Does this Jade plant have oedema?

[RobbieW]

Hello, does this jade plant have oedema? It is in a pot on a north facing balcony that gets full sun in winter. It used to be really healthy. How do I fix him? 

 

[EricL]

Hellow @RobbieW

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about your jade plant.

Jade plants are sensitive to sudden changes in their environment and watering conditions. Failure to acclimate the plant from a shaded area to a fully exposed sunny spot will damage the leaves. Changing its watering schedule also contributes to the condition you mentioned. If the plant can't get rid of the excess moisture in its root system it ruptures the cell membrane causing damage to the leaf's surface.  

For the moment I recommend placing the plant in a shaded area and to reduce the amount of water you're currently providing. I also suggest checking the soil condition of the pot and seeing if it is waterlogged. Carefully dig with your fingers about 20mm into the soil and see if it is wet. If it is, I propose checking the drain holes of the pot to make sure that they are open and letting the pot dry out to improve soil condition.

Let me call on our experienced members @Noelle and @Adam_W for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Adam_W]

Hi @RobbieW and welcome.
@EricL has pretty much nailed the conditions.
Jade plants (technically the most common ones are Crassula ovata) are a succulent. They prefer full sun although will grow in reduced light, they'll just get soft and leggy - the space between leaves stretches.
Bringing them into full-sun from a part-sun position can result in leaf burn often in spots.
Despite being a succulent they can also be a wee bit fussy with water - too much can result in spotting on the leaves due largely to root-rot setting in but... too little water can also cause leaf spot (and leaf drop).
So too much sun after being sheltered, too much water or not enough water can all cause leaf spotting...
As is often the case with such problems you need to perform a process of elimination - is it too much sun after being sheltered? Is it too much water? Easy way to test this is if the potting mix feels moist. Is it too little water? Again, feel the mix, it's okay for the top couple of centimetres to be dry but you want a little moisture below that.
Also... Don't put saucers under succulents as they'll stay to damp.

[RobbieW]

Hello again, the soil does not appeal to be moist at all and I put my finger all the way into the soil. Also, there is no water in the saucer, although i will remove the saucer. The pot is quite heavy so the soil could be wet at the roots. It is a 30cm pot both in diameter and height. It is growing new healthy leaves and has been in the same sunny position on my balcony. Should I re-pot it so I can see what the roots look like?

[EricL]

Hello @RobbieW

The option of re-potting the jade plant is also a viable option. Perhaps the roots are soaked at the bottom, but the only way to find out is to take the plant out of its current pot. In the meantime, if you do re-pot the plant, I suggest observing it for a few weeks and seeing if its condition improves.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Jason]

To add to Eric's reply @RobbieW, check out the guide by @Noelle How to pot a plant as it has some great tips.

Jason