Question

Nancy's Jade 2  
Nancy's Jade 1   QUESTION: Hello, I live in Maryland, and I am a plant lover. My jade plants are exhibiting some leaf loss, and I sincerely hope that you can help me.  The parent plant I inherited from my mom 12 years ago.  She had it for a number of years, but kept it in the same pot.  I repotted it (up one size pot) about 5 years ago, taking cuttings to make another.  They live in 8" ceramic pots, and sit alone in front of two windows with southern exposure.  Both are multi-trunked, and are about 20" tall with a sprawl of about 36".  I water them only when they are very dry, and I water slowly.  The rooms have normal temperatures.

Here's my problem: each plant has lots of new healthy growth, but some established leaves are getting browned at the very edges. Sometimes the edges almost look a bit gnawed. This progresses to the leaf turning slightly yellow, and sometimes crystallized or desiccated, and then dropping off.  As the leaf starts turning, it detaches very easily from the stem. The affected leaves seem to be the older ones, but I am losing too many to assume that it is just their time to go.  At this point, 3 or 4 leaves are affected each week. Also, 1 plant has some distorted new baby leaves.

Can you help? Does this look like an insect or a fungus, or a cultural problem?  I don't see any insects or scale, and the stems look to be healthy.  Could this be powdery mildew?  I don't see the tell-tale powdery dusting on the leaves, but I understand it looks different on Jade than on other plants.  I have attached 2 pics showing the problem leaves, and I can send others of the entire plant or the distorted growth if it would help.

Also, should I be pruning and repotting again?  Any harm in not waiting for springtime?

Thanks so much.

ANSWER: Hi Nancy,

Your Jade Plant looks healthy and well cared for. As Jades age, they add ever more leaves until they reach a maximum number that the available light will support. They want to continue to grow so as they add new leaves at the ends of stems, they will drop off older leaves. That is what is happening to yours. It is not a disease or a pest and it doesn't mean that the plant is dying.

I have two suggestions. The first is to increase your watering frequency a bit because healthy plants use more water as they add more growth. If your Jade gets too dry, that will hasten the dropping off of older leaves.

My other suggestion is that you prune back your Jade to keep it more full and compact. Pruning does no harm to the plant at all, but it does change its appearance and is the only way to eliminate leggy, bare stems. A stem that is pruned back will produce new leaves just below where you make the pruning cut. By pruning back many of the longer stems, you will also reduce the total number of leaves so there will be less dying back of older leaves.

There is no need to repot and you can prune at any time of the year.

I have written articles on pruning and on Jade care that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who emails a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

Need more information? Visit my website at:
A link to HorticulturalHelp.com

or email me at [email protected] or call me at 917-887-8601 (EST)
 
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

Visit my website at: A link to HorticulturalHelp.com



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


Nancy's Jade 3   QUESTION: Hi Will,

Wow, thanks so much for your fast response!  I feel relieved that my Jade plants are not diseased or infested, because I would not want to lose them; and besides, I am currently doing battle with fungus gnats in many of my houseplants.  It's always something!  They have even infiltrated my orchid bark medium, and I am sure I have brought in more interlopers with the poinsettias and cyclamen.  UGH!

Regarding the distorted new growth on one Jade plant, do you feel that also is attributed to too many leaves for the root system to support?  I am attaching a pic.

I would very much enjoy your articles on Jade care and pruning, and I will email you a request.

Another question: I see one of your specialties is ficus.  I have a rubber tree that I moved with me from NY 18 years ago.  I intended to repot it again this summer, but I did not then have the help I needed.  Can I do this now, or should I wait until spring?  It is happily putting out new growth and reaching for the ceiling, but I know it wants a bigger pot and fresh soil.

Thanks again,

Nancy

Answer
Hi Nancy,

The new growth in the foreground appears to have mealybugs on it, but it is hard to tell because that part of the photo is a bit distorted. Mealybugs often go to tender new growth and will definitely distort the shape of those leaves as they emerge. I suggest that you treat the mealybugs with a spray solution of 5 parts water and one part rubbing alcohol and a squirt of liquid dish soap. When you send your email request, also request my article on indoor plant pests for more information. That will also explain how to treat fungus gnats, which thrive in damp pine bark mixes.

I really doubt that your Ficus elastica needs repotting, especially since it is approaching the ceiling. Indoor plants are tropical in origin and non-seasonal. That means that pruning and repotting can be done at any time of year. But before you jump into repotting your Rubber Tree, please also request my article on repotting that I urge you to read before embarking on the most common of all plant care mistakes - unnecessary repotting.

You (and others) can request all of these articles by emailing me at [email protected]. If you go to my website at www.HorticulturalHelp.com, you will find lots of other helpful information and a complete list of my 50+ Indoor Plant Bulletins on a wide variety of indoor plant topics.

~Will