First thing I would do is unpot it and check the roots. If there are viable roots, I would repot it dry into a well draining medium in a clay pot, but a photo would help.

Christopher

Here is a photo of the plant in the pot. It is in a clay pot, but not sure if the glazing has made the pot unable to breath. I took it out of the pot this morning, and checked the roots. There seem to be good roots - not sure what root rot looks like.

I can repot tonight. What should I use as a well draining medium?

Ed

Ed,

Cut that soil by at least 1/2, if not 11/16, with perlite / pumice. That soil's not porous enough, and the pot's glazed so it will hold moisture in longer. The long and the short of it is if you improve the soil and give it more sun (a little at a time) along with warmth, you should see leaves w/in a month. I'd also cut that limb on the left to the main left-growing limb (the single segment).

Here is a better shot of the soil from when I took it out of the pot this morning. Yes, I see what you are saying... there is not much perlite in the mix. I will get more, and an unglazed pot.

You can use a glazed pot, Ed, you'd just have to watch the watering more carefully. But it's an excellent idea going into a terra-cotta pot - they're about the best.

Thanks for the help.

And should I cut off the rotting stems, or will they just dry up, and heal as the plant comes back to health?

Is the main trunk still firm?

Josh

Yes the main trunk is still firm, but it is soft in the left branch just below the split, and on the right branch about 3/4 up (in the picture in the box).

I would remove the soft tissue on the right and left, and dust the exposed areas with cinnamon.
When dealing with rot, I don't take any chances. I would use VERY VERY LITTLE potting mix, if
at all. 75 percent rinsed Perlite, 25 percent potting mix. If you have better ingredients,
such as Pumice or lava rock (Scoria), that would be a big step forward.

Josh

Yea! Greenman is very right!

You can't go wrong with 75/25 perlite/potting mix.

please clean all roots from old soil. cut any rotten roots and sprinkle w/cinnamon. let it callus for couple days. when you will pot dont water for some days

Inna

Thanks for all the helpful input. I cut it way back, dusted with cinnamon, and re-potted it over the weekend, increasing the perlite to about 75%. Here is a photo of it right after repotting. I was surprised how far I had to cut to get below the soft tissue. I will also post a photo from today. It seems to be responding ok so far. It gets a few hours of direct morning sunlight, and then just bright indirect light after that.

So, what is a good indicator that it will be ok to start giving it water?

Thanks,
Ed

... and photo from today.

Ed,

Give it a weekly drink, starting today, as long as it's still above 60 or so at night, or do so early in the morning. Those branches look in the process of pushing off the dying tissue and growing - you see that ring that's forming? That should eventually fall off and new growth coming out. It's still solid around the tips, isn't it?

Tips feel solid, but just noticed that where the small branch joins the main trunk, that it is soft (the bottom 2 sections of that smaller branch, and a bit of the main trunk).

Don't think I will water quite yet.

So my conclusion at this point is that my jade is rotting from the bottom up. I keep cutting it back, and more and more succumbs to the rot. I now have it level with the surface, dusted with cinnamon, and still mold appears. It there anything left to do to save this plant, or is it a goner?

Thanks,
Ed

This is my first season with large Jades indoors, and I've only had a couple of brushes with rot, though admittedly not with a rooted plant. This being said, here's my 2 cents.

Jades seem to decline quickly once rot sets in. If she were mine, I would not water till new growth is evident. Keep her in a bright room and wait. I wonder if bottom heat would help her? As in treating her like an unrooted cutting. Considering she has no leaves. Also, if the logic that roots have been lost then (either to pruning or rot) the plant has decreased use for water, do not water.

I've read where once rot starts in a well rooted Jade, the prognosis is poor & the author did just as you ended up having to do, cutting back till there wasn't much left. The plant eventually succumbed. Hindsight being what it is and all 0_o

I feel as though you don't have much to lose at this point so bottom heat may not be such a bad idea. I think if I should come across this issue with any of mine, I might cut my losses & cut the plant off at the knees & attempt to root.

To sum up, bottom heat, bright warm room, no water till little green nubbies appear on the trunk and hope for the best. Good luck & please keep posting.

Antoinette

"please clean all roots from old soil. cut any rotten roots and sprinkle w/cinnamon. let it callus for couple days. when you will pot dont water for some days
Inna"

PS...I second what Inna says. Treating like an unrooted cutting may be your best bet to save this plant. It would appear that the roots are so debilitated that they may not support the plant with this current treatment & a safer bet is to treat as though no roots are present, because after all, you *want* to encourage new roots to grow. I would also suggest that the particle size of your organic matter is too small & not allowing the roots the vital air they need to recover.

If you are committed to using this mix because it's at hand, Inna's recommendation would also get you past this hump. I expect a bagged orchid mix (can be purchased at HD or Lowes) with bark, charcoal etc. such as Shultz orchid mix. I feel it would be a better alternative if sourcing out a version of Al's gritty mix is too much to deal with right now.

Hope that makes sense =)

Antoinette

Thanks Antoinette for mentioning my $0.02.

Ed,please unpot and check for any valuable roots. At this point i would cut off the bottom until you see all green tissue,it shouldn't be any brown specks left. Dust w/cinnamon and let it callus for few days. pot in perlite only in a smallest clay pot and spritz some water every 3-4 days until it roots for you.

Inna

Thanks for the additional help. I decided to continue to slice back at the "stump" until I found green tissue. Unfortunately I ran out of plant before I ran out of rot. *sigh* Sad tidings for my 2+ decade old plant.

I'm sorry you lost your plant stuckinthedirt :-(.

O, Stuckie.
I'm sorry for your loss as well.

Antoinette

I'm so sorry. they are like family members.
Do you have any back up cuttings? Do you need one? i have some to spare if you need.

Inna

Thanks for the offer of a cutting.

I have another jade plant that I rooted several years ago from the "mother" plant. It is doing great. A multitrunked plant in my office window.

you are welcome.
next spring I would recommend you to repot into fast draining mix, gritty mix preferable.

Inna