Question
My dog's tail hit my jade plant the other day and low and behold one whole trunk of the jade fell off. Upon closer inspection of the trunk I found that although it was healthy further up, it was actually rotten in a 3 inch section of trunk. I also found small tiny, tiny black bug crawling all around inside this piece of trunk. What should I try to do to make sure this doesn't spread to the rest of the jade plant or my other jades? The jade plant in question is a very large 6-7 year old plant about 3 feet tall.

Answer
Hi Elaina,

I don't know how many "trunks" your Jade has so it is hard for me to know the extent of the damage. In any case, eventually that trunk was going to fall on its own without help from your dog. The bug(s) are not the cause of the problem either. They are simply taking advantage of the decaying trunk supplying some food.

When trunks or large Jade stems decay near the base, it s usually due to over watering. Jades like to stay in small pots and have their soil dry out deep into the pot in between waterings. Unnecessary repotting and watering too frequently are common problems.

Sometimes older Jades that have never been pruned back develop stems that are pulled down so hard by gravity that the stems grow weak near the base and start to die. No one likes to prune back Jades, yet all Jades do best when they are pruned regularly.

Jade stems can be pruned back as much as you want without risk of damaging the plant. New growth will emerge on cut stems just below the point where you make the cut. Pruning will alter they appearance of your Jade, but it will not harm it. Pruning will help invigorate your Jade and keep longer stems from stressing themselves.

I have written an article on Jade care that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who sends a request to me at [email protected].

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

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

Visit my website at  www.HorticulturalHelp.com