Jade Plants Wrinkling & Crassula 'Ivory Pagoda' Stem Rot

Patricia's two jades developed wrinkled leaves despite monthly watering in an east window. Her Crassula 'Ivory Pagoda' had dark, dead stem bases but healthy tops.

Diagnosis

• Jades: Wrinkled leaves = underwatering. Indoor heating dries air; monthly water is too little. Water when soil is dry, not on a schedule.
• Ivory Pagoda: Dead stem bases = root rot from overwatering (paradoxically). Southern Hemisphere plants (like many Crassulas) want no water in our winter (their summer).

Action Plan

1. Repot jades in fresh cactus mix; water thoroughly when dry.
2. For Ivory Pagoda, reroot the healthy top: cut below dead base, callous 1 week, plant in new soil.
3. Fertilize lightly with balanced feed during active growth.

Both issues stem from mismatched watering schedules.