60 y/o Jade

[Choppychan]

Hi,

I have acquired this 60 y/o Jade. Largest trunk is 30 cm thickness (15 inch), potentially larger as I can't below the soil. It's VERY pot bound, soil is solid and very poor quality. I think it's suffering and needs to be repotted. Can this be done now?

I have purchased kaizen bonsai soil no2 for other repotting projects. Would this be suitable? Also would a plastic bonsai training pot be okay? How big would it need to be and would it be better in an oval or square pot (It's currently in a 27cm, 13 inch pot ). It very heavy already hence why I was thinking of plastic but opened to other options.

It has not had any bonsai training so I would appreciate any pointers for styling this.

Lastly, I noticed something on the leaves as shown in the pic (ppwdery mildew?). It also has mealybugs which I am currently treating it with provanto bug killer and spot cleaning with 70% alcohol on cottonwool. Would I need to alternate it this with provanto fungicide? Any other remedies?

Again, I have 1 million questions but I appreciate any help

 

[Paradox]

I dont know enough about jade to advise you but WOW thats a big old jade

 

[Eckhoffw]

That’s a very nice jade!

I think you could repot this Jade now, but I would just wait another month or so when spring is starting to come full swing.

I imagine this tree currently kept inside?

 

[nuttiest]

Very nice jade, but could you be happy with this one in a terra pot for a while? Sometimes it is not worth it to turn a jade into a bonsai. Almost invariably they get rotted due to overwatering even in bonsai soil. If you could work it for a while, get it some kind of tree shape , see if the stems are one piece or several, and see what root cuts need to be made in the future.
Maybe get a couple portulacaria for practice on balancing a succulent in shallow soil after cutting roots.

 

[nuttiest]

The leaf issue just looks like a damaged leaf, you probably do not need to do anything but pinch it off unless it becomes an ongoing problem.

 

[Choppychan]

That’s a very nice jade!

I think you could repot this Jade now, but I would just wait another month or so when spring is starting to come full swing.

I imagine this tree currently kept inside?

Thanks- Yes it lives inside in a South facing bay. Seems happy enough but the soil is very poor quality, I don't think I'd be exaggerating if I say it has not been repotted in over 10-15 years.

 

[Choppychan]

I dont know enough about jade to advise you but WOW thats a big old jade

Thanks - yes I feel lucky to have her but at the same time I feel like I need to be very careful with her since she's so old. I'd be very gutted if it died.

 

[Choppychan]

Very nice jade, but could you be happy with this one in a terra pot for a while? Sometimes it is not worth it to turn a jade into a bonsai. Almost invariably they get rotted due to overwatering even in bonsai soil. If you could work it for a while, get it some kind of tree shape , see if the stems are one piece or several, and see what root cuts need to be made in the future.
Maybe get a couple portulacaria for practice on balancing a succulent in shallow soil after cutting roots.

Thank you, I think that's a good idea. I might also practice with some of her cuttings to see how it reacts to the soil. I would like a portulacaria as well for practice.

A terracotta pot would also be best. Maybe I could go for a shallower half pot so I'd get the best of both worlds. Or would it be best to just get a normal pot you think?

 

[jerzyjerzy]

Do not worry about overwatering, just pot it in a very open medium in a shallow pot.
My 35-year old jade grows in a 100% mineral substrate, about 8 mm pieces.
I water it about once a month in winter, sometimes even not that, and it thrives.

I keep it outside all summer, and just let rains water it. I water it by myself only in case of a serious drought (when leaves start to wrinkle), but not too much either.

This is a pic from today (sorry for cobwebs ):




Ah, it stays on the sill just outside this south-facing window in summer.

 

[Michael P]

That is a beautiful example! @leatherback has a great discussion on jade bonsai: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/jade-lovers-delight.35065/page-10#post-1098227

 

[penumbra]

I am not looking for an argument here but I am curious how you arrived at its age. I have had some very large jades in the past, up to about 4 feet and I have seen larger, but none were anywhere near that age. This one could be as old as you claim, I am not arguing this point, but since I have seen and owned many larger ones, I am just curious. Your plant has great ramification and is very desirable.
I still have quite a number of jades of different varieties, and I can tell you that they are much more resilient than you think they are. I would re-pot in the same or like pot with a coarse succulent or bonsai soil. I just re-potted my large gollum jade a few days ago. I used a coarse mix of pumice, bonsai block (from Bonsai Jack) and about 20% large akadama. I also used a little bio char. I soaked the pot well and I will not water again for at least 2-3 weeks or until there is new growth. In the summer when it is outside, it will be watered fairly frequently, at least one or twice a week unless it is raining.
My best friend has a greenhouse with hundreds of jade plants of various varieties. He grows a 16 to 20 inch jade in about 23 years from cutting.
About the mealy bug (if you do have any), this is serious. These critters love to live deep in the soil out of sight. At re-potting, I would spray any visible with isopropyl alcohol 70% drug store variety undiluted. I do this all the time. Then I re-pot with a systemic granule insecticide. If really badly infected, soak entire plant, roots included, in soapy water for several hours. I use Dr Bronners soaps but a number of people just use something like Dawn. Believe me, Bronners soap are superior.
Good luck. Its a great looking jade plant.

 

[Dabbler]

I have always love jade - Just have never got one - I think I need to change that

 

[leatherback]

Largest trunk is 30 cm thickness

I wonder how you got to this number. That would mean you have u to 10cm leaves. Looks more like 8cm thick trunks.

I also wonder about the age.

 

[Choppychan]

Do not worry about overwatering, just pot it in a very open medium in a shallow pot.
My 35-year old jade grows in a 100% mineral substrate, about 8 mm pieces.
I water it about once a month in winter, sometimes even not that, and it thrives.

I keep it outside all summer, and just let rains water it. I water it by myself only in case of a serious drought (when leaves start to wrinkle), but not too much either.

This is a pic from today (sorry for cobwebs ):

View attachment 528964


Ah, it stays on the sill just outside this south-facing window in summer.

That looks lovely! What medium did you use? I have bought kaizen no 2 for my other bonsai. It's a pretty chuncky medium. Found this pot in dobbies. It's wide and shallow. Would this be okay?

I wonder how you got to this number. That would mean you have u to 10cm leaves. Looks more like 8cm thick trunks.

I also wonder about the age.

I just wrapped the largest trunk with a measuring tape? It's over 30 cm above soil level but I suspect it's larger than that. Crassula Jade leaves aren't that big. Never seen 10cm leaves for this variety

 

[Choppychan]

I wonder how you got to this number. That would mean you have u to 10cm leaves. Looks more like 8cm thick trunks.

I also wonder about the age.

That's 8 cm circumference for reference. Are you confusing cm with inches? Even that, it's much larger than 8 inches.

This is a 60 y/o plant as per title. I got it from an older lady who nursed since she was 10.

 

[leatherback]

No I am not confusing cm with inches.
Thickness of trunks refers to diameter, not circumference.

 

[Eckhoffw]

Do you know what species of Crassula this is?
I only ask because I have a few jades that are 20 years old and they have “barked” up on the trunks.

 

[leatherback]

what species of Crassula ovata

ehm.. Carssula ovata IS the species?

 

[Eckhoffw]

ehm.. Carssula ovata IS the species?

Ha! Yep. Sorry. I made the edit.

 

[Choppychan]

No I am not confusing cm with inches.
Thickness of trunks refers to diameter, not circumference.

Based on a circumference of 30.5 cm diameter is 9.7 cm but I don't think it's that relevant. It's just an old plant.