White-grey shiny residue on jade plant - Ask Extension
Hello,I have been noticing some bumps on my Jade pant leaves for quite some time but did not pay much attention to it. Then in the past month is took ...
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White-grey shiny residue on jade plant #637248
Asked May 18, 2020, 11:51 AM EDT
Hello,
I have been noticing some bumps on my Jade pant leaves for quite some time but did not pay much attention to it. Then in the past month is took over a number of leaves. most of the residue is on the top of the leaves not much on the underside. I tried to scrape it off but it does not easily come off. the leaves are dry with no sticky exudate. Some turn brown, some become shriveled and fall off. I have had this plant for over 10 years and really want to make it healthy again. Thank you!
I have been noticing some bumps on my Jade pant leaves for quite some time but did not pay much attention to it. Then in the past month is took over a number of leaves. most of the residue is on the top of the leaves not much on the underside. I tried to scrape it off but it does not easily come off. the leaves are dry with no sticky exudate. Some turn brown, some become shriveled and fall off. I have had this plant for over 10 years and really want to make it healthy again. Thank you!
New York County New York
Expert Response
Powdery mildew begins with a faint white fuzz on the leaves and can develop into corky patches like the ones that you are seeing. It usually arises in warm, shady and humid conditions.It is not especially harmful but it is unsightly.
Try to improve air flow around the plant and reduce humidity. For a gentle control, wipe the leaves, top and bottom, with a solution of 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp plant safe detergent in a gallon of water weekly for several weeks.
Hello,
Thank you so much for your reply. I moved the plant to a slightly better lit area. We have west facing windows so have late afternoon light which is not much. However, jade has been loosing a lot of leaves lately, especially in the past week or so. The photos attached are just from today's morning. I have to confess that before I heard from you I sprayed the plant with mix of ethanol and dish soap. Wonder if this is the cause. I water the plant once every 2 weeks or so. Thank you again.
Thank you so much for your reply. I moved the plant to a slightly better lit area. We have west facing windows so have late afternoon light which is not much. However, jade has been loosing a lot of leaves lately, especially in the past week or so. The photos attached are just from today's morning. I have to confess that before I heard from you I sprayed the plant with mix of ethanol and dish soap. Wonder if this is the cause. I water the plant once every 2 weeks or so. Thank you again.
So sorry to see this problem! Jade plant leaves are very sensitive to products that are fine for many other succulents. I'm not sure if the black on these leaves is mold from too much humidity or a reaction to the treatment.
I am sending you a link to our fact sheet for jade plant care (http://libguides.nybg.org/crassula). Do your best to provide each of the conditions of care that your plant needs., particularly light, correct watering, fast draining soil and low humidity. Keep it away from drafts of any kind. It is a splendid plant and may recover.
Hello,
Thank you again for the information. After reading the fact sheet I am surprised my poor Jade is still alive. I have not fertilized it in years and it is living in regular potting soil. I was thinking to repot it into appropriate potting mix but not sure if I should wait till spring as some websites recommend. Would it be acceptable to repot it in the summer?
Thank you again,
Tatyana
P.S. I think it survived the offense after I sprayed it with ethanol and soap dish mix but it is still loosing leaves quite a lot and has a lot of mildew.
Thank you again for the information. After reading the fact sheet I am surprised my poor Jade is still alive. I have not fertilized it in years and it is living in regular potting soil. I was thinking to repot it into appropriate potting mix but not sure if I should wait till spring as some websites recommend. Would it be acceptable to repot it in the summer?
Thank you again,
Tatyana
P.S. I think it survived the offense after I sprayed it with ethanol and soap dish mix but it is still loosing leaves quite a lot and has a lot of mildew.
It will be fine to re-pot your jade plant now. Spring is best but summer is still a period of growth when it will quickly regenerate damaged root fibers. Remember that it likes to be snug in its pot so don't make a move to a much larger container. Be sure that you have a hole in the bottom of the new pot.
I'm sorry to say that the ethanol and soap may be responsible for the leaf loss. Jade plant leaves are sensitive to alcohol and the soap needs to be safe for plant use. It is also possible that the problem is your plant is getting too little water, particulrly if it is so crowded in its pot that there is little soil left.
Good luck with your plant!
Hello again,
Do you by any chance have more detailed repotting instructions?
Last time i attempted to report this plant it felt like the whole pot was filled with roots and I was not able to remove much of old soil at all. I ended up just putting the whole old pot shaped root structure into a larger pot and filling the gaps with the fresh soil. After I googled around I realized that I maybe should have been more aggressive with removing old soil and freeing the roots? There is so much random information on the internet. I would rather ask you and follow your instructions.
While I have your attention - you said not to get much bigger pot - how deep should the pot be ? I read that Jades like shallow pots?
Thank you again.
Tatyana
Do you by any chance have more detailed repotting instructions?
Last time i attempted to report this plant it felt like the whole pot was filled with roots and I was not able to remove much of old soil at all. I ended up just putting the whole old pot shaped root structure into a larger pot and filling the gaps with the fresh soil. After I googled around I realized that I maybe should have been more aggressive with removing old soil and freeing the roots? There is so much random information on the internet. I would rather ask you and follow your instructions.
While I have your attention - you said not to get much bigger pot - how deep should the pot be ? I read that Jades like shallow pots?
Thank you again.
Tatyana
Hello again,
Do you by any chance have more detailed repotting instructions?
Last time i attempted to report this plant it felt like the whole pot was filled with roots and I was not able to remove much of old soil at all. I ended up just putting the whole old pot shaped root structure into a larger pot and filling the gaps with the fresh soil. After I googled around I realized that I maybe should have been more aggressive with removing old soil and freeing the roots? There is so much random information on the internet. I would rather ask you and follow your instructions.
While I have your attention - you said not to get much bigger pot - how deep should the pot be ? I read that Jades like shallow pots?
Thank you again.
Tatyana
Do you by any chance have more detailed repotting instructions?
Last time i attempted to report this plant it felt like the whole pot was filled with roots and I was not able to remove much of old soil at all. I ended up just putting the whole old pot shaped root structure into a larger pot and filling the gaps with the fresh soil. After I googled around I realized that I maybe should have been more aggressive with removing old soil and freeing the roots? There is so much random information on the internet. I would rather ask you and follow your instructions.
While I have your attention - you said not to get much bigger pot - how deep should the pot be ? I read that Jades like shallow pots?
Thank you again.
Tatyana
The roots are definitely pretty intimidating when they come out of the pot! The best thing to do is to focus on what you are trying to do for your plant by repotting it and let that guide you.
Your plant needs a new pot because the roots have displaced so much soil that there is no longer enough available to them to provide the nutrition and moisture that the growing plant needs. The soil structure will most likely have deteriorated over time as well, so new soil is needed with the right nutrition content, texture, draining properties and absorbancy for your plant.
When you remove the plant form the old pot, be gentle so that you damage the fine roots as little as possible, but also carefully loosen the root ball and shake out the old soil. You want as much of the root structure as possible to come in contact with fresh, healthy soil or you will be losing much of the benefit of repotting. Move your plant to a pot one size larger in diameter, shallow is fine as succulents have a shallow root system. If you move up too much in size, the soil will stay wet too long when watered and risk rotting the roots.
The pot has to have a drain hole and the soil type is critical. Equal parts potting soil, peat and sand are generally best. Commercial
cactus mixes are acceptable, but avoid those that have food already in
the mix.
Good luck Tatyana!
