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laurieha_gw

jade tree overwatered

laurieha
17 years ago

I went on vacation and my house sitter must have overwatered my jade tree (indoor plant). It was fine-green, healthy when I left. When I returned leaves were falling off, shriveled up. Also the branches and trunk seemed to have shriveled up. We could feel the soil was dripping with water so have tried to get rid of excess water best we could. How can I bring the tree back to life? Also large portions of the branches are falling off and don't look quite dead yet (leaves still green). Can I do something to replant-save these?

Help! This is the first tree/plant I've had that has lasted almost a full year and was doing great!

Comments (6)

  • rjj1
    17 years ago

    About the only thing you can do is cut off pieces that are firm and have good color. Set them in a bright location and leave them alone for a week or so, then pot them up. Don't water them because they don't have roots, just lightly mist the soil around the trunk every few days.

    Once you see new growth you can start to lightly water them.

    randy

  • gnome_in_pa
    17 years ago

    laurieha,

    As Randy said things don't sound good from your description. One question, is the trunk rotted to the soil line? Try cutting the branches back progressively until solid material is exposed. You may have to do this all the way back to the main trunk, and finally to the lower trunk. If it is all rotted it's a goner.

    Norm

  • laurieha
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Sounds like it won't make it from what you two said. I took it to a bonsai store near me in Dallas and they suggested having it sit outside and dry out. Watch for new growth and then add some special miracle grow stuff to the water. I'm supposed to water it thoroughly after it dries out completely though and aded new soil.

    They said to plant the branches that keep falling off and see if they take. They said that it might still live. They also said not to ever mist the jade bonsai. I have been misting it for many months before this and never had any problems.

  • lucy
    17 years ago

    Laurie ... "I have been misting it for many months before this and never had any problems". What do you call rotting - a good thing? You have had problems, but just didn't see the results til now. The misting soaked (to a succulent) the soil, and 'softened up' the plant. They are desert plants, not roses. Misting, unless it's done literally 50 x a day, does nothing to help humidity for a plant anyway (humidity trays or machines do that), but why would you mist a succulent anyway, they're meant to be dry, which is why they hold water in the leaves like that, sort of the camel of plants! And if you mist a succulent 50 x/day you end up watering the heck out of it even if you don't directly pour water into the soil from a cup. It all adds up and just take it as a hard lesson, and something you learned that you'll be able to 'skip' the next time around. If you had any idea how many trees we all lose til we learn about them, you wouldn't believe it, but it's part of the journey, sometimes a hard one, but it puts us further ahead each time.

  • baci
    17 years ago

    Laurieha, I doubt that your misting caused the damage on your plant. The reason you do not mist jade is misting can cause powdery mildew, which can be a real problem to get rid of. I live in a very hot & dry zone. I got powdery mildew on one of my jades once & it took me a year of treatment to get rid of it.
    It is always best to post a picture of your problem. If it were me I would remove all unnecessary leaves & branches. If the roots are bad, you can root the trunk in full sun. When I root trunks (about 3 ½ diameter") or cuttings I root them in full sun in the hottest area I can find.
    The main thing is to get the plant in full sun  it will come back. Plants kept indoors or low light eventually get spindly & cause growers problems later.
    Lucy, I agree with you, but jade is not a desert plant. It needs to be kept indoors in the desert.

  • hajime76
    10 years ago

    I feel I have a similar situation. I watered the tree every two weeks but I might have overdone it. I included a photo for a reference. Right now, it has been a week since I last watered it. I trimmed branches that were withered. There seems to be some shriveling of the trunk but it appears fine near the base. The pot has a hole at the bottom and the soil appears dry to the touch. I am keeping it indoors but in direct sunlight. Should I add anything (like miracle gro for succlents) or just wait it out? This succulent was a gift and I've had this for over a year now and would like to see it keep growing. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank ou.

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