5 Reasons Why Your Jade Plant Leaves Are Crystallizing

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. 

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, 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

As 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 for it.

Generally, 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 nutrient 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