I bought a jade last Friday, I didn't water it that day. On Saturday I noticed that a few of its bottom leaves were wrinkled so I watered it thoroughly, 24 hours later its leaves were still wrinkled so I watered it again (and of course now I'm worried that I have overwatered it). This morning the wrinkled leaves are close to falling off. It certainly doesn't need to be watered, what else could it be?
So many reasons why Crassulas drop their foiliage.... keep in a bright location, (mine are now all out of doors until Nov.) Only water when almost bone dry, with ample drainage and they will bloom at Christmas, if given enough bright light. Unless your plant is diseased, the leaf drop is normal during a plant's transition...
pavel, can you post a pic of your plant?? also, where did you get it? did you check the moisture of the soil before you watered it the first time?
Thank you for the replies. I have decided that I will K Baron's directions, let it do its thing for the most part and see what happens, it doesn't look bad; two leaves fell off, and only one is very wrinkled at this point. I didn't measure the moisture with a meter, but the soil felt very dry. I don't know anything about the place I got it from, my dad buys plants from there so I'll ask him what he thinks of them some time.
i asked where it was purchased from because places like lowe's and home depot are notorious for overwatering plants and overwatering jades can cause rot. if it's from a regular greenhouse type situation, then that's less likely to occur (can still happen though). please check the bottoms of the stems where they meet the soil - feel them to see if they're firm. and let me know :) it's in a good pot - unglazed clay is ideal for jades because it allows the soil to dry out quicker and they don't like to be in soggy soil and they O like their soil to dry out before watering it again. i'll assume it has a drainage hole in the bottom - most that size do - if it doesn't, then transplant into one that does. i'd wait a few weeks to do that though - give the jade a chance to get used to the conditions in your house first. jades can be finicky when they're conditions are changed - new location; change in amount of light; transplanting, etc. they tend to pout and will drop some leaves during the process of getting used to the new situation...so, for you to have lost a couple is not a big deal (unless there is rot somewhere that is causing the leaf loss, that would be an issue). i can't quite tell the soil composition. if it's regular potting soil, although that's okay, it's not optimal for a jade. if it's in peat, then it definitely needs to be moved into something better! i'd move it into a mix of cactus soil with some extra perlite thrown in for really good drainage. you can use regular/plain soil with perlite as well - just do it at a half/half mix. again, before repotting, allow it to get used to the conditions in your house - a few weeks is all that's needed. it generally looks in pretty good condition. nice healthy pink on the edges which means it's getting the correct level and amount of sunlight and the leaves look healthy. allow the soil to dry out a good bit - at least an inch down - and then do a good watering. that size container it should be about every two weeks for watering. sooner if you put it outside once the warm weather is firmly in place. in winter, you can cut back on watering to every 3-4 weeks (they go a bit dormant in winter).
It did occur to me that the store neglected it, but they specialize in plants and I think that I am worried mostly because the jade is new. The soil is regular, but I mixed some sand in, I think that's what cactus soil is? The bottoms of the stems are firm. Thank you for the information!
you're quite welcome for the assist :) even though i know they will pout and drop leaves after being moved to a new situation, i still get upset and worried they're gonna die...if you let them be and give them time to get situated, they bounce back - every time. cactus soil is a mix of small bits of bark, plain soil, perlite and just a smidgen of peat. doesn't usually have sand. sand can actually retain a fair amount of moisture/keep the water from draining off and this plant does not need that. i'd unpot, remove the soil and mix in some perlite (don't worry about removing the sand, the perlite will fix any issues) and then pot it up again.
