Hellllllo all.
This is my first post ever on Reddit, and it’s because this baby deserves some assistance.
Backstory:
I acquired this jade plant privately and was told that it’s 40-45 years old, was started from a few cuttings (as it has multiple ‘main stems’) and it was in excellent shape. It is roughly 2’ tall from soil to tip.
When I purchased the plant, almost a year ago, it was thriving in an attached, glass, three-season room that faced west, with its only opaque side being east. Therefore getting sunlight from ~10am onwards. I have left it in its original (to me) pot as the owner said changing its pot might upset it. I placed the plant, in its original pot, inside of another that is similar sized. Both have drain holes and I have never had a drop of water spill to the floor through the soil as I try not to over water.
Problem:
I relocated the plant and it now sits adjacent to a sliding glass door. The plant gets direct sunlight through the glass door for roughly 4hrs a day, and gets indirect and diluted sun from other windows so long as it is up. Some portions of the plant have begun, and continued for a month or so, to wither and shed leaves. The portion closest to the glass (about 2’ away) has been affected most. This portion has withered almost entirely away, dropped most of its leaves, and not some but ALL of the branches have begun to shrink away from their ‘bark.’ The main stems in this area feel immensely spongey and the interior of these stems does not fill out its maximum size. These portions still have small, new leaves at the tips, but these quickly seem to grow and then fall away.
The portion further from the window has changed its direction of growth. Now growing horizontally away from the window but growing at an impressive pace for an old plant. So much so that the distance between leaf pairs has grown considerably.
Currently:
I water this plant about every 10-14days. I typically give it one dinner glass worth, about 16oz. I have a soil hydrometer (think that’s what it’s called) on order but as I’ve mentioned I never feel like I over water this thing. I can dig my finger into the soil the day after watering and it is dry. The soil is sandy, coarse, and has a bit of perlite mixed in it. There is no moisture at the underside of the pot.
I’ve begun to think that the change was too much for this plant and that it needs more light. I bought a full spectrum plant bulb today and plan to run it for ~4hrs a day to supplement until I see results (if negative I’d stop)
I need help from plant-people, as I’m not one yet but don’t want my first house plant to wither away to nothing. Thank you all in advance!
-murph
tldr: Bought a jade plant a year ago that is now suffering but mostly one side. Newby plant owner. What is the opposite of someone with a green thumb?
by South-Research-5191
9 Comments
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It may not be enough water. I would water it until it drips from the drainage holes less frequently, especially if it’s already dry the day after watering.
It may be limp because it doesn’t have enough water to keep it upright.
Imo that’s basically no water for a pot that size. Give it a thorough soak until it’s entirely wet, then wait until it looks sad and do it again.
I have a small jade plant I think I last watered a month ago? You should only water when the leaves start to look wrinkly, and make sure to thoroughly water I prefer to bottom water. The way I do it is I grab a bowl big enough to where the pot sits comfortably and fill with water and let the plant sit there until water is gone. Sometimes as soon as I place the plant the water is halfway gone so I refill the bowl and let it sit, then after a few hours I empty the bowl and let the plant drain in the sink. With your plant being so big I’d recommend using your bathtub, same concept larger scale.
I would remove all the withered stems and remove any dead debris from the soil. Also water thoroughly when you do water it’s not about the amount but how often you water.
I’m assuming from your use of imperial rather than metric that you are in the US? Therefore winter where you are? It may be getting too cold near a window.
Going to echo a couple other comments: you’re under watering. I have one about this big, indoors over winter and outside in the summer. It doesn’t get close to full sun, and it’s been great.
I check the leaves occasionally and when they start to feel a bit soft, I give a very deep soak. Could range from 2 weeks to 2 months depending on temps and humidity, but you need to totally soak the soil
Liiiight. Full light all the time
The focus has been watering but the problem appears so be lighting. It is etiolating (distance between leaves on the stem is lengthening and the part affected the most is related to its proximity to the light. Also, the problem appears to have started with the location change.
I’m not saying it’s not also watering but lighting is definitely an issue here. Yellowing and dropping leaves is typically a sign of overwatering. Spongy stems also. So beware of increasing the watering. You may kill it. In the meantime, every leaf that falls needs to be placed in the dirt so it will grow a new plant. Worst case scenario is that your plant dies but lives on as new growth.