to keep the piece above the line), cut where black line is, NOT where orange line shows:

That is interesting about where to cut on the trunk! I'll have to take a better look at where all of mine are cut.

They are all in shelter now. One inside, and the rest in the garage until I am sure that there is none of that white powdery mildew. They won't be getting rained on at least. Though, it may be too hot for them in the garage. I may have to move them all inside.

Maybe I won't mist them then. I'll have to accept the shrivel, knowing that it will bounce back.

Kate

It should take some time before you see jade shrivel from underwatering or not misting.

You can cut anywhere you want, what I suggested is not a must. If you were pruning a branch off, the cut will callus, form a scab and that scab eventually falls off. If you cut further from the collar (approx. where the orange line is), it will do the same but will leave a stub. If you look at the same photo, there was branch pruned off the main trunk and scab healed over flush with it. As time goes on, it will be less and less visible, no stub sticking out just a nice, thick trunk. Compare that with the plant below - I left long piece there and the result is kind of ugly IMO. It needs to be re-cut to make it look better:

Interesting! Thanks for the info and help, Rina! :) I'll update again in a month or more... after everything is potted and looking happy again.

Well... ugh. I'm super bummed. The jade just looked very wilted... even in it's trunk. The far right branch if you look back to the last photos I posted, was almost upside down, facing the floor. The branches were losing their "stiff". I carefully dug it out of the mix, to find this:

Maybe I didn't let it heal over long enough before putting in the mix? It was cut two weeks before I placed in the mix. I DID NOT water. It still molded over. I'm afraid I can't use this mix now too, because it's contaminated and it was expensive. I kept cutting, and it seems like the fungus spread up the trunk.

Here are all three branches separated now:

Hard lesson learned, what a loss to learn it! Brighter growing days ahead...

ez

That mold/mildew on the bottom puzzles me. I've never had that happen (yet!), and virtually everything in Florida molds or rusts or rots.

Rina mentioned that maybe not all of the rot was removed. And that made me think about my recent jade rot mentioned above. I, too, cut to a place that had no more rot. I even took a couple of extra slices, just in case. "Maybe" I should have taken a big slice after finding clean tissue - like an inch or more.

I blamed my continued rot on the heat, humidity and the rain that got into the pot. I'm now second guessing that those factors just exacerbated and quickened the rot that I never really eradicated in the first place!

You can always try cutting away more from the bottoms. I have left jade clippings in the shade for 2-3 months before I got around to potting them up. They even grew roots while waiting for me! So a longer callous time may also be in order. The jade plant can take it.

As for the potting mixture . . . I have heard that a lot of people bake their mixture to sterilize it. I have not done this, but maybe someone can chime in and explain how this works.

Good luck!!

I have not seen that kind of mold before on any plant either.

Callusing for a while, longer if thicker trunk, is better. But even 2 weeks you did should have been quite enough. Maybe there was some leftover rot in there.

How much cinnamon did you put on? I always say 'dust lightly'. Maybe it was thick coating that trapped any moisture in? Just guessing...

The branches all seem to have rot, are you going to keep slicing them?

What was the 'expensive mix' you used - from BonsaiJack or repotme? I never bought either of them, prefer to make my own (and for much less $); I belive they contain some bark and? I would definitely pot that kind of cutting into just grit or mix of grit+perlite. I would think that anything organic could possibly help mold - JMO opinion again, and since I started using mix of just inorganic particles, I do not seem to have problems (I can water without worrying about mix staying wet for too long).

Do you know what was circumference of the thickest trunk?

I believe you could sterilize the mix, there are few different methods:

baking in oven - use thermometer meter to bake until it shows 180*F (layer about 4"thick) for about 30min. Do not bake at higher temps.

baking in microwave - heat on full power about 90sec for each lb of soil

steaming - supposedly the best; put 1-2" of water in pot, soil over it covered except for a small vent; temp should reach again about 180*F for approx. 30min.

I never tried any sterilizing - but hope this will help. (I think I would try steam if I was doing I).

Hi Rina and Crenda,

I'm starting to think maybe there was rot left over. Also could just be that it is very humid here. I had it in the garage, which was warm with no air flow. What puzzles me, is that it seemed perfectly fine when I potted it. Then, it started to droop. I'm thinking the organic materials in the pot probably aided any mold. Like I said, it's humid and perhaps retained a moisture in the pot. Even though the mix was dry when I potted. I am assuming those branches are all mold, I will keep cutting to see if there is any bit worth saving. Even if there is, I will gift those cuttings to friends and see if they have any luck with them. As for the other branches off the other tree, I am going to wait another month before I pot them in anything, and then pot them in the girt perlite or just grit. Rina, is chicken grit what I need to get? That is all I'm seeing available online. Also, Crenda and Rina... do you both recommend that I wait to pot until it grows roots while un-potted? This way I know that I can definitely water.

Thanks for your comments and help with this!

Great! I am going to try the chicken grit with some, and leave the largest out a while before I pot. I did not use rubbing alcohol or peroxide, but I did use a different and clean knife for the last cut. Hopefully that was fine. I'm thinking I should set up a fan for them as well.

A fan is good, and maybe lay off on the regular misting idea in light of everything else.

ez