Huge Jade Tree into a Bonsai - Help with cuts

I'm happy to report that my tree stump now has (11) little buds popping up. 2 of them are now leaves about the size of a dime!
Couple questions.. You guys have been SO helpful so far.

1) Keeping in mind I'd like to do some type of bonsai with this tree eventually, should I just let these leaves grow for now? Let the plant get some leaves to get more energy and not interfere at all? I've heard you can get "ramification" aka more branches by pruning / pinching, but I imagine it's way too early for any of this right now.

2) I've read that to encourage growth I need to feed the plant. What fertilizer should I purchase, and how often should I apply it for maximum growth? How should the feeding be timed with watering? I only water when things are completely dry when I dig several inches down. I'm leaning towards less watering (1 light watering every 2 weeks) right now.

Excited to see this plant changing!
 
^^^ lets be clear that adam is referring to P. Afra, and this is a crassula so they are a bit different.

I have multiple Crassulas (and afras) and fertilize heavy with miracle grow, once a week. Like bright blue water. I let my Crassulas go 4-5 days without water, but they are in pure lava and pumice. My afras I water almost everyday if its hot. I also use a standard cotton seed meal once a month on all my Jades.

As far as “bonsai”-ing a tree is concerned, there is no real such thing. You can apply bonsai techniques to a crassula, but your first step should be determining what style you want. In my exp., crassula makes a solid informal broom or cascade, but any style (informal upright, clump, forrest, etc) is possible. Bonsai techniques like wiring tend to not stick on non woody trees.

I would leave it to run wild for a year, and start trimming to shape next year if its in good well draining soil (inorganic is recommended). If you pinch it too much, it might not have enough vigor to survive. Fear not, crassulas will almost 100% backbud if cut to a node.

Resist the urge to overwork it, it happens to a good amount of bonsai enthusiasts when they first get interested. I myself massacred multiple trees when first getting into bonsai in early 2000s.

The hardest part about bonsai is patience.
 
MrWunderful said:
^^^ lets be clear that adam is referring to P. Afra, and this is a crassula so they are a bit different.

I have multiple Crassulas (and afras) and fertilize heavy with miracle grow, once a week. Like bright blue water. I let my Crassulas go 4-5 days without water, but they are in pure lava and pumice. My afras I water almost everyday if its hot. I also use a standard cotton seed meal once a month on all my Jades.

As far as “bonsai”-ing a tree is concerned, there is no real such thing. You can apply bonsai techniques to a crassula, but your first step should be determining what style you want. In my exp., crassula makes a solid informal broom or cascade, but any style (informal upright, clump, forrest, etc) is possible. Bonsai techniques like wiring tend to not stick on non woody trees.

I would leave it to run wild for a year, and start trimming to shape next year if its in good well draining soil (inorganic is recommended). If you pinch it too much, it might not have enough vigor to survive. Fear not, crassulas will almost 100% backbud if cut to a node.

Resist the urge to overwork it, it happens to a good amount of bonsai enthusiasts when they first get interested. I myself massacred multiple trees when first getting into bonsai in early 2000s.

The hardest part about bonsai is patience.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the info. When you say you use Miracle Grow once per week, which product do you use? I stopped by a Home Depot this afternoon and see they have lots of Miracle Grow products including a succulent liquid that you apply directly to the soil, others you mix with water before watering the plant, pellets/sticks that are slow release, etc. Which is ideal for crassula?

Thanks!
 
cbrshadow23 said:
Thanks for all the info. When you say you use Miracle Grow once per week, which product do you use? I stopped by a Home Depot this afternoon and see they have lots of Miracle Grow products including a succulent liquid that you apply directly to the soil, others you mix with water before watering the plant, pellets/sticks that are slow release, etc. Which is ideal for crassula?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Just regular old miracle gro all purpose fertilizer like this:

Miracle-Gro 2000992 Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food, 0.5 LB, Brown/A https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000F6XGZ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ncbjDb07BFR47


Alot of times, succulent specific fertilizers are just marketing.

Regular all purpose fert is generally one tablespoon per gallon of water.

An easy way to tell if a crassula needs water is how “turgid” the branches feel. If they are floppy, and the leaves look wrinkly, then the jade probably needs water. If they feel firm, then it has sufficient water.
*note all of my advice is for a tree in free draining, inorganic soil.


EDIT: I forgot you live in daly city, I live on the hill right down skyline blvd where its super foggy and moist towards Millbrae. When we get the thick summer fog, I dont water my jades at all-the fog does enough.
 
Last edited:
MrWunderful said:
Just regular old miracle gro all purpose fertilizer like this:

Miracle-Gro 2000992 Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food, 0.5 LB, Brown/A https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000F6XGZ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ncbjDb07BFR47


Alot of times, succulent specific fertilizers are just marketing.

Regular all purpose fert is generally one tablespoon per gallon of water.

An easy way to tell if a crassula needs water is how “turgid” the branches feel. If they are floppy, and the leaves look wrinkly, then the jade probably needs water. If they feel firm, then it has sufficient water.
*note all of my advice is for a tree in free draining, inorganic soil.


EDIT: I forgot you live in daly city, I live on the hill right down skyline blvd where its super foggy and moist towards Millbrae. When we get the thick summer fog, I dont water my jades at all-the fog does enough.
Click to expand...

Wow, small world! It sounds like we live right down the street from each other. I'm right by Westlake/Home Depot. Are you selling any succulents by chance? haha

That's good to know about the fog. I was starting to wonder what I'd do in the "rainy season" and/or foggy season. I've noticed plenty of crassula in people's yards, so I imagine the wet season is ok for them as long as they drain well.

Much appreciated on the fertilizer tips - I ordered some last night.
 
Aim the "front" at the sun. Pick a front, any front that suits you.
 
Well it has been 2 months so I thought I'd provide an update. The big crassula has been doing great and really exploded with growth.
270805

We're getting close to the "wet season" here, so I thought I'd bring this guy indoors under some strong LED's for the winter. In order to do that I need to repot it into a much smaller pot. I originally potted it in a gigantic pot which is too large and heavy to bring indoors.
I decided I'd put this guy into a very large bonsai pot (pics below). I bare-rooted it and cut back the roots when repotting, so I think it's going to be several weeks before it starts to grow again. In the meantime should I keep it in sunlight, or away from it?

270801

270802

270803

270804
 
loving the new growth... youre gonna have an awesome Bonsai in a few years..

How is it doing with the repot so soon after a big chop?
 
Well its been a while so I thought I'd post an update on this one. I've learned a lot about bonsai techniques and a lot about these plants since my last post (about 6 months ago!). I moved to a much warmer sunnier city and my plants seem to like it. This crassula seems to be pushing out growth pretty quickly now. I haven't trimmed it at all. It looks like most of the growth is at the top. I wonder if I give it a trim it will direct growth down lower.
I'm in no hurry with this one as it just sits in a corner on my front patio. It has a long way to go, but visitors seem to really like it.

IMG-3351 (1).jpg
 
cbrshadow23 said:
Well its been a while so I thought I'd post an update on this one. I've learned a lot about bonsai techniques and a lot about these plants since my last post (about 6 months ago!). I moved to a much warmer sunnier city and my plants seem to like it. This crassula seems to be pushing out growth pretty quickly now. I haven't trimmed it at all. It looks like most of the growth is at the top. I wonder if I give it a trim it will direct growth down lower.
I'm in no hurry with this one as it just sits in a corner on my front patio. It has a long way to go, but visitors seem to really like it.

View attachment 311364
Click to expand...
so rad!
 
ColinFraser said:
Yours is not a particularly large Crassula, and it’s my opinion that you really do need a big-ass one to even remotely approach something quasi-bonsai (especially with the regular leaf version). The attached photo is the largest one I have worked with, and I am still hesitant to fully embrace the label of bonsai for it . . .

View attachment 244934

That said - from a design standpoint, if you choose to work with this material, all of the larger trunks should probably be chopped way back below where there is currently any foliage.

I sold the tree in the photo to a client and then repotted it for him - if I’m recalling correctly, we used a mix of about 50% pumice, 25# scoria, and 25% akadama . . .
Click to expand...
I’m confused doesn’t bonsai mean plant in a pot?
 
Bonsai means tree in a pot. As long as it is "tree-like" in shape most people would accept any species of any size. That said, some species lend themselves better than others due to small leaf size or manner of branching or other inherent characteristics. Of course, "tree-like" is a plastic word and some designs are more exotic than others and fights can break out when discussing definitions. Some people readily accept large leaves as representing clusters of leaves, and some don't. You can make a smaller bonsai with Protulacaria, often incorrectly called dwarf Jade, than you can with Jade, but skillful presentation always wins no matter what the species is.
 
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