Hi, I’m a horticultural consultant and today want to discuss Jade plant Edema, one of the Jade plant diseases. If you spot brown and dark bumps on your jade plant leaves and stems, it can be Edema. What is it? No tiny bug, fungus or bacteria is the culprit, only some of your wrong caring manners like overwatering, overfertilizing and so on can cause this problem.
Jade plant is a succulent and Edema is very common among succulents. So, I first discussed it in succulents and then will focus on Jade plant Edema. I will show you how to detect it by its symptoms and give you tips to prevent and fix Edema in your Jade plant and other succulents.
What is Edema in Succulents?
You may hear this word about human health too. In Plants, like us, Edema is a condition where the plant tissue cells absorb excessive water, so, they will swell and burst. This often results in raised, blister-like bumps or lesions on the leaves or stems.
What Are Causes of Edema in Succulents?
Here I listed agents that lead your Succulents to Edema.
- Overwatering: The most common cause of Edema is overwatering. When succulents are consistently exposed to excessive moisture, their cells can become saturated and unable to release excess water. it will lead to a more dangerous problem: Root rot. It will kill your succulent if you don’t control it quickly.
- Poor Drainage: If the soil your succulent is planted in does not drain well, it can lead to waterlogging and increase the risk of Edema.
- Sudden Temperature Changes: Rapid fluctuations in temperature can also contribute to Edema. These changes can disrupt the plant’s water balance and make it more susceptible to waterlogging.
- High Humidity: High humidity levels can create a moist environment that promotes Edema.
What are the Symptoms of Edema in Succulents?
Above, you found some signs of Edema in succulents, here I will tell you more symptoms which you may spot on your lovely plant and aware you about the risk of Edema on your succulent.
- Raised Bumps or Lesions: These may be brown or black and may appear on the leaves or stems.
- Yellowing or Browning: Over time, the affected areas may turn yellow or brown.
- Soft or Mushy Tissue: The tissue beneath the bumps may feel soft or mushy.
How to Treat and Prevent Edema in Succulents?
Now, come on to tell you tips which help you to prevent Edema in succulents and avoid this condition I also show you how to treat your succulents to stay healthy.
Adjust Watering: Reduce the frequency of watering your succulent. Allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings.
Improve Drainage: Ensure that your succulent is planted in a well-draining potting mix. You may also consider adding perlite or pumice to improve drainage.
Increase Air Circulation: Improve air circulation around your succulent to help reduce humidity.
Avoid Overfertilization: Excessive fertilization can contribute to Edema.
Remove Affected Parts: If the Edema is severe, you may need to remove the affected parts of the plant to prevent it from spreading.
Jade Plant Edema
Edema can affect your jade plants. As I told you above it is also known as water blisters or corking and occurs when the plant’s cells absorb more water than they can release. Hence your Jade plant will cells swell and burst. As you found out above, you may have spot-raised, blister-like bumps or lesions on the leaves or stems of your Jade plant. You will find more about Jade plant Edema, in the following.
How to Tell Edema in My Jade Plants?
Here, I describe the signs and symptoms of Edema in Jade plants which help you detect this disease (Jade plant diseases).
- Raised Black to Brown Bumps or Lesions on Jade plant leaves and stems.
- These bumps on jade plant leaves are first translucent but soon turn to small dark raised spots on jade plant leaves.
- Over time, you may see yellow or brown lesions in the affected areas on jade plant leaves and stems.
- In addition, you can detect Edema easily because the tissue beneath the dark bumps may feel soft or mushy.
Wrong Caring Manners That Cause Edema on Your Jade Plant Leaves
- Overwatering is the first thing I can tell you about Jade plant Edema. As I told you above, Jade plants are succulents, so, before watering check their soil to dry out completely. You must perform a deep watering and check the excessive water removed from the drainage holes.
- So, poor drainage is another common reason for “Jade plant Edema”. If you plant it in a pot without drainage holes, the risk of Edema will be high. In addition, a heavy soil mix with poor drainage and does not drain well, will lead to waterlogging and increase the risk of Edema and root rot. Let me tell you root rot is worse than Edema.
- Sometimes people send me a pic of their Jade plant with signs of Edema while their watering manner is correct and pot drainage is well. What’s happened? In this situation, I ask them about sudden temperature changes around their Jade plant. you must know a rapid fluctuation in temperature will disrupt the water balance in your Jade plant and can cause Edema.
- In addition, as I told you about the succulents, the high humidity levels in your house can create a moist environment around your Jade plant that promotes Edema. Now, let’s find out ways to fix Edema in Jad plants.
Tested Tips for Treat Edema in Your Jade Plant
1- Do the Best Watering Manner for your Jade plant
First, you must improve your watering manner: Jade plants are succulents, meaning they can store water in their leaves and stems. So, overwatering can lead to root rot and other problems like Edema. If you have a heavy hand in watering, please reduce the frequency of watering your jade plant. As I told you, the soil must dry out completely between waterings.
Consider the following tips for watering your jade plant:
- Allow the soil to dry out completely: Before watering, check the soil moisture. Stick your finger about an inch into the soil. If it feels dry, you can water it.
- Water thoroughly: When you water, pour the water until it drains from the bottom of the pot. This ensures that the roots are fully saturated.
- Discard excess water: After watering, discard any excess water from the saucer to prevent root rot.
- Reduce watering in winter: Jade plants go dormant in winter. During this time, reduce watering significantly.
- Avoid overhead watering: Overhead watering can lead to fungal diseases. Instead, water the soil directly.
- It’s better to underwater a jade plant than to overwater it. Signs of overwatering include yellowing leaves, mushy stems, and root rot.
2- Best Soil Mix to Prevent Edema in Jade plants
Use a Potting soil mix with good drainage properties. Adding soil enhancers like perlite or pumice will improve its drainage. The ideal soil for a jade plant is a well-draining, cactus or succulent mix. This soil type is specifically designed to retain moisture without becoming waterlogged, which can lead to root rot.
Following, I provided key characteristics of good soil for jade plants:
- Porous: The soil should be porous to allow excess water to drain quickly.
- Nutrient-rich: While jade plants are relatively low-maintenance, they still benefit from a nutrient-rich soil.
- Gritty texture: A gritty texture helps improve drainage and aeration.
I create my own Jade plant potting mix; you can find my recipe below:
- One Part Potting soil: A basic potting mix forms the foundation of the soil.
- One Part Perlite: This lightweight material improves drainage and aeration.
- One Part Coarse sand: This adds grit to the soil and helps prevent compaction.
Based on my experience, Jade plants prefer slightly alkaline soil. So, you should avoid using peat moss, as it can retain too much moisture and lead to root rot.
3- Air circulation is important to prevent Edema
Increase Air Circulation is often suggested for Jade plant Edema. By Improving air circulation around your jade plant, the humidity around your plant will be reduced and the risk of Edema will be decreased.
4- Fertilization and Edema
You must avoid overfertilization of your Jade plant because research shows that excessive fertilization can contribute to Edema. read my other post about the best liquid fertilizer for indoor plants.
Conclusion
Now, you know the black spots and brown bumps on the Jade plants can be due to Edema. I address almost all the underlying causes of Edema in the Jade plants like overwatering, over-fertilization, poor drainage, high humidity and so on.
I also told you to take preventative measures and treatment tips to help your jade plant to stay healthy. For example, I show you how to provide the best potting mix soil for your Jade plant and how to water it truly. If you have any questions about your Jade plant, please ask me in the comments.
Elahe Rabiei
Hi, I’m Elaheh. My Academic major is plant protection, and houseplants are my expertise. As a houseplant lover, my house is full of indoor plants and it is my passion to take care of them. Hence, I’m here to share my knowledge and experience about growing healthy houseplants. I am also a plant protection advisor, so feel free to ask me any questions you may have.