I planted a small stem cutting from a jade plant about 1 year and 3 months ago. For a long time it was growing nicely, but then several months ago it stopped growing. It's stalled at just one stem, with 4 pairs of leaves, about 6 inches high. I added food to the soil, and the moved it into a place with more sunlight. None of this had any effect. I went to repot it today, and discovered that the soil was filled with a white powdery substance. Some of it was clumped into little pebbles. And the bottom of the pot was almost all filled with the white substance instead of soil. The roots also seemed to have white powder clinging to them. I did some research and think this might be root mealy bugs - but I couldn't see any signs of any thing moving or anything that looked like bugs. Finally, there was a shallow oval crater, maybe a small soft spot, on the stem right below the soil line. Worried that this was an infestation, I cut the stem about an inch above the soft spot, and plan to re-plant it as if it was another stem cutting. But I am curious about whether I'm right about the problem. I also want to know if cutting it off and letting a new root system grow will fix the problem - or if I need to do more? The plant has sentimental value, so if it's possible, I'd really like to save it. I would greatly appreciate any advice!
Could the white stuff be just perlite? Mealy bugs are fuzzy, not like pebbles. Cutting it off and replanting it is the right thing to do. You had stem rot and there is no way to fix it. Jades stop growing when it gets cooler and the days shorter. That is normal and fine. My guess is that it wasn't growing so you watered more in the hopes that more water would help. It doesn't. The rot is from too much water. Jades need little to no water during the winter because they aren't growing and the soil stays wet a very long time (which is what leads to rot). Don't feel bad, there are thousands of cacti and succulents rotting all over the northern hemisphere right now for the same reason you had it happen. These plants can take all kinds of abuse, it is being too kind that kills them.
Dear globalist1789 - Thanks so much for your response. As you can probably tell, I'm a novice at growing plants. If you don't mind answering another question -- What is perlite? Should I use it when I replant the jade stem?
Perlite is a rock that if "popped" like popcorn so that it is light and fluffy. Great for drainage. It's the little white balls in all the potting mixes you see. I add lots of it when I'm potting jades because it makes the soil hold a lot less water. For jades I normally use 1:3 mix of perlite and comercial cacti/succulent soil. Both can be bought at any store that sells potting soil, pots, etc. Don't water your cutting for a good long time. There is no point in watering if there are no roots... it will just rot on you again.
