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claire_zone6

Help with Jade Plant!

6 years ago


The bottom leaves of my jade plant are turning brown, wrinkling, and falling off. The top of the plant seems fine. Does it just need water?

Comments (6)

  • 6 years ago

    Could you give us a picture of the whole plant so we can see how it’s potted? More information needed as to its care.

  • 6 years ago

    Hi there. I have several jade plants. This looks like too much water. They really don't like being over watered and if it's getting colder with shorter days where you live, they are going into their dormancy phase. They need to be watered less frequently. Good luck with your lucky jade.

    claire_zone6 thanked Catherine Zone 7b
  • 6 years ago

    Catherine is most likely correct - it looks like too much water rather than not enough.

    What is your general location or growing zone? Could you pls.add that info to your name so we don't have to ask every time you have question?

    claire_zone6 thanked rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
  • 6 years ago

    I agree it looks overwatered, but also probably too low light. These can tolerate a lot more water when they get enough sun.

    claire_zone6 thanked Tom H
  • 6 years ago

    Gotcha. Thank you so much. Right now it is in a south-facing window, but I might be able to adjust it so that it gets more light. I think I might have to repot it, as the pot is a bit too big, and I'll water it less. Thank you all.

  • 6 years ago

    It's critical the pot has a drain hole, and using a tell to 'tell' you when it's time to water would be an excellent addition to your care regimen.

    Al

    Using a 'tell'

    Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need plenty of air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support the kind of root health most growers would like to see; and, a healthy root system is a prerequisite to a healthy plant.

    Watering in small sips leads to avoid over-watering leads to a residual build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil from tapwater and fertilizer solutions, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor.

    In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water.

    Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'.

    One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue.

    Al

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