How To Tell If My Jade Plant Is Dying?

Jade plants are resilient towards unfavorable conditions and do not need too much care. However, if you ignore the basic requirements of the jade plant, it will die.

But how can you understand if your jade plant is under stress? What signs does the jade plant give before dying? Let’s find out!

Signs of a dying jade plant are:

• Droopy Leaves
• White Spots on the foliage
• Leaves turning yellow
• Leaves turning brown
• Shriveling of the leaves
• Leggy growth
• Wilting of foliage

There can be different reasons behind wilting of your jade plant. If you study those signs properly, you can recover your dying jade plant.

Each sign can have more than one reason or multiple issues. So the proper and thorough study of the plant is essential.

We have discussed below all the different reasons and signs your jade plant gives before dying. It’s crucial to notice these signs early on and take the necessary steps to save your jade plant from dying.

7 signs my jade plant is dying

The Jade plant shows different signs when it is on the verge of dying. It is upon the owner of the plant to recognize these signs.

The earlier you notice these signs, the more are the chances of your plant survival. Below we have explained some common signs that indicate your jade plant is dying.

Signs	Causes
Droopy Leaves	–Overwatering -Improper drainage –Improper lighting
White Spots	-Fungal disease
Yellow Leaves	-Watering Issues –Overfertilization
Brown Leaves	-Excessive light -Overwatering
Dying Leaves	-Watering methods -Harsh environment -Pests -Low light
Leggy Growth	-Insufficient light -Overfertilization
Shriveling Of Leaves	-Excessive sunlight -Too much watering -Pests

The leaves of the jade plant are drooping.

Droopy leaves in a jade plant can be due to multiple reasons. We are discussing all the reasons below.

Underwatering: One of the most common reasons behind the droopy leaves of the jade plant is insufficient watering. 

Due to inadequate watering, it becomes challenging for the roots to carry the water to the other parts of the plant. 

As a result, plants get dehydrated since the leaves use all their stored water during the photosynthesis process and ultimately lose all their water. As a result, drooping of the leaves starts taking place.

You can restore droopy leaves if you immediately identify the reason behind them. Bone dry soil is the primary cause in most cases.

Water your jade plant as you discovered the problem, and you will notice your jade plant starts recovering within a few days.

Keep watering the jade plant for a few more days as it is expected to maintain the previous water level but keep in mind you must not overwater your plants.

Overwatering: It is a very wrong conception that watering your plants daily is good for them. Instead, watering should be done according to the requirement of the plant. 

Due to this false conception, people always end up overwatering their plants. Which ultimately causes the dropping of the leaves and eventually dying of the jade plant. 

Overwatering acts as an obstacle in the free flow of the air and water supply of the plant. It hinders the roots from receiving the air from the environment; thus, it starts rotting. 

In such a situation, your jade plants stop getting the required nutrients, resulting in drooping of the leaves.

To correct this mistake, the planter must first stop the watering and keep the plant in an area where it can get bright indirect light. 

Let the excess water get dried out completely and only water them when the soil gets dry. After that, you will notice your jade plant will start reviving.

Too much light: Jade plants can withstand direct sunlight, but excessive sunlight can harm the jade plant. 

Excess sunlight leads to an increase in the transpiration process. As a result, the leaves of the plant will lose their water and turn droopy. 

The roots fail to fulfill the water demand in every part of the plant. This ends up in drooping of the leaves.

You can correct this situation if the planter understands the signs shown by the jade plant by shifting it to an area where jade plants are safe from intense sunlight.

White spot on leaves and stem of jade plant

White spots / dots on Jade plants / Money plants Crassula and what causes them.

White spots are caused mainly by fungal disease or using hard water to water your jade plants.

Fungal disease: It is the most common reason for white spots on the jade plants. 

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that mainly affects jade plants. It creates or forms white spots on the leaves of the jade plant. It is very harmful and can make the plant ill and kill the plant very soon.

Early treatment of the fungal disease is critical. Powdery mildew forms during the winter days when the plant does not receive enough sunlight and dry air. The roots remain moist for a longer period resulting in fungal diseases.

This fungal disease transfers quickly, so you need to solve your jade plant from the other plants. 

You can get rid of your jade plant white spots by using this homemade solution: 

One tablespoon of baking soda then adds a half tablespoon of non-detergent soap in at least 4 liters of water. You can also add one tablespoon of horticulture oil. 

Wash the leaves with this solution for a week regularly. If still, it does not work, then use fungicides from the market as designated. 

The leaves of the jade plant turning yellow

If the leaves of the jade plant begin turning yellow, then it can be an early sign that your plant is dying.

Watering problems: Overwatering and underwatering can be the basis for turning yellow leaves of the jade plant. 

Overwatering acts as a barrier in the supply of the air and nutrients to the plant; thus, plant leaves turn yellow. 

In the same manner underwatering of the jade plant prevents the roots from carrying water to each part of the plant. Thus it makes the leaves turn yellow. 

Jade plants are succulent; they need water only when their soil completely dries out. 

So before watering the jade plant, kindly check the soil to understand its requirement.

Overfertilization: Jade plants are light feeders. Hence they prefer less fertilizer in their soil. However, too much fertilizer can burn the roots of the jade plant, which eventually results in yellow leaves in the jade plant.

Use household fertilizer only to one-fourth of its strength once in the month. You can also use special succulent fertilizer for nourishing the plant.

If you have overfertilized your jade plant, then add some sand to the soil mixture and water the plant thoroughly. This will help the jade plant in regaining its previous state.

Some leaves started turning brown.

Jade plants leave turn brown due to the following reasons we have discussed below:

Excessive light: Although jade plants like to stay in a well-lighted atmosphere, that does not mean that they can handle excessive light directly. 

One such reason is direct sunlight. The jade plant leaves turn brown due to the sun’s intense rays as it burns the leaves and turns them brown. 

It would be best to restore it by keeping it a little away window sill where the plant gets indirect light. Then, remove the burned leaves and keep watering for a few days to regain the lost moisture.

Overwatering: Jade plants do not need much water. It is more than enough if you water it after a week’s interval. 

Overwatering of the jade plant will lead to swelling in the leaves and eventually turning off the leaves in brown color.

To overcome this problem, you must keep the jade plant in a very ventilated place and let the soil get dry before the next watering. 

Wilting of leaves and foliage

The leaves of the jade plant start dying due to some common problems like:

Environmental shifts: This generally takes place when you shift your plant from indoor to outdoor or from outdoor to indoor. 

The sudden shift in the temperature, humidity level, and light effect gives a sudden shock to the plant, resulting in wilting of the leaves.

Dying leaves is one of the indications by the plant for the sudden change in the environment. However, jade plants generally adjust to this sudden change and eventually regain their growth.

Pests: Pests can also be the reason for the dying leaves of your jade plant. 

Mealybug, spider mites thrips are some of the pests which suck the nutrients from the plant, which eventually leads to the death of the leaves.

You can use insecticides, horticultural oils, and non-detergent soap for the remedy of these pests. A resolute spray of these solutions helps the plant in retaining the plant.

Low light: Winters are those days the year when the plant does not receive proper light for a longer period. This often creates problems in photosynthesis, resulting in wilting of the leaves.

Move the plant to a brightly lit location or supplement the light by using artificial lights.

Leggy growth in jade plant

Leggy growth can occur due to various reasons. However, it usually indicates that your plant is getting weak.

Low light: Inadequate lighting is one reason behind the leggy growth of the jade plant. 

When some part of the plant gets excess to the light, and some part does not have this privilege, the plant grows in the direction of the light resulting in leaning and leggy growth.

You can fix it just by keeping the plant in an area where it can get evenly distributed light.

Overfertilization: Overfertilization can also lead to leggy growth in the plant. This leggy growth is the uneven growth of the plant. 

It does not support the plant but takes the required nutrient from the plant for its growth.

You can fix this by washing away the excess fertilizer by way of drainage holes in the pot. Then you can trim down the leggy growth of your jade plant.

The jade plant leaves started shriveling.

The jade plant leaves start shriveling due to the following reasons:

Pests: These insects are very stubborn and multiply rapidly. Pests such as thrips, spider mites, and bugs can cause severe damage to the plant if not controlled in time. Shriveling of the leaves is one such sign which your jade plant indicates. 

You can control pests by spraying different types of solutions such as neem oil, horticulture oil, non-detergent soap, nicotine, pesticides, etc. 

Pesticides must be sprayed as prescribed. You can spray other mentioned solutions until these bugs get removed from our jade plant. Pesticides are our last resort.

Too much watering: Excessive watering of the plant is also one reason behind the shriveling of the leaves. When the plant gets too much water, it acts as an obstacle in supplying proper air and water. 

Due to this, the plant does not get sufficient nutrients. As a result, plant leaves start shriveling.

You can fix this by placing the plant in a brighter area so that it dries out as soon as possible. Then, after the soil gets dry, the leaves automatically come back to their original shape.

Jade Plant Problems and Pests | Save a DYING Crassula Ovata | MOODY BLOOMS

---

Source: NYBG, The University of Arkansas, University of Florida, Phytochemical and Antimicrobial Activity of Jade Plant, CABI, University of Minnesota, The University of Missouri.