The overwatered Gollum jade has its leaves turn brown or yellow, in addition to a mushy or droopy appearance. When the jade plant stays in overwatered conditions for long, its roots become more susceptible to root rot, which can ultimately cause the death of the plant.
Depending on the extent of the damage that may have been caused by the waterlogged conditions, an overwatered jade plant can be recovered. This article was comprehensively compiled to provide relevant information on how to reverse the effects of overwatering on your gollum jade or recover your plant.
Contents
How Did I Find Myself Dealing With an Overwatered Gollum Jade?
You may find yourself dealing with an overwatered Gollum jade due to various factors, which include using compacted potting soil, watering before the soil dries, poor monitoring of humidity correction methods, some pest control interventions, and using the wrong pot.
– Watering Patterns
Like other succulents, the Gollum jade plant is not much of a thirsty plant. It survives well with very little watering. This makes this plant much more prone to overwatering upon the addition of a little more water.
Being succulents, the jade plants store water in their leaves. So, even when its soil is completely dry, the plant will turn to the water that is in its leaves for survival. Therefore, keeping the soil moist is not good for such a plant because overwatering is more likely to take place.
– Compacted Potting Soil
The Gollum jade plant prefers soils that are well-draining so growing them in a compacted potting medium will see it getting overwatered. Compacted soils have an extreme water-holding capacity, considering that they do not allow for the free movement of water. Not only that, but compacted soils also compromise aeration.
Both movements of water and aeration are negatively affected because the little air pockets that are available in compacted soils are clogged with water.
Now that water won’t be able to move in compacted soils, your plant will sit in waterlogged conditions. The overwatered jade may then suffer from root rot if it continues to sit in water. The rotting is encouraged by the oxygen-free environment that is created by waterlogged conditions. The fungus that causes root rot thrives under such conditions.
avoid growing your plant in compacted soils because they promote overwatering.
– Unmonitored Humidity Control Methods
The Gollum jade plant loves high humidity levels of at least 50 percent. Considering that the plant is a humidity lover, you might need to raise the moisture levels in the atmosphere when they drop down. Some of the strategies that you might employ in achieving this might cause overwatering, especially if they are not monitored well.
Let’s suppose you decide to use the pebble tray method for enhancing the humidity levels around your plant. This strategy involves adding pebbles to a tray, prior to adding water. You then have to place the pot of your plant on top of the pebble tray. This way, the water from the pebble tray evaporates and saturates the air around your Gollum jade plant.
If, by any chance, there is contact between the bottom of the pot and the water in the pebble tray, the likelihood of overwatering is greatly enhanced. The water from the pebble tray will move into the potting soil through the drainage holes. As this continues to happen, the roots of your plant will sit in water.
– Some Pests Control Interventions
Some of the plant pests that commonly attack the Gollum jade are spider mites. While there are many methods that you can use to destroy the pests that negatively affect your plant, some of them can be triggers for overwatering.
A good example of such a pest-control strategy is the hosing method. With the hosing method, you spray your plant leaves with a strong stream of water to force the pests off.
In addition to the fact that the hosing strategy only works well for lower pest infestations, it also counts a single session of watering your plant. This is because the water that you use to wash the jade’s foliage will fall down onto the plant soil. The water will go down the potting mix in the same way it would if you had watered the plant.
If the soil of your plant was already moist when you carried out the pest control procedure, then the roots of your plant will be soaked in water a little longer. This results in overwatering.
– Using the Wrong Pot
The pot that you choose significantly contributes to the overall drainage system around your plant. If your pot has fewer drainage holes, it won’t be able to release excess water at a rate that is good enough to avoid overwatering. This will leave your plant with no choice but to sit in waterlogged conditions.
When your plant has many drainage holes that are too small, you are also more likely to be affected by overwatering. This is because the small drainage holes also compromise the ability of the pot to let the excess water drain out quickly.
This, again, increases the time during which the roots of your plant are soaked in water.Also, take note of the size of the pot that you use for your plant. If you use a pot that is too large, it will take more time for the potting mix to dry.
This means that when you water jade plants that are in pots that match their size, evaporation takes place at relatively normal rates. This way, your plant won’t experience overwatered conditions.
– Failure to Take Note of Alterations in Environmental Conditions
Temperature, humidity, sunlight, and air currents greatly contribute to the rate at which water is lost from your plant and its soil. This is because these environmental conditions affect the rates of transpiration and evaporation.
Higher temperatures are associated with more heat, and this makes it easier for water in the plant and potting mix to be converted to a state that makes it easier for it to escape into the air. As a result, the soil dries at a faster rate.
On a windy day, evaporation and transpiration will be faster. The same applies when humidity levels are relatively lower.Brighter sunlight conditions are associated with the wider opening of the stoma, which are pores through which water is released during transpiration.
The wider the opening, the faster the transpiration rates.When you fail to take note of the changes in environmental conditions, you might give your plant too much water when it does not need it.This means that watering schedules also vary depending on the combinations of environmental conditions at a given time.
If you water your Gollum jade plant more frequently when temperatures are low, sunlight is dim, humidity is high, and the atmosphere is still, then overwatering is more likely to happen.
What Are the Best Tips to Help Your Jade Plant Recover From Overwatering?
The best tips to help your jade plant recover from overwatering are simply regular jade plant care. These plant care requirements include adjusting your watering patterns, enhancing better drainage, and monitoring your humidity, propagating your jade plant, and pest control methods.
– Evaluate the Extent of the Damage
The first port of call is to evaluate the extent to which your Gollum jade plant has been affected by overwatering. This will assist you to have a general idea of the interventions that you need to apply to save your plant.
Generally, if your plant simply has soft leaves but has not been affected by root rot, altering watering patterns might be enough for you to get the positive change that you require.
If your plant has been affected by root rot, you also need to assess the extent to which its rooting system has been damaged. To carry out this evaluation, you should uproot your plant and clean off the soil so that you can see clearly.
Normal roots are white in color while the affected ones appear mushy and brown. If there are a few brown and mushy roots, you can cut them off using sterilized shears.
We recommend that you wash the rooting system after doing so, prior to dipping it in a rooting hormone. The latter step will help your plant to develop more roots quickly. You can then repot your plant using completely new potting soil.
If all or most of the roots are brown and mushy, the survival chances of your plant are quite low.
– Adjust Your Watering Patterns Accordingly
If the damage that has been caused by overwatering is not that severe, simply altering your overwatering patterns can save the day. Allow the soil of your plant to completely dry before you water it again.
Doing this will allow the air spaces to open up again as the water that might have been clogging them evaporates. The roots of your plant will begin to breathe well again, considering that oxygen becomes more and more easily accessible.
Ideally, we recommend that you water jade plants two or three weeks after the previous drinks in summer. In winter, you should wait even longer before you can water your plant because it takes more time for the soil to dry.
When you water jade plants, be sure to do so thoroughly. This means that you should add water to the potting soil until it begins to escape through the drainage holes.
Please, be sure to do it only when the potting mix is completely dry to avoid overwatering your jade beauty. Also, remember not to water directly on the foliage of your Gollum jade plant, otherwise, you will make them vulnerable to fungal attacks.
– Consider Changes in Environmental Conditions
Following specific watering schedules is a great idea but remember that the patterns were prepared based on particular environmental considerations.
For example, the general recommendation is that you should water your Gollum jade plant once in about three weeks during summer when the growth rate is high. In winter, you should give it a drink only twice.
Apart from the growth rates, these recommendations are influenced by the assumption that summers are hot and bright and vice versa. While there are generally accepted weather conditions for summer and winter, environmental factors can change and when it happens, you should also adjust your watering schedules accordingly.
We recommend that you always check the moisture levels of the potting mix before you give your jade plant a drink. If you make this a habit and ensure that you water your plant only when its soil is completely dry, you will keep overwatering at bay.
One of the most common methods for checking the moisture levels of your potting mix is by dipping your finger or a chopstick into it and assessing the dryness. You can also use the moisture meter, which is even more effective.
– Monitor Humidity Control
Considering that some humidity control strategies may cause overwatering scenarios on your plant, it is vital that you monitor them closely. If you use the pebble tray method, make sure that the bottom of the pot does not touch the water at all.
This way, you can increase the humidity around your plant without exposing our Gollum jade to waterlogged conditions. You can even use other methods for controlling humidity. For instance, using a humidifier is unlikely to directly cause overwatering on your plants. You can also mist your plants.
Just be sure not to mist excessively as doing this might end up causing the potting soil to be wet as well. Please note that too high humidity levels also pose the risk of overwatering your plant. This is because when the atmosphere around your plant is saturated with moisture, the rates of transpiration and evaporation are also reduced.
As a result, your jade plant soil will remain wet for prolonged periods of time, thereby supporting overwatering.
– Improve the Drainage Capacity
The best soil for your jade plant is one that is gritty enough to aid quick drainage of excess water. This is because this plant does not need to sit in water at all. There should be just a little moisture for your plant’s roots to take up.
To create good soil for your plant, buy a cactus mixand add sand in it. Perlite works the same way as sand so you can use any of the two. Sand or perlite gives the cactus mix a loose structure that allows excellent drainage properties.
It is also important to make sure that the pot has enough drainage holes that are big enough to allow excess water to escape at a faster rate. Also, check the drainage holes to see if they are not too big to allow the potting soil out of the pot as well.
As time progresses, the drainage holes may become clogged with particles of the soil mix and this comprises the drainage capacity of the pot. If there are any holes that are blocked this way, use a toothpick or chopstick to unclog them.
– Rethink Your Methods for Controlling Pests
Considering that the hosing method may drive you into a position where you have to deal with overwatering, you might have to avoid it. You can substitute it with other pest control alternatives.
If the pest infestation is still low, you can dab the pests using cotton wool balls that are soaked in isopropyl alcohol. You can even spray 70 percent alcohol on your plant’s foliage.
Neem oil is another effective strategy for dealing with pests such as spider mites. This organic pesticide is effective against all stages of the pests’ life cycle. Insecticidal soap also works well and you can either get the commercially available one or make a homemade one.
The homemade insecticidal soap only needs simple ingredients that you normally have in your home, like vegetable oil, water, and mild dishwashing soap.If the housing method still remains your best possible option but you don’t water to overwater your plant, there is still a way out.
You can place plastic on top of the potting soil. Make sure there are no holes in the plastic and that it overlaps the edges of the pot.When you then employ the hosing method, water does not go into the potting mix so your jade beauty will not be overwatered.
– Propagate Your Jade Plant
If the roots of your Gollum jade plant have been severely affected by root rot, do not lose heart. You can use the healthy parts of the plant to propagate it and get new plants that are just like itself.
The simple procedure for propagating your jade plant is by using a sterilized knife to cut one of the finger-like leaves. You can then plant this cutting in a ell-drainingw potting mix and allow it to develop new roots.
Conclusion
With the skills and knowledge that you have gained from this article, you cannot afford to let overwatering destroy your Gollum jade plants anymore.
Here are some key points to keep in mind:
- Root rot is one of the main issues that your Gollum jade plant dreads when it comes to overwatering.
- Too frequent watering schedules, poor drainage, unmonitored humidity, and pest control methods are some of the main causes of overwatering.
- You can save your plant by adjusting watering patterns and monitoring plant care procedures.
- If your plant is severely affected by root rot, you can propagate it.
Now you have all it takes to save your Gollum jade plant. Enjoy the experience of turning your theoretical knowledge into practical application and save your plants from overwatering!
References
- https://www.masterclass.com/articles/gollum-jade-plant-care-guide
- https://getbusygardening.com/jade-plant-watering/
- https://succulentsbox.com/blogs/blog/how-to-take-care-of-gollum-jade
- https://www.gardenerreport.com/how-to-care-for-gollum-jade-crassula-ovata/
- https://www.bhg.com/gardening/houseplants/care/jade-plant-floppy-leaves-wrinkled/
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