You might be wondering why your jade plant appears to be dying.
How can you save a dying jade plant?
The answer is simple:
Care.
Renewed care.
If the problem was overwatering, take steps to dry out your jade plant.
If it was root rot, prune out the dead roots.
Understanding the problem helps us come up with solutions.
Jade plants don’t just wither and die overnight.
It takes time.
Succulents like the jade plant are easy to propagate and grow.
But you can easily overdo as well as neglect care for the jade plant, and it will result in your jade plant wilting and dying.
Can you save a dying jade plant? First you have to identify why your jade plant is dying.
Symptoms of a Sick Jade Plant
There are three main symptoms that might appear to tell you that your jade plant is dying:
- Branches falling off.
- Yellowing of the leaves.
- Root rot.
Branches falling off
One of the most observable symptoms that show your jade plant to be dying is the falling off of its branches.
Mature jade plants have woody trunks and plump taut-looking leaves. Healthy plants shoot up their branches from the main trunks.
They normally project upwards and slightly outward. If your jade plant extends too widely and its branches appear to be hardly able to carry the weight of its leaves, it may be a symptom of a problem.
If its branches are stooping downward and bowing to the ground, that may also be a symptom of a problem. If young leaves fall off untimely, it may be a symptom.
Yellowing Of The Leaves
Another obvious symptom that your jade plant is dying is the yellowing of its leaves. Though this is also a symptom of general neglect, yellowing doesn’t happen overnight, it is a clear symptom that your jade plant is dying. There is a natural yellowing of leaves that is not a real problem.
Older leaves naturally yellow because of maturity or decease. In this case, all you have to do is to prune the yellowing leaves out.
What we are concerned about is the general appearance of your jade plant whose leaves are all turning yellow in various stages.
When young leaves turn yellow. This is a symptom that your jade plant is dying.
This is sometimes accompanied by the leaves turning soft. Jade plants leaves, like all other succulent plants, feel firm and taut to the touch.
Its leaves are not soggy though it is water-filled. When the leaves become soft and squishy and break with slight finger pressure, it is a sign that the plant is dying.
Root Rot
A third symptom is root rot. This is not the most obvious symptom because root rot manifests under the soil.
You need to remove the plant from the pot, shake off the soil, and examine its root system more closely to see if your jade plant is suffering from root rot.
However, if you have been seeing a general yellowing of the leaves or a breaking off and weakening of leaves and branches, then it is high time to also check your jade plant’s roots to see if it is experiencing a rotting of roots (not all, but some)
How To Revive An Overwatered Jade Plant
Succulents, as you may know, are water-filled plants. They thrive in arid climates and dry soil conditions. Cactus is a type of succulent plant. This is the reason they are very susceptible to overwatering.
Under normal conditions, you only need to water your jade plant every few weeks. They don’t normally dry up or wilt with little (neglect) watering under cool or normal temperature. This may be the reason why your jade plant appears to be dying. Your jade plant may be overwatered. The symptoms of over-watering are often similar to the symptoms of too little watering.
One of the symptoms of overwatering a jade plant is the yellowing of the leaves. Yes, it’s true that the yellowing of leaves is a symptom of too little watering. However, you cannot dismiss this symptom simply as your jade plant getting too little water. Because if you do that, then you will water your jade plant more, thinking it will solve the problem. But it will not. What you just did is worsen the problem.
The best thing to do if you see yellowing of the leaves is to check the soil — Is the soil dry or wet? If the symptom is a result of overwatering, the soil will be wet or soaked. Either the jade plant is being too frequently watered, under cool climate conditions; or the pot has poor drainage leaving the soil soaking wet. If the soil is dry to the touch, then the jade plant is getting too little water, especially if the climate condition is hot and dry. A little water will do the job. Overwatered jade plants can be revived. They can recover. However, you must be careful.
Root rot often manifests on the plant through dropping leaves or falling branches. Root rot weakens the connections that attach the leaves to the branches and the branches to the trunk.
The connections do not receive sufficient nourishment from its roots, because it has rotted. But if the branches just appear to be stooping, it is not always a result of root rot. It can be because the pot is too large for your jade plant.
This results in roots being too overspread and loose under the soil. It can also be because you do not regularly prune your jade plant and just allow it to grow wildly without grooming. Its branches become top-heavy with too many leaves making the branches stoop for sheer weight.