Jade Plant Overwatering Symptoms: What You Can Do

The jade plant is a succulent that is often used as an ornamental indoor plant, but it can also be grown outdoors. The most popular variety of the jade plant has leaves that are blue-green in color and fleshy in texture.

Jade plants need to be watered sparingly, and overwatering is one of the most common problems with these plants. Here, we will explore how to identify signs your jade plant might be overwatered, what causes this problem, and how to fix it!

Signs of an overwatered jade plant

Jade Plant Leaves Turning Yellow

There are several reasons for the leaves of your jade plant turning yellow, but most often it is due to overwatering or underwatering during periods of drought. When overwatering occurs, the leaves will turn yellow and start to curl up.

The roots become waterlogged with too much moisture which can lead to root rot problems if overwatered for an extended period of time. The discoloration in the leaves is related to water-logged roots.

Jade Plant Leaves Falling Off

If your Jade plant leaves are falling off it is likely due to one of two things. The first problem could be that the roots have been waterlogged for an extended period of time, causing root rot problems and eventually leaving the leafless stem exposed. Root rot can also occur when you overwater your plant as well.

This will happen if you saturate the soil and it sits for a long period of time without any means to drain. The other problem with this could be that the plant is being exposed to too much sunlight and heat, which can cause leaf yellowing or burning.

It is normal for some of your jade plant’s leaves to fall off, these are just the older leaves that are dying and this is a normal process that happens to all plants. If you ever see too many leaves drop off all at once, it will be time to worry.

Jade Plant Leaves Are Drooping

Drooping leaves can be due to a variety of problems that happen over time. If your jade plant has been in the same pot for an extended period, it is likely root-bound and overwatered which will cause drooping. Root rot can also be the cause of this problem.

Self-watering pots are a great remedy for overwatered plants because they will always have an adequate amount of moisture in the soil, which prevents root rot from occurring.

Jade Plant Root Rot and Wet Soil

This is a major and one of the most common problems caused by overwatering. If your jade plant roots have been saturated for an extended period, root rot will occur and it could lead to a number of problems that include wilting, leaf yellowing, and a whole host of other issues.

You really need to check the soil to see if it is soggy or lift the plant from the pot so that can see the roots. If you see these conditions, you should stop watering the plant immediately.

Overwatering can be deadly for houseplants, but luckily by taking quick action as soon as you notice the symptoms you can save your plant’s life.

To fix this problem, remove the jade plant from its container and carefully dispose of any soil. After removing all the infected roots, you should then carefully repot the plant into fresh soil.

Jade plants need light, airy soil and do not tolerate wet roots. It has the ability to do well in even the most neglected conditions, but it can be stunted or harmed if water is improperly applied.

Leaves Drying Up

When you see the leaves on your jade plant drying up, it is not out of the ordinary to believe that your plant needs water. However, this could also be a sign of overwatering.

This is because the leaves will start to dry up if the waterlogged roots can’t take in any more moisture and starts leaking out through the plant’s pores. They are great for low-moisture areas because they do not need a lot of water, but too much will cause drying on the foliage.

Can You Save an Overwatered Jade Plant?

All may not be lost. If you have overwatered your Jade plant, there are several things that can be done to save it.

Step One:

Remove the plant from wet soil. Grab it by the roots and gently pull it upward, be careful not to break any leaves or branches that may be around the soil line. Wrap in a towel and place in an area where there’s good air circulation for 24 hours.

Step Two:

Remove the rotting roots. Often, if you’re overwatering your plant has developed root rot and is quite mushy. Use a clean craft stick or piece of wire to gently scrape away any visible rotted portions from around the base of the stem.

Step Three:

Repot in fresh soil mix with good drainage that’s been watered well beforehand.

Step Four:

Place back in a bright, warm location and check the soil periodically for overwatering symptoms. This step is important because you’ve likely continued to overwater your plant on accident without realizing it as root rot progresses.

Make sure that they have good drainage so there’s no standing water at the roots of the plant.

Step Five:

Water the plant as you normally would. If it starts to show symptomatic signs of overwatering again, take steps one through four once more. These plants need water when their leaves start drooping or curling and don’t perk up after watering, not before that point.

Step Six:

Be patient and keep an eye on your Jade plant as it recovers from the trauma of being overwatered. In about a month, you should be able to resume normal watering practices.

Just make sure not to water too often or hold in moisture at the roots because this will promote root rot again.

How Often Should a Jade Plant Be Watered?

The optimum amount of water that is needed for a Jade plant to flourish depends on your living conditions. If you have an indoor succulent, it will need less watering than if you are growing one outdoors in hot weather or humid climates.

Outdoor plants typically require more rain and cannot go without being watered for long periods of time.

Indoor plants:

Once a week or once every two weeks is usually enough depending on the humidity levels in your home. The plant will typically need water more often during hotter months, but less so during winter when it’s cold outside and not as dry inside.

Outdoor plants:

If you’re growing your jade plant outdoors it will need to be watered more often. This type of succulent needs about an inch and a half worth of water per week in hot weather and around two inches in humid climates with lots of rain.

Conclusion

The Jade plant is a forgiving succulent and can be saved if you catch it early on in the process. If not, then there are more serious measures to take such as replanting or cutting back all of its roots to just one node.

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