I have had my Jad bonsai about 3 weeks now and leaves are
falling off
like crazy. I check the dirt when I got it and it was moist,
so I
waited 1 week to water. During this time green leaves started
to fall
off the tree. I thought it might have been too much water, so
I
waited a week and a half to water again. Leaves are still
falling off
at a good rate. I have it on a table about 8 feet from
southern
facing window. I think it is getting enough light. It is not
direct
light, but it is pretty bright in that room. Also, the temp is
between 76-80 degrees. Is the tree just stressed in its new
home, or
am I doing something wrong. Please help...this was a birthday
present
from the wife and I don't want to kill it.

The light level 8 feet from a window -- ANY window -- is
inadequate to keep any plant (except, perhaps, a Philodendron)
alive. Get it outside, or get plant lights for it. This is a
tree that grows out in the open, in deserts. It dotes on
light -- probably several orders of magnitude more than it is
getting.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - The phrase
'sustainable growth' is an oxymoron. - Stephen Viederman

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snip

I have had my Jad bonsai about 3 weeks now and leaves are
falling off
like crazy. I check the dirt when I got it and it was moist,
so I
waited 1 week to water. During this time green leaves started
to fall
off the tree. I thought it might have been too much water, so
I
waited a week and a half to water again. Leaves are still
falling off
at a good rate.

snip
The light level 8 feet from a window -- ANY window -- is
inadequate to keep any plant (except, perhaps, a Philodendron)
alive. Get it outside, or get plant lights for it. This is a
tree that grows out in the open, in deserts. It dotes on
light -- probably several orders of magnitude more than it is
getting.

True.

Also, jades like to be _dry_. If the soil is moist, wait! In the winter, when they
are indoors, I usually water my jades after the leaves just begin to wrinkle.
Outdoors, in in full sun for most of the day, I water them more frequently. Even
so, it is very possible to keep them too moist.

Move your jade outdoors if you can. Don't put it directly in full sun, but ease it
into nearly full sun over a couple of weeks. Keep it there until night time
temperatures drop to 50° F, and then bring it indoors, and put it right in that
south facing window. It should do fine. If you can't put it outdoors, at least move
it as close to the window as possible, or, as Jim suggests, consider getting plant
lights. Our largest jade is pretty happy in an east facing window all winter.

The best ways to kill a jade are to overwater it, or to expose it to frost.
Otherwise, they are very forgiving plants. Our big jade was given to my wife at her
wedding shower in a Dixie cup. Twenty-eight years later it stands four feet tall,
and blooms every winter.

Jay
--
Peace, n. In international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of
fighting.

Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

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c_oves wrote:

I have had my Jad bonsai about 3 weeks now and leaves are falling off
like crazy. I check the dirt when I got it and it was moist, so I
waited 1 week to water.

I would suggest not watering any more than every two weeks. Jade plants are
succulents and store water in their trunks, branches and leaves.

During this time green leaves started to fall
off the tree. I thought it might have been too much water, so I
waited a week and a half to water again. Leaves are still falling off
at a good rate. I have it on a table about 8 feet from southern
facing window. I think it is getting enough light. It is not direct
light, but it is pretty bright in that room. Also, the temp is
between 76-80 degrees. Is the tree just stressed in its new home, or
am I doing something wrong.

Again, much less water, and as Jim Lewis suggests, closer to the window. Outdoors
in partial shade would be better, moving to full sun when the tree is growing new
leaves happily.

Please help...this was a birthday present
from the wife and I don't want to kill it.

Thanks

These plants are very tough, but overwatering is the #1 killer. If it is in
regular potting soil, that also might be part of the problem. Coarse soil such as
that used for cacti would be good.

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a Sunset 37

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