Corked Jade shriveled

[Oceanman113]

This is my first winter with this Corked Jade. It did great in the warmer months and when it was time to bring it inside (zone 7) it lost a few leaves but eventually recovered fine.

Right now I have it in a warm room that is averaging at 78 degrees. Recently I’ve noticed some of the smaller branches shriveled up and some falling off. Always small branches without leaves so I thought it was just natural. Now one of the main branches is looking bad so I thought it was time to reach out to the experts. For the winter months I’ve been watering once a week, under a full spectrum grow light for 8-10 hours and the soil is Akadama, Turface high-fired calcined clay, nutrient-rich river sand, and fine pine bark. I gently removed some of the soil to look at the roots and they seemed fine and healthy. All of the leaves look good (see photos). I figured it is watering, so I’m holding off this week. I image the shriveled branches are goners. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance. Photos attached.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Cut one of the fallen branches, or a shrivelled branch with no leaves. Look at the cut end. Is there a purple ring? Or a discolored brown or purple pith or core? I'm forgetting names, but this looks like one of the classic, catastrophic rots. These rots tend to occur when environmental factors are too cool and or too wet. This rot probably started back in October or November, and has been spreading through the tree.

Sterilize, or dishwasher cycle any cutting tools you use on this tree before you cut any other plant in your house.

Your trunk is a gonner. This is terminal and can not be "cured". You might be able to save a few growing tips to start new. Make cuttings from growing branches. Look at the cut end of each cutting, if you see any purple or brown discoloration in the cut end, wipe the blade with 70% alcohol then cut again closer to the green leaves. When you finally have a cutting with no discoloration in its core, you have a "clean" cutting. Set the cutting aside to air dry at least 5 days, bare. This air drying or curing of the cutting allows the cutting to seal the cut end. This will prevent spores and water molds from entering the cut. After curing the cutting you can pot it up. You can then begin watering. Key is the potting media be well aerated, yet hold a little moisture.

Your trunk will continue to collapse. I would discard it once you are certain I am correct. (who knows? I had been wrong once.) Dispose of it, dispose of the soil in the pot, and wash in hot water and thoroughly air dry the pot. Wiping down everything that touched this plant with 70% Isopropyl alcohol will make sure residual inoculum is killed. Wash your hands with soap and water before touching any other houseplant after touching this tree.

Pythium, and or phytophthora, are two of the many possible crown rot organisms that could be causing this. Odor can be diagnostic, but I forget which odor indicates which Genus of disease organism. A bad smell guarantees a rot diagnosis, but lack of odor does not mean you are in the clear.

Best cure is disposal.

Best prevention is better horticultural conditions. For Portulacaria, when weather is cool, that is a signal for the tree that the dry season has come. If it is dry, there are no clouds in the night sky, it gets cooler at night. If you had this tree outdoors in autumn, the cool nights told the tree it was time to go dormant. If you water during dormancy, there is a higher chance that the tree will become susceptible to rots. So for best health, only water this tree when temperatures are going to be above 65 F, or above 18 C.

 

[Firstflush]

Like you said, I would really back off the water....let it completely dry out.
Check the soil through the drainage holes in the bottom pot to confirm you aren’t watering too much.
It still may be a goner.....

 

[Oceanman113]

Cut one of the fallen branches, or a shrivelled branch with no leaves. Look at the cut end. Is there a purple ring? Or a discolored brown or purple pith or core? I'm forgetting names, but this looks like one of the classic, catastrophic rots. These rots tend to occur when environmental factors are too cool and or too wet. This rot probably started back in October or November, and has been spreading through the tree.

Sterilize, or dishwasher cycle any cutting tools you use on this tree before you cut any other plant in your house.

Your trunk is a gonner. This is terminal and can not be "cured". You might be able to save a few growing tips to start new. Make cuttings from growing branches. Look at the cut end of each cutting, if you see any purple or brown discoloration in the cut end, wipe the blade with 70% alcohol then cut again closer to the green leaves. When you finally have a cutting with no discoloration in its core, you have a "clean" cutting. Set the cutting aside to air dry at least 5 days, bare. This air drying or curing of the cutting allows the cutting to seal the cut end. This will prevent spores and water molds from entering the cut. After curing the cutting you can pot it up. You can then begin watering. Key is the potting media be well aerated, yet hold a little moisture.

Your trunk will continue to collapse. I would discard it once you are certain I am correct. (who knows? I had been wrong once.) Dispose of it, dispose of the soil in the pot, and wash in hot water and thoroughly air dry the pot. Wiping down everything that touched this plant with 70% Isopropyl alcohol will make sure residual inoculum is killed. Wash your hands with soap and water before touching any other houseplant after touching this tree.

Pythium, and or phytophthora, are two of the many possible crown rot organisms that could be causing this. Odor can be diagnostic, but I forget which odor indicates which Genus of disease organism. A bad smell guarantees a rot diagnosis, but lack of odor does not mean you are in the clear.

Best cure is disposal.

Best prevention is better horticultural conditions. For Portulacaria, when weather is cool, that is a signal for the tree that the dry season has come. If it is dry, there are no clouds in the night sky, it gets cooler at night. If you had this tree outdoors in autumn, the cool nights told the tree it was time to go dormant. If you water during dormancy, there is a higher chance that the tree will become susceptible to rots. So for best health, only water this tree when temperatures are going to be above 65 F, or above 18 C.

Thank you very much for taking the time to provide me with all that information. It is greatly appreciated. I did cut a few small branches off with the method you recommended (attached photos). I brought the tree inside in early September, but obviously something has gone terribly wrong. I have a few jades and never seen this before. Drainage holes are clear. When I held back watering for longer than a week the leaves would shrivel, so I thought I found the right schedule. Clearly not.
I will attempt to make cuttings. My experience is with junipers and pines, so this was always a risk for me. Been a long time since I killed a tree, what a horrible feeling. Moving forward I will be even more careful with cleaning tools and acclimating jades and Tropicals. Thanks again!

 

[Oceanman113]

Like you said, I would really back off the water....let it completely dry out.
Check the soil through the drainage holes in the bottom pot to confirm you aren’t watering too much.
It still may be a goner.....

Thank you for responding. Drainage holes are clear. The water almost immediately falls through the bottom when watering. Whenever I held watering back for longer periods of time the leaves would shrivel, which is usually a sign it needs more.

 

[JackHammer]

Yeah rot. In the winter, i go 3 months between watering my jade. I have lost big branches to rot. Squeeze the trunk and if there are hallow parts, cut it off. Mine seems to recover really well in the healthy parts so it may not be a goner. In the summer, I leave mine out on the patio with only rain and it does great.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I don't see the purple ring in the cut wounds. This is good, its not the most easily spread form of rot. It does look like a rot, I just don't know which one.

Good luck, hopefully the whole trunk does not collapse on you. Hopefully a few cuttings will take.

 

[sorce]

That soil looks and sounds impossible for a Jade.

Sorce

 

[Oceanman113]

That soil looks and sounds impossible for a Jade.

Sorce

It came with it, but I thought the same. They told me it was appropriate. Of course they also said to water it once a week in the winter and look where that got me. What soil do you recommend? adding bark or some organic matter?

 

[sorce]

What soil do you recommend?

I keep my cactus in a Woodland Scenics model rock product that is essentially dyed bout 1/8th inch pumice that would work well.

I don't keep any though.



Sorce

 

[JackHammer]

It came with it, but I thought the same. They told me it was appropriate. Of course they also said to water it once a week in the winter and look where that got me. What soil do you recommend? adding bark or some organic matter?

I have several jades that are in garden compost which is exactly what you don't want. It will grow fine but the soil will absorb a lot of water which causes rot. I would stay away from organic material and anything that absorbs water.

 

[Carol 83]

It came with it, but I thought the same. They told me it was appropriate. Of course they also said to water it once a week in the winter and look where that got me. What soil do you recommend? adding bark or some organic matter?

I use Miracle-Gro cactus/succulent soil for mine. Water once a week, never had a problem.