I have a Jade plant that my dad gave me 3 months ago which was nice and healthy at the time. This last month it has gone bad. The leaves have fallen off at the base. Now it has those white mesly bugs. I know to wipe those off but then the leaves fall off. Not sure what to do. And I also want to bring it indoors for the winter. It is on my porch now. Does get sun and I water about every 1 1/2 weeks. Please help. Thank you
treat the mealy bugs by dipping a q-tip in rubbing alcohol and then rubbing it on the bugs (they'll turn brown). you'll need to do this to every spot where the bugs are. and then repeat again in a couple of weeks if you see them again. do you know what type of soil it's in? if its something that is just regular potting soil (with nothing added to aid in drainage) then, watering it every week and a half may be too much - make sure to let the soil dry between waterings. also, does the pot have drainage holes in the bottom? if not, move it into a pot that does - if there is no drainage, the soil at the bottom is staying too moist and that will cause the plant to rot. because the mealy bugs are pretty bad, you might want to repot it in fresh soil (the bugs can live in the soil as well as on the plants). if you do that, make sure the soil is something that is well draining. you can use a cactus mix or just use regular plain soil (not something that will hold moisture) and add in some perlite, stones and some sand to give the soil some drainage.
joclyn, thank you for the info. I am getting the bugs off yuk. I sent my husband to the supply store so I can repot it. The soil definatly needs to be changed. Looking forward to a nice Jade plant.
they're pretty hardy, so, i'm sure it will recover from the bugs. putting it in new soil will definitely help also. it'll be a bit slow to recover and it will probably drop a few more leaves (they tend to 'pout' when their circumstances change) before you see it rebounding. it will tho, rest assured!!