I recently bought a jade "bonsai" from a local garden store about 2 months ago. The first week i know i over watered it but it seemed to do fine. About 3 weeks ago it lost all its leaves and some were falling off shriveled and brown and others were falling off healthy looking. The tree began to re-grow leaves so i thought it was fine until i noticed that i could just touch a leaf and it would fall off so I haven't been watering it really and have left it alone. Now there are basically no leaves on it and its very depressing. I went to look at it today and noticed that spider like strings were connecting the branches- but not webs. Also last week I moved it from indoors to outdoors because I thought the leaves turned that light greenish color due to poor sunlight. If anyone could help that would be great! I just want my plant to survive :(
sorry the first picture was very small but this is what my jade looked like when i originally bought it and the second picture is how it looks now
overwatering can be a real problem if the soil it's in doesn't have good drainage...and it can take weeks for the damage to show. more at issue is the spider mites - they're too tiny to see and the only way you know you have them is when you see those bits/strings of webbing. normally, you can deal with them by misting the plant with plain water - they don't like moisture. since the plant in question is a jade, spraying water on it isn't a good idea because that can promote rot - and the plant is already stressed as it is, so, is more susceptible. so, get some miticide - you can use a topical type or system. also, feel the trunk and branches - they should give a little, yet be firm (not brittle). if they seem soft/mushy, then you might have rot happening. check mainly at the base of the trunk where it meets the soil - root rot from the overwatering would start there and work upwards...if you have root rot, you can always cut them off and re-root the tree. they're pretty hardy, so, even with the mite issue (which would cause leaf drop and all over if the infestation is severe), it should survive. may take a bit though. what kind of soil is it in?? did you repot i after you got it??
Its a Portulacaria Afra actually , or Dwarf Elephant Bush , not a Jade tree ( Crassula ) . http://bonsaibeginnings.blogspot.com/2008/05/portulacaria-afra.html Leave it outside in full sun , water sparingly and spray with insecticidal soap .
oh, yes, it is p. afra, isn't it? sorry, it didn't register with me - i barely looked at the pics (my bad! )