The jade plant, or the money plant, is one of the most resilient succulents to grow. This is why it’s a popular choice for indoor and outdoor gardening setups because it’s easy to maintain and can live for many decades.
Yet, seeing your jade plant drooping can be alarming.
This plant grows uprightly, almost to a shrub-like size, in optimal conditions.
So, why is my jade plant drooping? Is there a way to save it?
Don’t worry because our gardening experts will answer all your questions, so let’s dive in.
Why Is My Jade Plant Drooping?
Having a resilient and low-maintenance plant like the jade plant doesn’t mean you can ignore it. On the contrary, this plant is easy to take care of but still needs some care and attention.
If your jade plant is limp and the leaves are drooping, this could result from one of the following factors.
1 – Inadequate Moisture
Overwatering and underwatering are the main reasons your jade plant might look droopy. However, overwatering is usually a bigger problem for jade plants.
In order to keep the plant healthy, you need to grow in well-draining soil and ensure that the pot has enough drainage holes to allow the excess water to flow away from the plant.
You should wait until the soil has completely dried before watering your plant to protect it from root rot.
Moreover, not receiving enough light can also contribute to the problem, especially when you’re growing an indoor jade plant.
The sunlight helps the plant perform photosynthesis and allows extra moisture to evaporate from the soil. Without enough sun exposure, the soil will stay too wet for too long, and your jade plant won’t be healthy.
Finally, your jade plant might be drooping because you’ve placed too many plants near each other or in the same pot.
Growing two or three jade plants in a big pot is OK, but they should all have enough room to thrive. When too many plants are in the pot, moisture and humidity levels increase, and the plant will start drooping.
2 – Not Enough Sun
Jade plants thrive in full sun with some shade from the harsh afternoon sun. Most people grow them in their gardens as understory plants because they grow well in bright dappled, or indirect light.
Yet, if finding a sunny spot for your jade plant isn’t a priority when you grow it as an indoor houseplant, it will suffer significantly, and the leaves will droop.
Too little sun will make the plant weak, unhealthy, and more prone to diseases and infestations.
At the same time, too much sun exposure can damage the foliage of your jade plant.
The plant’s leaves start to turn red, showing sun damage, and will eventually become too limp. If you don’t protect your plant, it will die.
3 – Dust Accumulation
This might not seem like a common cause for droopiness, but your jade plant can become too droopy and limp if dust accumulates on the leaves.
The plant’s leaves absorb the sunlight, allowing excess water to evaporate. If the leaves are covered with dust layers, the plant won’t be able to do so.
4 – Overfertilization
A jade plant isn’t a heavy feeder but can benefit from the extra nutrients you provide during the growing season. These additional nutrients can also encourage your indoor jade plant to bloom.
However, some homeowners make the mistake of applying a strong or undiluted fertilizer to the jade plant. At the same time, they might apply fertilizers too often.
If you do this, you might see your jade plant drooping instead of thriving.
Overfertilization leads to the accumulation of excess salts in the soil and the root system. This will affect the roots’ ability to absorb water and nutrients.
As a result, your plant will become droopy and unhealthy.
5 – Pests and Diseases
Several pests and diseases can affect the way a jade plant looks.
Some pests like spider mites, mealybugs, and scale suck the sap or fluid from your jade plant’s leaves, making it sick and droopy.
The sap or the juice inside the leaves and stem keeps the plant healthy and firm, and when the plant is infested with these bugs, it will lose its firmness.
Powdery mildew is another cause for drooping, and it usually attacks your jade plant in overly wet conditions. This disease leads to the formation of gray and black mold spores that prevent the plant from performing the photosynthesis process.
Why Is My Jade Plant Wilting?
Plants show some warning signs before they start wilting.
If you notice that your jade plant is drooping, the leaves don’t hold their shape, and they seem overly dry or sick, then your plant is suffering.
You should examine the pot and the plant parts and check your care schedule to make the necessary adjustments.
Plants aren’t able to recover if you don’t help them. So, if you ignore the previous warning signs, the plant will start wilting and eventually die.
What to Do With a Droopy Jade Plant
Jade plants are quite tough and will resist unfavorable conditions for quite some time. Yet, if you notice that your plant is drooping, you can do the following.
Clean It
You might want to start if you’ve ignored cleaning your jade plant for too long.
The accumulation of dust will make your beautiful jade plant look less attractive. But, at the same time, it affects the plant’s transpiration ability.
This process refers to the release of excess water vapor.
With too much moisture in the plant, droopiness will increase.
The dust accumulation might also deprive the plant of absorbing the necessary sunlight. So, it will be like keeping your plant in the shade, even if you’re actually keeping it in a sunny spot.
Luckily, you can easily fix this problem using a clean moist rag. Just wipe the leaves of your jade plant clean and let them air dry.
Don’t use any chemicals to clean your plant’s waxy succulent leaves because the chemicals might harm your jade plant. Some people buy specific plant cleaners, but these aren’t necessary.
Adjust Humidity Levels
The first thing you can do to adjust humidity levels around your jade plant is to place it away from other plants.
Although an overcrowded indoor planting setup might look appealing, it’s actually bad for your beautiful plants in the long run.
Plants need room to breathe; the airflow will help keep them healthy.
Other factors contributing to increased humidity levels include improper sun exposure, too much watering, and poor soil drainage.
You can use a humidity gauge to measure the humidity levels around your jade plant. If they’re too high, you can use a dehumidifier.
Improve Drainage
There might be a problem with your jade plant’s drainage because of the type of soil you’ve picked for it.
Jade plants thrive in succulent-specific potting mixes because they provide excellent drainage protecting the plant from too much moisture in the soil.
So, if you’ve picked the wrong potting medium, you can improve draining by adding some perlite to the plant’s pot or replacing the potting mix with a better one.
You can also check the drainage holes at the bottom of your plant pot.
Some marble and ceramic pots look attractive, but they don’t have drainage holes, which means that your jade plant will sit in wet soil.
You can place your plant in a plastic or terracotta pot with enough drainage holes to protect the roots from oversaturation. Moreover, terracotta can absorb some of the extra moisture if you’ve accidentally overwatered your jade plant.
You can make some new ones if your plant pot lacks enough drainage holes.
Allow More Sun Exposure
Adjusting your plant’s sun exposure can help with the droopiness and save your jade plant.
The sun keeps your plant healthy and allows the extra water to evaporate. This is why you must pick a sunny spot for your jade plant.
With poor lighting, your jade plant will grow long stems without enough foliage or will become leggy. This makes your plant look less attractive.
So, if you’re unable to provide your jade plants with at least six hours of bright indirect sunlight, then you need to buy a grow light. This will help keep your jade plant in good shape.
Adjust Watering
It’s essential to check the soil moisture levels before watering your jade plant. Ideally, you can water your jade plant every two weeks in the spring and summer when it’s growing.
In winter, you should cut down watering to once per month. This is usually enough to keep your jade plant healthy.
In winter, the plant goes dormant and doesn’t absorb the water from the soil. Moreover, as the temperature decreases, the moisture won’t easily evaporate.
So, you need to allow the soil to dry out between waterings and water your jade plants only when the first two inches of the soil feel dry.
Feed Adequately
Applying a diluted fertilizer in the spring and summer will benefit your jade plant. But make sure not to overfeed your plant, especially in winter.
Too many nutrients can suffocate your plant and eventually kill it. So, ensure you’re applying the fertilizer only once a month.
You should avoid fertilizing altogether when the plant isn’t growing in winter.
Check for Pests
Dealing with pests and diseases is less challenging when the infection starts. This is why checking your jade plant for any signs of infestations or infections is important.
Once you notice pests like spider mites, you need to apply neem oil or a safe homemade insecticidal soap to keep your jade plant healthy.
Some pests can also introduce fungal and bacterial diseases that eventually kill the plant.
So, it’s important to inspect the foliage regularly, avoid over and underwatering your plant, and immediately remove a sick plant away from the rest to prevent the spread of diseases.
Final Thoughts
Improper care can cause your jade plant to droop. If you continue to ignore your plant, it will start wilting and eventually die.
Luckily, there are several things you can do to keep your jade plant healthy.
It’s crucial to ensure you’re not overwatering your plant and it’s receiving enough sunlight. Proper spacing and treating pests will also restore its health.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.