I got this sick jade from my sister. (Side note: if anyone knows the exact type of Jade this is, that would be helpful too) She had it in a north window. Its leaves are curling downward, it is turning red underneath, it's coloring is very faded, almost grayish, some of the new growth is super light green, almost white. It was enormously, leggy and leaning super far over. When I got it, I thought it was overwatered (and maybe he had too much humidity?) so I repotted it in succulent soil, pruned the longest stems way back, put it in a north window and I figured I'd wait to water it till the leaves started looking a little shriveled. It's been a few weeks now and I haven't seen any change though on any of the symptoms. Did I get my diagnosis wrong?

Not clear what your diagnosis was...too much water? Was the lower soil soggy? Roots rotten?

Based on your description, your Crassula ovata is clearly suffering from inadequate light: leggy and leaning are your first two obvious symptoms. Get it out of the northern window and into full all-day southern exposure, or better, outside in real sun — but be sure to acclimate from the low light to full exposure very gradually or it will burn. For a mature plant that sounds like it's been light-deprived for a long time, the transition could require 3-4 weeks or until you see healthy new leaves emerging. Be patient —jades don't grow at a super rapid pace but it shouldn't stay stagnant at this time of year.

I would have given it grittier soil, like cactus mix plus 40% pumice, and I think it's buried too deeply (but I'd need to see what the lower trunk looks like with the soil scraped away to tell for sure). And please! water it! Completely saturate the soil, then allow it to mostly dry between waterings, but not so much that the leaves shrivel. If it has adequate light, good circulation and fast-draining soil, your chance of overwatering is slim. Highly diluted fertilizer, 3-1-2 ratio, a couple times a year and you should see great improvement.

Thank you so much for responding! I'm gonna water it (lol) and try moving it outside where it'll be mostly in the shade except for an hour or two of morning sun and we'll see if that helps. Do you think the red underneath The leaves is just part of this species of jade then? Or do you think it is currently Sunburned?

And just for educational purposes, why the 40% pumice? Is the normal cactus/succulent mix not well draining enough?

I tried to keep the soil at the same level as the former/original pot. I may have gotten that wrong though. What should I look for the bark to know where the soul level should be?

Thank you again so much! I freely admit my ignorance and I'm quite delighted to be educated! 😄😄

Re the depth: I'm looking at the separate stalks/trunks emerging from the soil and wondering if they are in fact forks, in which case we should be able to see the common single trunk from which they all originate, or if they are indeed separate trunks of separate plants or emerging directly from the roots. If the bark underneath if the same bark as above, it's too deep and you should lower the soil level to the root flare. That one little stub would annoy me but perhaps you should avoid further pruning for now.

Many succulent growers consider MG cactus & succulent mix too peaty and water-retentive for excellent drainage, but opinions vary. Jades are pretty easygoing.

Generally, red on leaves is a stress reaction. Based on your description and seeing the pic, I'd say to lack of water unless it's suddenly getting direct sun through that northern window (could happen early morning or late afternoon at this time of year), but I wouldn't worry about it.

Can you show a photo of the whole plant?

NMoasis said: Re the depth: I'm looking at the separate stalks/trunks emerging from the soil and wondering if they are in fact forks, in which case we should be able to see the common single trunk from which they all originate, or if they are indeed separate trunks of separate plants or emerging directly from the roots. If the bark underneath if the same bark as above, it's too deep and you should lower the soil level to the root flare. That one little stub would annoy me but perhaps you should avoid further pruning for now.

Many succulent growers consider MG cactus & succulent mix too peaty and water-retentive for excellent drainage, but opinions vary. Jades are pretty easygoing.

Generally, red on leaves is a stress reaction. Based on your description and seeing the pic, I'd say to lack of water unless it's suddenly getting direct sun through that northern window (could happen early morning or late afternoon at this time of year), but I wouldn't worry about it.

Can you show a photo of the whole plant?

Sure thing!

And here is the trunk with some soil pulled away… if you can see there's a root coming off the main trunk at about the soil level that I had it at. But that's the only one that high. The rest of the trunk doesn't have any roots starting at that level, they're all lower. So not sure if that means I should lower the soil or not?

Yep, it's struggling. Give it water and the brightest all-day light possible without direct sun yet as earlier discussed and wait. Hopefully you'll see new growth soon, but it will take many months to fill out.

Prune off dead stubs to healthy flesh (the thin one on the right?)

Cross-posted. Yes, lower the soil level and just leave that root exposed, don't cut it or pull it out.

I'd like a second opinion as well.
@Lucy68 do you agree?

Its not getting enough water and its light deprived. As far as lowering the soil level, it will root along the stem at any soil depth. Remember how easily they grow from cuttings. Red on the underside of the leaves is just the color of the plant. But the leaves should be bright shiny green and plump. You can tell when a jade needs water by squeezing a leaf - if its soft, it needs water (or has root rot). But that's easy to tell too because if it needs water, the leaves will plump up but compromised roots aren't working so can't absorb the needed moisture.

I hate to say repot it but it really needs more grit in the soil. The problem with repotting is then you shouldn't water immediately so as not to cause root rot. Maybe water it thoroughly to get it to plump up then think about a repot next time it needs water. If the leaves don't noticeably plump, I'd say you have bigger problems.

Sunburn makes yellow soft spots on leaf tops that either dry up or rot.

Thanks Lucy. Good points and great advice. I was also reluctant to recommend a repot at this stage. I have met ancient jades potted in crap yard dirt, so I'm on the line about that, although if it were mine I'd change the soil: peat makes me nervous.

Oh my word, you guys are my new favorite people!! 😄 Thank you so much! I am so happy to have help and to understand more how to help it! I did just water it thoroughly so I will wait till next week when it needs watered again to repot and add some pumice into the soil. And I'll lower the soil level at the same time. Awesome. I love having a plan. Thank you both again so much.

Very good advice here. I can only add that since you will need to bring the plant inside for the winter, there will be a re-adaption period and you will need to be cognizant about bringing bug pests inside. You may want to just grow it in a south window where it gets as much light as possible.

Rick makes a good point and that's the reason I gave away my large mature jade. I didn't have bugs, but it got huge and was a pain to lug into my tiny kitchen every winter. Some people grow them indoors, but excellent light exposure is a must.

In Minnesota, we always grow jade plants indoors. Lots of people grow jades in less than adequate light, but they are never happy plants. The other thing about indoor life is that it's hard to get them to bloom, due to lack of seasonal change. I had one for a decade and a half and it bloomed once.

Hi Lisette, welcome to the group! In addition to the great advice you've already received from other members, make sure the pot has a drainage hole in the bottom. It looks like there is a tray underneath your pot so I'm assuming it does. Here is more information about how to grow/care for the Crassula ovata. https://hort.extension.wisc.ed...