Bonsai Newbie - Sick Jade

[sliverworm]

Hello , first off I would like to say this is an awesome forum and tons of good links and advice!

Next , I purchased my first bonsai which appears to be a jade and has been made from probably some trimmings. When I got it home the trunk was.. well best described as looking like beef jerky. I put it in a better pot and soaked it in water for a good 10-15mins, let the excess drain and watched it for the next few weeks. During the day I would open my blinds and set it on the window seal and at night I would close them and put it on my night stand. Well one night I was out and forgot to remove it from the window seal and things took a turn for the worst. The trunk shriveled up again and now is very limp and feels like beef jerky again, many of the leaves have fallen off also. I have been watering it once every 1-2 weeks, just monitoring the soil and letting it dry out between waterings. I am at a loss as to what could have happened. I know it must have been something with me leaving it on the seal over night, but not sure how I can revive it at this point. Also since I have had the plant there has been a slight white haze on the branches? any idea what that could be.

Here are some quick pics I took with my blackberry since I do not have a real digi cam.


PS : Please ignore my socks I didn't notice them in the shot.

[img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/sLiVeRwOrM/IMG00032.jpg[/img]
[img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/sLiVeRwOrM/IMG00034.jpg[/img]

[arboricola]

silverworm;

You're going to have to leave the tree in one spot. Moving it around is not a good thing.

Check the soil daily and make sure it dosn't dry out completely. A jade can stand a little more water than most plants. When the top inch of soil is dry, then water. Do this until the tree responds, then let it almost dry out between waterings.

Phil...

[sliverworm]

Will do, I have cleared a dedicated space on my desk which is good level for sunlight and far enough to where it wont freeze, also gave it some water..

[constantstaticx3]

silverworm, although it may seem like windows provide enough light, they don't. I would think about investing in a grow light to give your tree the proper lighting. Use the search function and search "fluorescent lights" that thread should tell you what you need to know.

Tom

[alisios]

silverworm - does this help? - it's funny that the only thing in focus are the socks!

[img]https://www.robertcory.com/webdata/IMG00034.jpg[/img]

Did you get a good look at the roots when you changed the pot? Of course, I'm only guessing at the possibility of root rot...

As a last resort, you could always try and make a cutting:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6135

good luck

[sliverworm]

silverworm - does this help? - it's funny that the only thing in focus are the socks!

[img]https://www.robertcory.com/webdata/IMG00034.jpg[/img]

Did you get a good look at the roots when you changed the pot? Of course, I'm only guessing at the possibility of root rot...

As a last resort, you could always try and make a cutting:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6135

good luck

yeah, my phone must like my socks .. lol

unfortunately I did not get a good look at the roots.. I am going to try the previous suggestions and see how that goes and if worse comes to worse I can goto the drastic measures.

[Gnome]

sliverworm,

Welcome to the site and to bonsai. Looking at your plant I find that what you have is not a Jade proper but a Portulacaria, sometimes called Baby Jade or Elephant Bush. Although it is not what is commonly referred to as Jade they are related and their culture is much the same.

Next, it is difficult to tell from your pictures and the state of the plant but you may have a variegated form. Here are some pictures of two of mine for comparison.
[url=https://img126.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pavarzl3.jpg][img]https://img126.imageshack.us/img126/6127/pavarzl3.th.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://img126.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pagreennb1.jpg][img]https://img126.imageshack.us/img126/8003/pagreennb1.th.jpg[/img][/url]
The first one is an example of the variegated form, Portulacaria afra var. (sometimes called Rainbow Bush) notice the cream colored tinge to the leaves. In full sun they will also acquire a pink blush, thus the common name. The second is the common green form, Portulacaria afra.

The only reason I note the distinction is that I have observed that the variegated form is much less vigorous than the straight green form. So if it is slow to respond you know why.

I treat my Portulacaria much the same as my full sized Jades, that is allowing them to dry completely before I water thoroughly again. I have found that Portulacaria can stand to be watered with greater frequency than full sized Jades. I suspect that this is simply due to their smaller mass and that they cannot retain as much water as their full sized counterpart.

Norm

[sliverworm]

sliverworm,

Welcome to the site and to bonsai. Looking at your plant I find that what you have is not a Jade proper but a Portulacaria, sometimes called Baby Jade or Elephant Bush. Although it is not what is commonly referred to as Jade they are related and their culture is much the same.

Next, it is difficult to tell from your pictures and the state of the plant but you may have a variegated form. Here are some pictures of two of mine for comparison.
[url=https://img126.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pavarzl3.jpg][img]https://img126.imageshack.us/img126/6127/pavarzl3.th.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://img126.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pagreennb1.jpg][img]https://img126.imageshack.us/img126/8003/pagreennb1.th.jpg[/img][/url]
The first one is an example of the variegated form, Portulacaria afra var. (sometimes called Rainbow Bush) notice the cream colored tinge to the leaves. In full sun they will also acquire a pink blush, thus the common name. The second is the common green form, Portulacaria afra.

The only reason I note the distinction is that I have observed that the variegated form is much less vigorous than the straight green form. So if it is slow to respond you know why.

I treat my Portulacaria much the same as my full sized Jades, that is allowing them to dry completely before I water thoroughly again. I have found that Portulacaria can stand to be watered with greater frequency than full sized Jades. I suspect that this is simply due to their smaller mass and that they cannot retain as much water as their full sized counterpart.

Norm

Norm,

I believe it could be a Portulacaria , at one point it did have alot more leaves and the edges of the leaves had a white/purpleish haze to them, they do not seem to be as green as the 2nd pic as you posted.