Jade plants tend to break easily, especially when roots and stems become juicy or weak. Having had this experience of fixing my broken jade plant, I have listed various causes of breakage and solutions to fix a broken jade stem.
The most common reason for jade plant stems to break is stem rot. The overwatered jade plant is more vulnerable to stem rot. Additionally, excessive nitrogen application promotes rapid vegetative growth without proper cell development, which facilitates stem breakage.
Apart from the most obvious reasons, I have researched and listed some of the possible causes that can cause this problem.
jade plant broken trunkContents
Causes of jade plant stem breakage:
trunk rot
Stem rot of the jade plant comes from root rot that spreads up the stem. The rot is caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia or Furasium, which thrives in humid conditions due to excess water or poor drainage.
The fungus attacks the root of the jade plant, causing root rot. After root rot, the uptake of water and nutrients is limited to the plant.
Jade plant stem broken by stem rotAlso, if the rot extends to the stem, especially the base of the plant, other parts of the body do not receive nutrients. Lack of nutrients and moisture causes the plant to wilt and collapse.
Vegetative growth
The higher amounts of nitrogen cause jade plants to appear to grow much faster than normal, preventing the stem from developing fully.
This makes the stem brittle and vulnerable to breakage. The plant can break when the large, heavy leaves weigh more than the stem. This is why it is important to prune the plant if you notice a lot of vegetative growth.
lack of sun
Jade plants that receive adequate light are more likely to grow healthy and strong overall, as light is one of the driving forces in the process plants use to produce food.
When plants make their food, they support their development and growth. However, due to insufficient lighting, the photosynthesis process will not proceed properly.
This situation can cause the plants to lose weight and break them later. Alternatively, the rods stretch out towards any light source, leading to a weak rod that can eventually break.
lack of food
For jade plants to grow strong and healthy, they need enough nutrients. The jade plant needs potassium and nitrogen to grow strong.
However, if the plant is under nourished or generally lacking in nutrients, the plant will become weak and lean.
Over time, the part of the plant, including the branches and stem, dries out and crumbles. Therefore, you need to provide the plant with enough phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium fertilizers.
The lack of water
The jade plant needs water to grow strong, as water causes the stem and other parts of the plant to swell. However, when the plant lacks water, the stem loses turgidity and may begin to wilt later.
To prevent the plant from wilting, give it plenty of water and too much water as this can lead to stem rot.
physical contact
Improper handling of the jade plant, whether by children or pets disturbing the plant, can break it.
Also, you may have the daily plant maintenance routine like weeding and breaking plants without knowing it.
This is why it is good to be very careful when handling the plant and to keep children away from the plant.
How to root a broken jade plant?
Propagation with a broken jade plant The fastest way to propagate a jade plant is usually by stem cuttings. So it is very easy to root a broken jade plant. Here are the simple steps to root a broken jade plant:
- From the broken stem, choose the healthiest part of the stem. You can get the healthy part by cutting it and separating it from the broken part. Be sure to use a clean cutting tool to avoid infection or damage to the workpiece while cutting.
- You should keep a good portion of the stem healthy. It would be nice if you kept a healthy 1-3 inch stem. This space is necessary to allow for further root development as the plant grows.
- There may be leaves on the broken stem. It is essential to remove a few leaves from the healthy stem of the broken plant. Removing the leaves creates more room for the joints of the leaves as they grow. Plus leaf connections provide many parts from which roots will grow.
- After cutting off the healthy part of the broken stem from the plant, you should let scale build up. It is important that the lower part of the stem has scale. The process can take two to three days. Meanwhile, place the stem cuttings on a clean paper towel.
- During this time, do not water the stem cutting so that the lower end of the cutting may have stones. Once the cutting has calloused, you can transfer it to succulent potting soil. You will need to mix the soil with some fertilizer and moisture to encourage the cutting to grow faster.
How to fix a broken jade plant stem?
broken jade plant stemA broken jade plant stem can be very discouraging to its owner. However, we have several ways to repair the broken stem of the jade plant stem. Possible ways to repair and heal a broken jade plant include:
using a straw
This method is the easiest way to repair a broken jade plant stem. It would help if you had a straw free of contaminants that could affect the stem of the plant.
While holding the straw against the broken stem, make marks to indicate the length of straw you will need. Using scissors, cut the straw lengthwise to the marks you made.
You can then cut the straw lengthwise with a kitchen knife. Then, carefully place the straws around the damaged stem. Then you can wrap it with vegetable tape to make sure it sticks well.
However, you can use another type of ribbon if you don’t have the vegetable ribbon. To ensure effective healing, it is good to use a cloth or shoelaces. Continue to water the plant while monitoring it closely to see its healing progress.
using a ribbon
Using duct tape to fix a broken jade plant is the most common and effective way for most people to use it. If you are using duct tape to fix a broken jade plant, you should follow these procedures:
- Assess the extent of the damage to the rod, then prepare your tape according to size. For larger plants you will need larger ribbons, while for smaller plants you will need less ribbon. However, the size of the strip should be around 10 cm.
- Then you need to tie the broken part of the plant to the main plant. When putting the pieces together, it’s good to make sure you’ve done it firmly for faster healing.
- Wrap the plant parts with tape. When packing, be sure to cover all broken parts and the main plant.
- Make sure the stem and base are firm while the plant recovers. By firmly connecting the damaged part and the main parts of the plant, the recovery process of the jade plant is accelerated.
- If you have applied the tape correctly around the plant and the damaged plant, you should leave it on for about two weeks to a month. During this period, you should regularly check the plant to monitor the healing process.