Dying Jade Bonsai

Wed Oct 31, 2007 4:48 pm

Hello,

I overwatered my Jade Bonsai. It was growing well. And one day I had it dunked in the water for almost 30 mins, way too much....(this is my first plant ever!)

In the next following days all the large branches started to break.

I need to know what to do at this point to help save the Jade..... I would really like it to survive...

PS i clipped off all the branches since it drooped and almost broke off anyway.... don't know if i should have done it.....
Does wiring the branches help in anyway????

Help!!!!

Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:43 pm

naila wrote:Hello,

Welcome

I overwatered my Jade Bonsai. It was growing well. And one day I had it dunked in the water for almost 30 mins, way too much....(this is my first plant ever!)

Let me be clear here for you.

In no way does a single event constitute over-watering.

Over-watering is a long term issue that requires a continual extended state of 'being too wet'.

There is something else going on here, Please be descriptive wrt your watering practices as well as other aspects of the plants environment and your care of it.

In the next following days all the large branches started to break.

I need to know what to do at this point to help save the Jade..... I would really like it to survive...

The info requested above [& pictures] will help us help you, Jade are tough customers so all is not lost...yet

.

Please read the stickys at the top of the forum [Pay close attention to the bits about watering], See here as well:
http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics.html

PS I clipped off all the branches since it drooped and almost broke off anyway.... don't know if I should have done it.....

Me either at this point.

Does wiring the branches help in anyway????

Not with this issue, Wiring is for aesthetics.

ynot

Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:51 pm

naila,

Can you provide a little more information? Specifically, what were your watering practices before this event. How often were you watering? Were you allowing the soil to dry thoroughly in between watering? Can you describe the nature of the soil, is it coarse and gritty or dense and peaty/organic? Have you been keeping it outside? I have just brought mine in within the past week.

I'm not sure what to make of the branches breaking as you describe, I have never experienced this. Since you have already pruned the damaged portions I would suggest that you not water again until the remaining leaves begin to lose their turgidity and soften a bit. Jades will back bud even on old material so don't panic, just wait it out for a while.

I will say that I don't think that a 30 minute soak is by any means a death sentence. During the winter it is difficult for me to water all of my Jades so I tend to let them dry out until the leaves soften noticeably. At this point I usually put a group into a large tub and soak them overnight. I have never had any problem with them this way. This actually mimics what occurs naturally, a dry spell then a glut of water. This is why they have evolved the ability to store water as they do. During the summer I water from above as I do with the rest of my plants, just less often.

Norm

Thu Nov 01, 2007 4:31 am

Jades can go months without water - and cannot really be wired without snapping branches

You can wait on watering until you see the leaves getting wrinkled from drying out, IME. The more water, the bigger the leaves.

Is it possible that it has been given so much water that it broke from its own weight of the leaves/branches?? It can happen

When the plants are super-swollen from having so much water within, they break at the slightest twitch. Helps them reproduce by dropping pieces here and there during times of plenty-of-water, or so I hear...

Wait a long time before you water again - see what happens. Seriously. Are the leaves kind of huge and heavy? If so, I stand by my postulation

Alex

Thu Nov 01, 2007 7:00 am

alexinoklahoma wrote:Jades can go months without water...

Good point Alex [And one I neglected to mention

]

ynot

Thu Nov 01, 2007 11:19 am

ynot: I'm certainly no expert on jades, but succulents are touchy with water (as you know, LOL). I have seen some with leaves that are HUGE, and super-heavy; leads to waaaay too much weight upon the fragile-like stems/trunk. I have had wind break off a smaller branching that was not swollen/heavy with water -> tornado funnel was seen at same time, too, though.

As far as I know, wiring is foolhardy with jades with the snapping happening without any notice (no warning cracks heard like some species)...

I've heard many times that Jades can be left dry (bone-dry!) until their leaves are shrivelling/wrinkled - opposite of most non-succulent items. Takes a discipline to *not* water them - and I am as guilty of 'over' watering as the next at times. Its just so odd to have soil like that amdist all the other 'stuff', 'eh?

Alex