Are your Jade plant leaves crystallizing?
It is a typical problem in this plant, which may arise suddenly due to some of the internal and external factors.
So, is it possible to prevent or solve this issue in your indoor plants?
Let’s find out in the guide below.
Contents:
Here’s Why Your Jade Plant Leaves Are Crystallizing
Here are a few reasons why your plant might be facing the crystalization on the leaves –
1. Underwatering
Underwatering is the main cause of this problem in the Jade plant.
When the water content levels go down, some of the leaves start to shrivel and form crystals on their surface.
It’s a good indication from the plant that it needs water for its internal activities.
Without enough water, it will find it difficult to keep up with the growth.
Due to underwatering, the plant will start showing some of these signs and will fall off eventually.
2. Weather Conditions
Although the watering issue is the root cause of this issue, the plant doesn’t depict the same behavior in all weather conditions.
The crystallized leaves only appear when there isn’t enough moisture in the air.
When the humidity decreases, the leaves do not get enough moisture from the atmosphere.
And when it’s going through the underwatering situation, the dry weather conditions just add up to the issue.
This is the reason why you’d get to see this problem in relatively dry weather in winters.
You will probably not see such leaves during spring, as the humidity levels go up during this period.
3. Lack Of Nutrients
Lack of nutrients can be a factor in this problem.
If you haven’t provided fertilizers to your Jade plant in a while, you are going to see this problem in the plant.
As you know, the plants need micro and macronutrients to continue their growing cycle.
But when they don’t find these elements in the soil, the leaves begin to shrink.
4. Sunburnt Leaves
Do you keep your Jade plant in direct sunlight?
It could be the reason why your plant’s leaves are shriveling and falling off.
The other sign of sunburnt leaves is the dark edges or spots on the leaves’ surface.
If you see such leaves with crystals on their surface, the plant might be getting too much sunlight during the day.
Even though the Jade plant is succulent, it doesn’t like extreme heat and sun.
And if that’s been the weather in your location for the past few days, the plant may not enjoy it much.
In fact, it will have a significant impact on the weaker leaves.
5. Other Issues
Along with the above reasons, the plant may also have a fungal or bacterial problem.
When you overwater your plant, these issues pop up from nowhere.
Although it won’t cause the crystalization on the leaves, you may see some peculiar signs with this issue.
The leaf curl or yellow leaves are some of the well-known signs of these external factors in the Jade plant.
These issues also lead to the dropping and wilting of leaves and branches.
In extreme situations, the entire plant will fall off.
Hence, it’s essential to do a thorough inspection of your plant when you see something unusual on it.
So, how do you fix this problem in your Jade plant?
Check out the following suggestions to know more about it.
How To Fix Jade Plant Leaves Crystallizing Problem
Here’s a list of things you can do to prevent this issue –
1. Water Your Jade Plant Well
Like I mentioned above, the crystalization problem is related to underwatering in your Jade plant.
So, the best thing to do in this case is to water your plant well.
If the leaves look absolutely dry and hard, you must water the plant immediately.
When you start watering, make sure the water comes out of the drainage holes.
This helps in ensuring that all the roots have received a decent supply of water.
Note: You don’t have to follow the same practice each time.
It only needs to be done when the plant is quite dry.
If you do it repeatedly, you will have an overwatering problem in your Jade plant.
And this will also invite many more problems, including fungus and bacteria.
So, be mindful when you water your Jade plant.
2. Make Sure The Growing Conditions Are Right
If the plant is already going through the underwatering shock, you should think of providing a better growing condition to it.
Generally, the succulents do well in slightly warm and humid conditions.
They also extract moisture from the air.
Hence, it makes sense to provide such conditions to the plant.
If the weather conditions are not favorable in your city, you can create a micro-climate indoors for a few days.
You can make use of a humidifier to raise the level of humidity in the room where you’ve kept your plants.
Similarly, you can use artificial grow lights to imitate the natural conditions inside your home.
3. Fertilize The Plant
The fertilization method is not going to solve your problem of crystalization of leaves directly.
However, it will surely keep your plant strong for a long duration.
It won’t be susceptible to these types of leaf issues.
And when the plant gets a decent nutrients supply, the leaves stay fresh in the off-season as well.
Also, the plant will have more strength to combat any issues that may arise over the period.
In the end, you will have to deal with fewer issues in the comparison.
Important: The leaves that have shriveled can’t be brought back to their natural shape or size.
No matter how much water or fertilizers you provide to the plant, the affected leaves will remain the same.
Eventually, the plant will remove these leaves in order to make space for new growth in the future.
So, if you are a new gardener, don’t wait and hope to see any miracle on these leaves.
Instead, keep taking good care of your plant.
In the following section, you will find the answers to the frequently asked questions.
FAQs
In most probability, the leaves start to shrivel because of the underwatering and infrequent watering schedules.
If you have not been keeping up with the regular watering frequency, it’s going to impact the leaves of your plant.
Apart from that, do not place the underwatered plants in direct sunlight.
The harsh sunlight will cause sunburn issues on the leaves.
You should water your Jade plant twice a month.
This is a good watering frequency to keep your plant going.
Having said that, do adjust this frequency as per the requirement of the plant.
If it’s the winter season, you will have to water less and so on.
If the stem of your Jade plant is turning black, it could be the stem rot issue.
You should uproot the plant and check the conditions under the soil.
If the plant is affected by stem rot, there is a possibility of root rot issue as well.
So, check for any dead and mushy roots in the ground.
As for the solution, you will have to prune the dead branches and roots as quickly as possible.
You can also use some fungicides to control this problem in your plant.
And you should keep the plant in a place where it gets enough airflow.
The dry conditions will help in managing this issue with great effect.
The Jade plant drops leaves when it is underwatered or overwatered.
In both these cases, the plant will shed off some of the weaker and damaged leaves.
If there is any existing fungus issue, it will also be the reason for this behavior from your Jade plant.
Yes, the Jade plant does well in sunlight.
The plant comes with small leaves, which need sunlight to process the food.
So, you must keep your plant in a well-lit place.
It can also survive in low light conditions in your home, but there won’t be a lot of progress in terms of growth.
The plant will also have fewer and darker leaves on the branches.
If you want to see leaves with lighter shades, you can keep the plant in sunlight.
Over To You
Well, I hope the above guide helps in understanding the leaves crystallizing in the Jade plant.
It’s a natural phenomenon in this type of plant, and you don’t have to think a lot about it.
The plant will get rid of such leaves in a few days to weeks.
And more importantly, it will be ready for the new lush green leaves next season.
Moreover, if you have any questions, do let me know in the comments.
If you liked this guide on the Jade plant issue, please share it with your friends and family.
Thank you, I have a miniature jade plant that quite suddenly dropped leaves, became crystalized and lost its beauty. I removed it from the pot to check the roots, they are fine. I cut the stems that were weak and in their way out. I’m going to repot and hope for the best. I’ve never had much success in growing these. I think I may have not given it enough water. Wish me luck and thanks for the great advice!
Hey Deanna!
I’m glad you found the above suggestions useful.
I hope your plant manages to recover from this issue soon. Good luck!