Hello,
I'm new to the forum and new to bonsai. I've been doing research and reading for about a year and I just got a dwarf jade bonsai. I waited a week (as the nursery suggested) before repotting it. I used bonsai soil and followed all the right steps. I left it in the shade for a week after repotting it and then began to let it see some sunlight. I've read that when jades are kept indoor, it is a good idea to see when the leaves are getting wrinkly so it can be watered. Three days ago I saw some leaves getting wrinkly and I watered it pretty good. The next day I saw more leaves getting wrinkly so I watered it again. Yesterday even more leaves were getting wrinkly so I submerged it (as some people suggest) and left it 15 minutes. So today I came home from work and there are many leaves wrinkly and some are brown and dead. Can anyone help me please. I really appreciate it. God bless.
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Gnome
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ecrob,
If it really is a Jade or, since you said 'Dwarf Jade' a Portulacaria then stop watering it. You have misinterpreted the advice about not watering until the leaves wilt a bit. The idea is to water it then wait, not watering again until the plant goes through a whole cycle. The leaves should plump up then, after a time, soften again. Watering too frequently will kill these plants.
During the summer, when I keep them outside, I water more aggressively. Over the winter, when they enter a sort of rest period due to lower light and temperatures, I water much less often. It is not uncommon to allow a month to pass before watering. If it is a Portulacaria, they seem to like to be watered more frequently than their full sized cousins.
What I like to do is to water thoroughly several days prior to re-potting. Allow the soil to dry a bit, then re-pot. By watering first the plant is hydrated in advance, allowing to soil to dry somewhat makes removing the old medium easier.
Just leave it alone and keep your eye on it for the next few weeks. If the leaves plump up You'll probably be OK. If it begins to rot or wilt excessively it might not make it. I'm betting that it will recover.
Norm
If it really is a Jade or, since you said 'Dwarf Jade' a Portulacaria then stop watering it. You have misinterpreted the advice about not watering until the leaves wilt a bit. The idea is to water it then wait, not watering again until the plant goes through a whole cycle. The leaves should plump up then, after a time, soften again. Watering too frequently will kill these plants.
During the summer, when I keep them outside, I water more aggressively. Over the winter, when they enter a sort of rest period due to lower light and temperatures, I water much less often. It is not uncommon to allow a month to pass before watering. If it is a Portulacaria, they seem to like to be watered more frequently than their full sized cousins.
What I like to do is to water thoroughly several days prior to re-potting. Allow the soil to dry a bit, then re-pot. By watering first the plant is hydrated in advance, allowing to soil to dry somewhat makes removing the old medium easier.
Just leave it alone and keep your eye on it for the next few weeks. If the leaves plump up You'll probably be OK. If it begins to rot or wilt excessively it might not make it. I'm betting that it will recover.
Norm
Thank you for your help! I know watering is one of the trickiest areas for bonsai, but I didn't think I would mess up bad... but I did! I guess I just freaked out and thought I didn't watered properly the first and second time... by the third time I kinda realized it was probably a bad idea that I watered it so much...
Well, I guess I'll just wait now and hopefully see it get better. By the way, is it a good idea to mist a dwarf jade (it is a portulacaria)? Thank you again!
Well, I guess I'll just wait now and hopefully see it get better. By the way, is it a good idea to mist a dwarf jade (it is a portulacaria)? Thank you again!
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Gnome
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ecrob,
[url=https://img223.imageshack.us/I/portulacaria.jpg/][img]https://img223.imageshack.us/img223/13/portulacaria.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Norm
No, I don't generally mist succulents. If the leaves are dusty you certainly can, it won't do any harm occasionally but it's not really necessary. Remember these plants evolved to live in arid areas and as such store water in their fleshy stems and leaves. That's why you need to be judicious in watering practices.By the way, is it a good idea to mist a dwarf jade (it is a portulacaria)?
[url=https://img223.imageshack.us/I/portulacaria.jpg/][img]https://img223.imageshack.us/img223/13/portulacaria.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Norm
I know that caring for a plant outdoors is often different from caring for it indoors, but...
I have many large jade plants (Crassula) here. The S.F. Bay Area has what is called a Mediterranean climate: rainy winter (approx. November through March) and a dry April through October. There are years when it doesn't rain one single time from April through October.
I don't water the jade plants. They're described as "drought tolerant," and mine definitely are. We've lived in this house since 1997, and developed a relationship with the previous owners, who moved in in 1976. Some of the jade plants date from at least 1976 and are thus well established. They survived The Great Freeze of 1990 and have survived the drought of the '70s and the current drought of the '00s.
Right now, after heavy rains from December through early March, the plants have *very fat* green leaves. They're blooming. (This does not happen every year, believe me.) Over the next couple of months, the leaves will gradually lose their nice green color, flatten out, and then start to turn red.
Some will become positively leathery to the touch. The red will start to look more like mottled red and rust.
But the plant will be alive, biding its time. Waiting for the rain.
I'm not sure how to transfer this "waiting for the rain" to an indoor plant, which doesn't have the root development an outdoor plant has. OTOH, the jade plants I'm referring to have roots under asphalt on one side and are competing with roses on the other, so I'm not sure how much root mass they actually possess.
We stuck some prunings into the ground when we moved in. The one that hasn't been run over by a car or truck is now approx. 4 feet tall. All of these younger jade plants go through the "fat green/red leathery" cycle, too, and so far have been reliable plants.
Best wishes with your plant. Do you know for sure whether it's a Crassula?
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
I have many large jade plants (Crassula) here. The S.F. Bay Area has what is called a Mediterranean climate: rainy winter (approx. November through March) and a dry April through October. There are years when it doesn't rain one single time from April through October.
I don't water the jade plants. They're described as "drought tolerant," and mine definitely are. We've lived in this house since 1997, and developed a relationship with the previous owners, who moved in in 1976. Some of the jade plants date from at least 1976 and are thus well established. They survived The Great Freeze of 1990 and have survived the drought of the '70s and the current drought of the '00s.
Right now, after heavy rains from December through early March, the plants have *very fat* green leaves. They're blooming. (This does not happen every year, believe me.) Over the next couple of months, the leaves will gradually lose their nice green color, flatten out, and then start to turn red.
Some will become positively leathery to the touch. The red will start to look more like mottled red and rust.
But the plant will be alive, biding its time. Waiting for the rain.
I'm not sure how to transfer this "waiting for the rain" to an indoor plant, which doesn't have the root development an outdoor plant has. OTOH, the jade plants I'm referring to have roots under asphalt on one side and are competing with roses on the other, so I'm not sure how much root mass they actually possess.
We stuck some prunings into the ground when we moved in. The one that hasn't been run over by a car or truck is now approx. 4 feet tall. All of these younger jade plants go through the "fat green/red leathery" cycle, too, and so far have been reliable plants.
Best wishes with your plant. Do you know for sure whether it's a Crassula?
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
Norm, where do you keep your Ports. and how much light do they get. Yours always look great. I'm having a difficult time with mine and my Jades. They are under fluorescent light and just look poorly compared to yours.Gnome wrote:ecrob,
No, I don't generally mist succulents. If the leaves are dusty you certainly can, it won't do any harm occasionally but it's not really necessary. Remember these plants evolved to live in arid areas and as such store water in their fleshy stems and leaves. That's why you need to be judicious in watering practices.By the way, is it a good idea to mist a dwarf jade (it is a portulacaria)?
[url=https://img223.imageshack.us/I/portulacaria.jpg/][img]https://img223.imageshack.us/img223/13/portulacaria.th.jpg[/img][/url]
Norm
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Gnome
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Len,
Same as you, under common fluorescent shop lights over the winter but always outside for the summer. Mine can look pretty shabby at times especially over the winter. Most of my pictures are taken when they are looking good though. Are all of yours new to you or do you have some older ones? I know some of yours were potted fairly recently. I usually re-pot these during warm weather like I might a Ficus so they may be a little sluggish from the 'out of season' re-potting. I think that once you are able to get them outside they will come around for you.
Norm
Same as you, under common fluorescent shop lights over the winter but always outside for the summer. Mine can look pretty shabby at times especially over the winter. Most of my pictures are taken when they are looking good though. Are all of yours new to you or do you have some older ones? I know some of yours were potted fairly recently. I usually re-pot these during warm weather like I might a Ficus so they may be a little sluggish from the 'out of season' re-potting. I think that once you are able to get them outside they will come around for you.
Norm
Well that's about the same as I'm experiencing with them. They did really well when I got them and then repotted them and now seem to be longing for the outdoors...lol.
I've noted that all my Jades do better on the south facing window sill in the kitchen than under the lights. I'm hoping the others will do well when I get them outside. Right now the new leaves are coming in small.
It's just too early to put them out yet. Soon.......
I've noted that all my Jades do better on the south facing window sill in the kitchen than under the lights. I'm hoping the others will do well when I get them outside. Right now the new leaves are coming in small.
It's just too early to put them out yet. Soon.......
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Bonsai Nutcase
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I just wanted to update you on my plant... by the way, someone asked me if it is a Crassula... I don't know if it s or not 
Well, my jade is pretty much the same. many of her leaves are wrinkled and many have fallen. I really don't know what to do but wait. When I got her I cleaned her root really good from the dirt that it came in and put the bonsai dirt... I don't know if maybe the roots were not able to get water when I watered it or something. I have a ginseng ficus bonsai too that I got from Walmart! and this one is doing great! I feel like my jade is just going to die and I really don't' want that. There has been new growth and the new leaves and the highest leaves look in better condition than the bottom leaves. Thanks for all the help! God bless!
Well, my jade is pretty much the same. many of her leaves are wrinkled and many have fallen. I really don't know what to do but wait. When I got her I cleaned her root really good from the dirt that it came in and put the bonsai dirt... I don't know if maybe the roots were not able to get water when I watered it or something. I have a ginseng ficus bonsai too that I got from Walmart! and this one is doing great! I feel like my jade is just going to die and I really don't' want that. There has been new growth and the new leaves and the highest leaves look in better condition than the bottom leaves. Thanks for all the help! God bless!
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WatchMeShove
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I didn't read other comments but I'll tell you my experience with jade. I have multiple jade plants, and they get watered about once a week. Jade doesn't even really need water, twice a month would be enough. When you water it you should water it thoroughly though. My jades usually look very unhealthy after the winter, but always come back to full health with little care. I think that if you don't overwater your jade it should be fine, however through my experience jade likes it much better as an outdoor plant. Maybe this is because people water their indoor plants more often, who knows. What I do it cut the tips off the jades leaving about three or four leaves on the branch and then stick them in the dirt, they root easily over time. They root themselves with no rooting hormone whatsoever, and I've heard about other people just sticking jade cuttings in water and having them root themselves. You could consider making your jade plant into multiple jade plants then you wouldn't have to worry about the health of one single plant. Also, you could try treating the plants differently and seeing which plants grow the best with different types of care. Gardening is all about experience, so try different things with different plants and this is how you could know what works and what doesn't. If I were you, I'd go buy superthrive and water your jade with it. Superthrive is a plant hormone that can help bring back plants that are almost dead, and always works in my experience. I guess superthrive is illegal in some states and in canada because of the potency of the product or something, but it is seriously like "plant steroids." Superthrive can bring back almost dead plants and also makes plants grow much bigger than they would on their own. It's been around for over thirty years I think and works great. Sorry I kinda rambled on and wrote this really quick but I hope this helped.
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Gnome
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ecrob,
The stem does not show any signs of dehydration or mushiness does it?
Norm
The confusion is due to your calling it a Jade. Jades are in the Genus Crassula. When I asked earlier you said that it was a Portulacaria, which is the Genus. So the answer is no, although some common names for Portulacaria are Dwarf Jade or Baby Jade, it is not accurately called a Crassula. It is properly called Portulacaria afrasomeone asked me if it is a Crassula... I don't know if it s or not
That's about all that you can do, wait. Plants operate on a different time scale than we might sometimes like.Well, my jade is pretty much the same. many of her leaves are wrinkled and many have fallen. I really don't know what to do but wait.
I don't think it will die. About the only way to kill these is to water them too often or let them freeze.I feel like my jade is just going to die and I really don't' want that.
Definitely a good sign. Just leave it alone for a while. Make sure the soil is completely dry before you water it again. If you think you should water it, wait a day or three.There has been new growth and the new leaves and the highest leaves look in better condition than the bottom leaves.
The stem does not show any signs of dehydration or mushiness does it?
Norm