The jade plant is a small plant that can brighten up any space. It also adds a little bit of freshness to the area. People prefer to keep these at their abode as it requires less time and effort for their caring.
But it does not indicate that they can never face problems.
Whenever you notice a jade plant’s leaves starting to droop, you can rest assured that the plant is encountering difficulties.
Besides, due to various reasons, it might die. Therefore, you need to know the problems and their solutions to keep them healthy. You will get all those in the upcoming segments.
Why is my jade plant dying?
Some common reasons are responsible for your jade plant’s dying. While some natural phenomena or factors damage the plant, on the other hand, your carelessness is liable for it.
So, now the question is, why is your coveted jade plant dying? Well, below, we have listed down some primary reasons that can lead to a catastrophic disaster for your jade plant.
You will see that the plant slowly lost its life.
Therefore, it is crucial to learn the causes and take necessary steps for them to avoid complications. So, let us begin with the reasons first, and then we will go to other discussions.
1. Inadequate watering
It is an obvious and primary reason that is responsible for the death of a jade plant. The jade plant is a type of succulent that is native to South Africa.
As a result, it can retain water. Besides, it is very hardy and can tolerate extreme drought conditions. It suggests that this plant can live in desert temperatures.
But jade-growers often water the plant inadequately, and as a result, the plant begins to droop and die.
Water is indeed essential for the growth and development of any plant. But under and over-watering can affect the jade plant adversely.
So, you have to understand that the jade plant is water-friendly as it can soak up the water you offer it. That is why give water only when the soil is dry.
In the summertime, the water will dry quickly, and as a result, you need to provide the water more at this time. Usually, overwatering will occur in the winter season when the plant goes to a dormant period.
You will see its leaves dropping rapidly, and the branches have a mushy texture at this time. In such scenarios, you should never offer water to the plant and treat the problems to protect it from dying.
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2. Inappropriate drainage system
Though you need to take proper care while watering your jade plant, an adequate drainage system will let excess water flow smoothly even if you accidentally overwatered the plant.
Excess moisture affects the jade plant severely as it leads to root rot-related issues. When water clogs in the pot, it blocks water and nutrients moving through the plant and leaves.
As a result, the leaves begin to droop or fall off. But instead of this, root rot is an issue as it is responsible for the jade plant dying. As this problem manifests under the soil, you can never discover it until its effect gets larger.
However, if you see your plant’s leaves turning brown or yellow, and they are easily breaking and falling off, you must check the pot and improve the drainage system. Apart from this, root rot also happens because of fungus, as it thrives best in wet soil.
3. Insufficient lighting
The jade plant prefers sunlight, and as a result, people often place them in a sunny area. But this is wrong as you should never put it in direct sunlight.
You can grow this plant indoors or in the shade.
But you need to ensure that it gets enough bright and natural light regularly. You will find some jade plant types that like less direct sun rays.
You can propagate them indoors with ease by ensuring that natural light comes into the area.
So, you can see that improper light slowly leads your jade plant to die. You will notice its leaves turned yellow.
As a result, the leaves start to droop gradually, and in the end, the plant dies due to extreme exposure to sunlight.
4. Unsuitable potting mix
Several jade plant growers often face difficulty when preparing the soil mix.
As they do not know the perfect ratio of each ingredient, their jade plant does not get proper nutrition to survive and remain vigorous.
The poor potting mix results in the leaves become yellow.
It also affects the drainage system and leads to root rot, fungal attack, and other issues. In the end, you will notice your coveted jade plant falls off its leaves and branches and dies.
5. Temperature fluctuations
Another significant reason that can lead to your precious jade plant’s drooping leaves or death is temperature fluctuations.
Direct exposure to frequent changes in heat and cold can have a seriously harmful impact on the health of the jade plant.
Exposure to very high or low temperatures can lead to leaves. As you might not know, this type of plant can tolerate lower temperatures. But frost conditions are damaging for it.
Due to unawareness, people often keep it outside during summer and winter, and it shocks the plant as it cannot handle these frequent changes. As a result, the plant slowly goes into the hands of death.
6. Pest-related issues
Like every plant, the jade plant is also susceptible to pests. The bugs attack the plant, absorb all its nutrients, and kill it.
One of the biggest threats to jade plants is mealybugs. Their infestation causes leave drooping and also degradation of the entire plant.
But the beneficial thing is these bugs are easy to discover as they will appear as white spots, and you will locate them where the stem and leaves meet.
However, remember that you must remove them to protect your jade plant from dying, and these bugs are also not good for your home. Apart from mealybugs, spider mites and fungus gnats are also responsible for the jade plant’s death.
7. Other issues
The jade plant owners prefer to keep the plant in their abode to make it beautiful and keep the leaves bright and glowing.
For this, they often use household detergents or leaf shine products to clean the plant. But this approach is incorrect as the plant might die due to chemical reactions. You will see its leaves yellowing and dropping off eventually.
How to know if your jade plant is dying?
There are numerous signs and symptoms you will notice to know whether your jade plant is dying or not. Before coming to any conclusion, you must verify these indications adequately. The common symptoms of a dying jade plant are as follows.
1. Brown, yellow, black, or red leaves
Whenever you notice your jade plant’s leaves turning red, black, yellow, or brown, you must take proper care as your plant is having difficulty surviving. This changing color process never happens overnight.
It will occur gradually over time and lead to your plant’s death.
Though you will see older leaves having this issue, it is fine.
But if you notice young leaves face such problems, you must start thinking about what has gone wrong. Hence, it is one of the prominent signs that you need to look after every time.
2. Drooping leaves
Oftentimes you will see a jade plant dropping leaves. Sometimes it is normal.
For instance, when you move the plant from one place to another, it will begin to droop. Besides, sudden and frequent weather fluctuations might also lead to this issue.
But if the plant’s leaves and branches are falling off excessively, you must give proper attention and find the problem.
It is a clear indication that the plant faces difficulty in living.
This drooping leaves hindrance happens due to several reasons like over and underwatering, insufficient lighting, pests attacks, temperature changes, and many others.
3. Plant wilting
Another prevalent symptom of dying jade plants is wilting. It happens due to multiple reasons like over-fertilizing, inappropriate lighting, and overwatering, freezing temperature.
How do you revive a dying jade plant?
With a little care and attention, you can very well save your dying jade plant with ease.
With the above-mentioned discussion, I hope you can understand that the issues are not difficult to deal with, as you can solve them. But you need to follow some basic steps to revive a dying plant. The processes are as follows.
1. Overwatering issue
You can fix your overwatered jade plant in the below ways:
- First, you need to stop watering so that the soil dries out completely.
- Then, you must prune off the damaged parts of your jade plant.
- Next, you should check thoroughly whether the container has an adequate drainage system or not. It must be the primary cause of overwatering, and an improper drainage system will lead to root rot.
- After verifying it, keep the plant in a brighter and well-air circulated place. You can also grow lights to offer your coveted jade plant its much-needed light.
Remember that if you have a tray beneath the container, empty it frequently and check the soil by putting your finger. If you feel the earth is moist, immediately stop watering and wait until it gets dry.
2. Root rot issue
As you might know, overwatering causes root rot. So, solve this solution by following the below steps.
- Firstly, you need to take out the plant gently from the pot. If you notice brown and mushy roots, prune them immediately. Remember that you must sterilize the pruning tool before doing so.
- Then, you need to wash the roots and keep them for drying. You can use bleach and water as bleach will help them to get rid of bacterias.
- Next, repot the plant and ensure that the container has an adequate drainage system.
- Water the jade plant after a few days when the soil is dry and keep it in a brighter and well-ventilated area.
3. Temperature issue
Frequently moving your jade plant from one place to another can stress them. That is why you need to contemplate the below steps to revive it.
- Avoid keeping your jade plant below 40 degrees Fahrenheit temperature.
- Keep it a few feet away from radiators, furnaces, and vents during freezing temperatures.
- You can place it indoors during cold climates to defend it from cold drafts.
4. Fertilizer issue
Excessive fertilizer might damage the plant, and that is why you should take care when feeding your jade plant. But you can revive it and solve the improper fertilization issue in the below ways.
- Water your jade plant before feeding to enable the nutrients to disseminate evenly in the earth.
- Fertilize it every 1.5-2 months in the growing season.
- Never fertilize it when the plant is in a dormant period.
- You can restrict under-fertilization issues by feeding the plant with a balanced fertilizer or high nitrogen fertilizer only in the growing season.
5. Pest infestation issue
Pest infestation encourages the jade plant to die. Hence, remember the below things to protect your plant from them.
- Move the jade plant to a secluded area.
- Prune and dispose of the damaged parts.
- Clean the plant with soapy and plain water to kill the pests.
- Spray neem oil or readymade pesticides once a week.
- Sanitize the area where you were treating your affected jade plant.
Bottom line
Jade plants are flexible and adaptable succulents, and that is why many planters love to grow this plant.
Though the jade plant can survive in all conditions, you must place it in a condition similar to its native place.
It will protect the plant from several complications.
Water the plant with chlorine-free water and always water on the earth, not leaves.
If you water the leaves, it will lead to fungal growth. Besides, always look at the dying symptoms stated above and execute the necessary steps to protect the plant.