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catiewiggles

Jade Plant - Brown spots on leaves/leaf stem

CatieWiggles
9 years ago

My jade plant is 5 years old and recently it started to show light brown coloring on the leaves by the leaf stem, as well as, little dots on a few leaves. What is this and how do I stop it, if it's not normal?

Comments (13)

  • Rodden-Blessed
    9 years ago

    Your plant has scale. I have not had good luck removing it from a jade plant, but there are solutions you can research. Best to keep it away from other plants.

  • plantomaniac08
    9 years ago

    I was going to say that it doesn't look like scale, but Al addressed that already.

    Planto

  • summersunlight
    9 years ago

    Edema can be easily mistaken for scale. I think the best way to tell the difference is to try to push on some of the spots. If you can scrape them off then it is scale. If it doesn't come off it is edema or some other type of leaf scar.

  • CatieWiggles
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you all! We do have two other small plants in the same pot that are having yellowing issues. The jade leaves were turning yellow and then falling off so we took it to an indoor plant specialist shop and they replanted it with this all rocky soil mix and added the two plants to the pot, after that the spots started to appear. The leaves definitely have corky spots on the top side and not the bottom and they don't scrape off. The bottom does however have a brown rash of sorts. Should I try to replant without the other plants in with the jade? There is a lot of new growth that are not showing the spots though, see photo.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    9 years ago

    I see that the inner pot is sitting in a cache pot. Is it sitting in water in there?

    Josh

  • CatieWiggles
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    No there isn't any standing water, we put marbles in the bottom of the cache pot as well to help with that. Now when watering we take the inner pot out and let it drain fully in the sink before putting it back in the other pot. At one point however, about 9 months ago, there was some standing water but since then there has not been. So maybe that's when it started and now it's doing better?

  • birdsnblooms
    9 years ago

    Catie, was your Jade summered outside? In a cold area?
    Toni

  • kaktuskris
    9 years ago

    Crassula ovata is one of the most care free plants you can grow indoors. I don't understand why you are having so many problems, first with the yellowing leaves, and now with these spots. Plenty of bright light, not too much water, and a freely draining potting mix are all they require to thrive. I prefer terra cotta pots, personally.

    Christopher

  • T Naidu
    8 years ago

    CatieWiggles, did you ever find a solution to this? My plant is starting to show the same symptoms now. :(

  • Jeanette McNamee
    3 years ago

    My jade plant was doing good then this happeh I don't know what it is can you help please.

  • Jeanette McNamee
    3 years ago



  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    3 years ago

    Oedema.

    Oedema

    Oedema is a physiological disorder that can affect all plants. It occurs when the plant takes up more water than it can rid itself of via the process of transpiration. The word itself means 'swelling', which is usually the first symptom, and comes in the form of pale blisters or water-filled bumps on foliage. Under a variety of circumstances/cultural conditions, a plant's internal water pressure (turgidity) can become so high that some leaf cells rupture and leak their contents into inter-cellular spaces in leaf tissue, creating wet or weepy areas. Symptoms vary by plant, but as the malady progresses, areas of the leaf turn yellow, brown, brown with reddish overtones or even black, with older damage appearing as corky/ scaly/ ridged patches, or wart/gall-like bumpy growth. Symptoms are seen more frequently in plants that are fleshy, are usually more pronounced on the underside of leaves, and older/lower leaves are more likely to be affected than younger/upper leaves.

    Oedema is most common in houseplants during the winter/early spring months, is driven primarily by excessive water retention in the soil, and can be intensified via several additional cultural influences. Cool temperatures, high humidity levels, low light conditions, or partial defoliation can individually or collectively act to intensify the problem, as can anything else that slows transpiration. Nutritional deficiencies of Ca and Mg are also known contributors to the malady.

    Some things that can help you prevent oedema:

    * Increase light levels and temperature

    * Monitor water needs carefully – avoid over-watering. I'd heartily recommend a soil with drainage so sharp (fast) that when you to water to beyond the saturation point you needn't worry about prolonged periods of soil saturation wrecking root health/function. Your soil choice should be a key that unlocks the solutions to many potential problems.

    * Avoid misting or getting water on foliage. It slows transpiration and increases turgidity.

    * Water as soon as you get up in the AM. When stomata close in preparation for the dark cycle, turgidity builds. If you water early in the day, it gives the plant an opportunity to remove (for its own needs) some of the excess water in the soil.

    * Put a fan in the room or otherwise increase air flow/circulation. Avoid over-crowding your plants.


    Al