I am in desperate need of resuscitation for my jade. I have a jade plant for over 20 years, with white flowers. Unfortunately 2 years ago the plant started to droop and dropping off in clumps, stems included.. When I finally went to repot it found the roots have rotted, so I cut away the rotted roots. However, that didn't solve the problem. The stem started going soft and floppy near the top of each branch , so the following year I went to repot it once again, to my horror, found there were no sign of new roots from the plant. This time I cut off all the soft branches down to what feels like a solid healthy part and cut the bottom part of the trunk, hoping to promote new roots. By this time the plant have lost all of its leaves. The tree is now bare. Thinking that the problem was solved since new baby leaves were sprouting from the some of the branches, I left the plant alone. Unfortunately, the baby branches did not last long, they come out all small and lanky and started to dry out, shriveling/wilting and the leaves became flat, but remain on the tree. Once again, (2 months ago), I decided to repot it. Again there are still no sign of roots from the bottom of the tree. There are now barely any leaves apart from the few drying out ones that manage to shoot and any new branches that tries ended up drying out too. I really do not want to give up on this plant since I've had it for so long. Can any jade plant lovers with green fingers out there help PLEASE?
I presume a proper medium is being used. Having said that, were the cuts allowed to dry and callus over before the stems were replanted? I've noticed that roots form naturally after a period when allowed to so, before replanting.
No I didn't let the stem dry but planted them straight away after cutting off the parts that has rotted. In the past I've taken quite big branch cuttings,with leaves on and planted them without allowing the stem to dry, they rooted fine. Actually, because the plant was so big with lots of branches, big and small, I decided to trim it right down. The Main big stem has been reduced to 6cm in diameter after cutting off all the rotted part (which was nearly twice that size). The smaller branches that tried to sprout from that do produce their own roots to eventually drieS up. Could it be that the plant (stem) is too big and old for roots to form because I've noticed that all of the few new small branches that manage to form have roots. I could easily take these little shoots and plant them, but I really do not want to start any more from scratch since I already have too many smaller trees. Maybe I should experiment with one of the stem, and allow it to dry before replanting it. HOW LONG SHOULD I LEAVE IT TO DRY before planting it?
I've only ever dealt with smaller sized stems so I don't know for sure what one should do with much larger ones. I believe the process of allowing the cut to dry and callus over before planting reduces the chance of rot setting in. Does the cut on a larger diameter stem callus over completely like that on their smaller counterparts? If not, then perhaps the cut should be sealed with wax, top and bottom, to discourage moisture loss at the top and from penetration at the bottom once planted. At this point I would propagate with fresh, sterile medium. Just thought of another idea. Lightly score along the stem circumference just below a node and dust with rooting hormone before planting.
I took the plant out of the pot to try washing the soil off and trim it further then (dry the stem, as suggested) before replanting it. To my utter horror near the bottom of the stem where I've cut off one of the branch from the side looks soft and brittle, I poked it and it just collapses to reveal a hole, the bottom looks and felt solid when tapped. On poking the side a bit further it collapsed to reveal what looks like a mushy hollow trunk with lots of tiny white thread like bugs crawling inside, much like those I see sometime on top of the soil on my potted plant (the original problem was root rot). This is a totally new problem I've encountered. I have now cut all of the mushy bit, washed the soil off and is now waiting for the bottom to dry off a bit before trying to once again repotting it. From what I've witnessed to by poor stem, I'm not sure scoring would be a good idea with this plant as the cut would be exposed in the soil and may get infested with those pesty white bugs?
I wonder if the medium is still too moist; the worms could be fungus gnat larvae. Replace the medium with one that is suited for jade, as suggested before. Don't be afraid to dry the stem over a longer period; I've left them out for weeks before replanting and they propagated without problem. In fact small roots developed and got bigger during the time waiting. Mind you I was dealing with stems with leaves. As for the rooting hormone, how about this? If at the time you're ready to plant, no roots have formed or appear to be developing on the stem, score and apply the hormone. Fungus Gnats Management Guidelines--UC IPM
