Jade plant roots problem (?)

by Eva
(UK)

Hello,
I bought my Jade plant from eBay around 2 months ago.

My jade plant was doing really well on my south- west window sill but recently leaves turned really soft and some of them got red/ yellow hint (not on edges but whole leaves).

I’ve tried to search for problem and i decided that soil not drains so well. It had little perlite as well.

Today my perlite arrived so i repotted it as soon as possible. When i took my jade plant out of a pot i’ve noticed that most of fill. It is so clogged on that i couldn’t separate any root.

i wanted also to find out if i have two or one clippings in my pot but it was not possible. I didn’t expect it so i potted it in temporary container because i just dont have bigger one.

Also roots have a little bit of yellow/ orange hint, does it mean that it rot?

I’ve heard that to save jade plant from rotting roots i would need to cut these rotted ones but it is so tangled that it seems impossible to do, do you know how could i save it?

I suppose that drainage was caused half by bad soil and half by clogged roots.

It is my first plant ever and I got really attached to it.

Ps. I am really interested in buying your ebook, is it possible to buy it from amazon or just through your webpage? It would be awesome if you could make succulent identification book with some basic info about them.

Thank you for taking time reading my message and answering it.
Have a good day,
Eva

Hi Eva, your plant looks like it can be saved! It’s still healthy enough and shows no signs of giving up yet.

The red tips and coloring is normal; it shows that the plant is getting enough light, so that’s good.

As the leaves age, they will get soft and turn yellow as the plant discards them. As long as it’s only the bottom (oldest) leaves, this isn’t a problem.

There are obviously two cuttings in the pot, so take a sharp knife (one that you don’t care about, maybe an old bread knife or a serrated blade of some kind) and cut down between the cuttings.

Don’t worry about the fact that you’re cutting any roots, many of them are actually dead, judging by the close up picture..

Then, cut across the root ball, about halfway down the mass of roots. Discard the part you cut off, the plant will replace the roots.

Repot into a new container – it’s crucial that it has good drainage. I recommend terracotta clay pots, just because they’re heavy and stop the plant from toppling over.

The book is only available through this website, on this page: Succulent Plant Propagation E-Book

I’ll take your suggestion under advisement about a new e-book. Great idea!

Best,
Jacki

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