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Jade Plant Leaves Turning Black
Jade plant leaves turning black can be a huge sign that your jade plant is in serious danger and needs a quick rescue mission if you want to save the plant. Black leaves are a bad sign because they generally indicate that the plant is starting to rot. Now you might be lucky and only a few leaves are lost or you could risk losing the whole plant.
We are going to first look at what causes jade plant leaves to turn black, how to prevent this from happening and then finally what you can do if you find some of your jade plant leaves turning black and how you can save your plant.
Why Are My Jade Plant Leaves Turning Black
Just like with your jade plant leaves turning brown or any other colour, there can be lots of reasons as to why this is happening. However, there is one reason that comes up time and time again and seems to be the most common cause of jade plant leaves turning black and this is overwatering and/or root rot.
As you probably already know jade plants don’t like to be watered too often. There are a type of succulent which means they store a lot of their water in their beautiful thick leaves. Because of this, you don’t need to water them and they can be prone to root rot. It’s important that you allow the soil to dry out in between waterings to prevent this from happening.
Your watering schedule might not be the only thing causing this. Heavy soils can cause moisture to clog around roots as can a pot with no drainage holes. Some people make the mistake of using compost to pot up jade plants. This will make your plant incredibly likely to suffer from root rot as compost is too heavy and retains a lot of water. Instead you should opt for a lighter mix like one made specifically for cacti and succulents along with some perlite. If you use this mix and a pot with drainage holes then you should have a lot more luck preventing root rot.
How To Save A Jade Plant With Black Leaves
So your jade plant leaves are turning black, what can you do about it? And can you save your plant? The answer to this depends on how much damage the plant has already received. If there are only a few leaves turning black and the soil isn’t soaked through then it could be enough to simply cut away the damaged leaves and leave your plant to dry out. If you’re noticing problems with lots of leaves, the soil is soaked through and maybe even some stems are starting to feel soft then you need to try and save the plant quickly.
First it’s important to get your plant out of the pot and remove the wet soil from it’s roots. Once you have done this allow your plant to dry out. Next you’ll want to assess the damage. Cut away any black plant matter as it’s too late for these sections now. If the main stem of the plant has started to rot then you may want to try propagating individual leaves to grow a new plant rather than saving the original one. If you’ve managed to save the plant then repot it with a well draining mix in a pot that has a drainage hole. If you haven’t saved the plant then keep reading for our tips on jade plant propagation.
How To Propagate A Jade Plant
If your plant was past the point of saving but you managed to take some healthy leaf cuttings then you might be able to grow a new plant with the knowledge you’ve acquired here. The most important thing for you to do is to let the cuttings dry out before you plant them. The leaves will have a fresh cut and if water and soil gets into this it can cause the leaf to rot. Simply place the leaves on a plate in a sunny spot and let them dry out over a couple of days. Keep looking at the bottom of the leaf where you made the cut. Once it has dried out and isn’t wet or slimy then it’s time to plant your leaf.
Use the same soil you would use for your other jade plants and simply pop the leaf in until the soil comes up about a quarter of the way. You won’t need to water your cutting often and if you leave it in a nice sunny spot then it should start putting out its own little root system in no time.
Hopefully this has helped you to work out what to do with jade plant leaves turning black. It can be very scary when this happens but it doesn’t mean you’ve killed your plant, only that you need to act fast. The best steps are always preventative so make sure you read up on jade plant care so you know exactly what these beautiful plants need from you.
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