One of the branches on my jade plant went limp yesterday- root rot! I am devastated!

From reading other forums- I cut away the soft tissue- the main stem (before it splits) seems firm. But considering an arm has rot- I am guessing the entire trunk does too. I took the entire plant out of soil and dusted cinnamon on the wound I cut off to dry.

The other branches seem firm- so I'm hesitant to cut more. I attached a picture of where I cut the rotted arm. Should I cut more? Should I cut off all the roots? How do I save this beauty?!

Welcome to NGA, @Audreyc !

I wouldn't cut anything else off the plant at the moment -- could you post a photo of the whole jade tree, and maybe tell us about the conditions where the tree is growing? (indoors, outdoors, how big the pot is, what the potting medium consists of, etc)

Thanks for your reply Sandy!

It's indoor- the pot is 8" in diameter. I think it's the correct size. I know they like smaller pots.

The jade was a gift 4 years ago and I haven't done anything to it. Went I took it out of the pot- it was in soil with lava rocks on the bottom. I bought some succulent/cactus soil, perlite and vermiculite when it's ready to re-pot. Is that what is reccomended?

Here is a picture of the beautiful baby!

Your plant looks very healthy to me -- I've had branches occasionally fall off of mine, and then the plant continued growing happily without any further problem. Using the cactus/succulent potting mix is certainly a good idea (I don't think I'd add the vermiculite to it though, as that can actually retain too much moisture). You want to have really good drainage so that the roots are never sitting in water; the pot should have drainage holes, and the potting mix should pretty much dry out between waterings.

So do you think I am safe to replant Sandy?

Thanks so much for your help!

Audreyc said:So do you think I am safe to replant Sandy?

Thanks so much for your help!

You're welcome, and, well, yes, I think so... but maybe I should just give a shout-out to @Tarev for some additional input; I really am not an expert, my jade tree survives more in spite of me than because of me, I'm afraid...

TIA, Tarev!

Hello Audreyc! Sorry for my very late reply to Sandy's tag, I was out of the country.

Anyways, looking at your plant, I agree with Sandy, you have cut enough. Just allow it to acclimate once more. I usually find my Jade plant starting to grow actively again when temps are cooler. Well, maybe because my area is just so hot and dry during summer time. Are you able to position the plant towards some more light? It does appreciate lots of light. I don't use vermiculite to any of my succulents, since it holds more water, so got to keep the media fast draining so I either add perlite like you did or I add pumice. Jade plants does have a very shallow root ball, so it does not need too big of a container, but as already mentioned, it wants to have a fast draining soil. Your use of cactus soil and perlite is okay.

Thank you, Tarev -- I learn so much from your replies to these problems!! (things I never even thought to ask )