Watering is issue with jade plant

Q. The leaves of my jade plant are dropping off. Is it too much water, too little? I can’t seem to figure it out.

Bryan from Poland

A. The jade plant, Crassula ovata, a South American native plant, is relatively easy to grow. This makes it a perfect house plant for those of us in cold climates.

I had the same problem last winter with the leaves of my jade plant dropping off whenever anyone walked by it or touched it, no matter how slight.

After doing some research through the Wisconsin and Clemson Extension sites, I found the solution.

Jade is a succulent that stores water in its leaves, stems and roots. It is relatively slow-growing. It likes the warm, dry conditions found in most homes this time of year. It tolerates mild neglect. The jade plant needs four or more hours of direct sun daily. In Ohio, this may be a problem, but placing it in a south window helps.

The jade plant does best when the soil is allowed to dry out between waterings. The plant should never be allowed to sit in water after watering because the roots will rot.

Susan Mahr of the University of Wisconsin states, “Over-watering will cause the leaves to drop and the stems to rot. Even though they are succulent plants, they do need water; drought can result in ... leaf drop and death.”

So I’m left to tell you that the correct answer is: you are either watering too much or too little.

The problem is most likely different for each household, not just each gardener. If the house is too warm, and the soil dries out, the plant sheds its leaves to survive. If the house is just right and the plant is not drying out before the next watering, you might be watering too much. This situation causes the leaves to become too full and heavy and the stems can’t hold them. Then they drop off.

To help solve my problem in my house, I bought a water meter called an Instamatic Moisture Meter. You can get one at any garden store. The book that comes with the moisture meter tells me I should check the water content once a week and water thoroughly when the water level drops to 2, on a scale of 1-10.

From this information, I found I was watering my plant too often, never giving the roots time to dry out. This works for my jade plant when it is in the house during the winter.

In the summer, when my plant is outside, I never have any problems with leaf drop, so mother nature must help out with the moisture level in the pot.

To read more about caring for your jade plant, go to: http://go.osu.edu/jade.

This week’s answer is provided by Barb Delisio, OSU Extension master gardener volunteer. Call the office hotline at 330-533-5538 to submit your questions. Regular clinic hours are over for the growing season, but you can still call and submit questions. Hours vary throughout the winter season.