Awful pot alert!

[moved on]

Make sure to share photos of the soil it comes in because if it looks like potting soil, we might need to recommend some triage Portulacaria is a succulent and really prefers free-draining non-organic soil mixes.

Thanks for the heads up on that. I'll share a close up of the soil when it arrives. I do have a soil mix for a desert rose I have, which is a succulent. It's composed of peat, graded sand, grit and loam. I also put a bit of gravel like stones at the bottom of the pot. It's got pretty good drainage as that is what it's designed for. Maybe the Jade would like the same(?)

I also use a fertiliser for succulents on my desert rose; I think it's a bit more phosphorous-rich than the fertiliser I use on the bonsai. Do you think that the Jade might prefer that as well?

 

[moved on]

The pot is nice... maybe not for a tropical but i could see a pine or spruce being suitable in future. With pots, just keep in mind you can always put something new in them after a yearish.

That's true. If I ever work up the confidence for a pine, it would look good I agree.

 

[Michael P]

One thing I will say from looking at the picture on the retail site - that soil is a portulacaria killer. The only thing that I know that will kill portulacaria is root rot - caused by swampy soil. Make sure to share photos of the soil it comes in because if it looks like potting soil, we might need to recommend some triage Portulacaria is a succulent and really prefers free-draining non-organic soil mixes.

Very true! My portulacaria were barely rooted cuttings from Hopeless Depot. They were in very peaty soil. I got them in the fall, thinking I would wait until spring to repot. They sulked and dropped leaves, which I attributed to low light in the house. But they continued to sulk when I moved them outside. It wasn't until I re-potted them in proper soil that they began to grow.

I agree that there is very little a jade is going to teach you. If you want an indoor bonsai to train get a ficus.

So it is not OK to have a tree just because you like it? Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

My portulacarias are in 4 parts Napa 8822 to 1 part Jiffy seed starting mix. I only water when the top of the soil is dry. I mist lightly once a day.

My other succulents are in same mix. Drains very well. Dries out fast but retains some small humidity from the seed starting mix. I havent watered them heavily in two weeks outside in 90° weather. They are happy.

 

[moved on]

The pine seedlings I mentioned at the start of the post (the reason I was feeling depressed and bought the Jade) have just died. Alas, poor seedlings ...

Oh well, I did rather throw myself in at the deep end. It was fun though and I learnt a lot.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

What was cause of death? Pictures?

 

[parhamr]

I’m sure there are affordable, nearby vendors from which good starter material can be purchased.

Does this help? https://www.bonsaiempire.com/locations/bonsai-trees-for-sale#UK

 

[moved on]

What was cause of death? Pictures?

I'm afraid that I've already got rid of the dead seedlings so I can't show pictures but I did post about them on a different thread when they were getting sickly. They weren't getting enough light on my window sill,so they were growing very spindly with long pine leaves. As I've never grown trees from seed, I didn't realise the problem until they were pretty far gone.

I moved them outside gradually (building up to full days) following advice from the forum. However, I think they were already too weak to withstand the change. The weather where I am has been very cloudy recently too, so they didn't get their much needed Sun even outdoors.

I didn't appreciate starting out how much Sun the pine seedlings would need. Anyway, today their stems were very brittle, withered and brown. They weren't coming back.

If I try pine seedlings again, I will put them outdoors much sooner after germination. However, given London weather, it may not be the best environment for them.

 

[moved on]

Does this help? https://www.bonsaiempire.com/locations/bonsai-trees-for-sale#UK

Wow, there's one about 30 minutes from my house by car that I didn't know about! I've been going to one further away. Thanks for this! I'm going to book a morning off work to go!

 

[W3rk]

Hi All,

I've got a slightly trivial question for you all from a relative neebie. I bought an orchard-style Jade bonsai on Bonsai Direct yesterday as I was feeling depressed after my pine seedlings weren't looking so good. Anyway, I'm a student so I wanted something not too pricey. The only way I could get a Jade bonsai (the species I particularly wanted) for my budget was to get it as a "Congratulations" gift bundle on the site. The image from Bonsai Direct's website is below:

View attachment 251657

I love the tree, but the pot looks disgusting! I'm not a fan of the metallic look. I have pot of a similar size at home, so my question is whether is safe for me to transfer the new bonsai to the new pot straight away once it arrives. I know potting activity isn't usually done in the summer. If you think it will put the new bonsai under too much stress, I will put up with the terrible pot ... under sufferance.

I picked up my first P. Afra starter last fall. Put it in a West facing window for the winter and it not only survived the winter, it also stayed healthy and put on new growth. I've since picked up 2 more starters last spring and they are absolutely thriving in the summer heat and sun. While not a traditional "tree" / species, I'm finding that it's a very bonsai-friendly species.

 

[MrWunderful]

Can you get scoria or pumice in the UK? Thats what I put my afras in. I know alot of uk guys use a specific type of cat litter because its high fired clay.

 

[eryk2kartman]

Can you get scoria or pumice in the UK? Thats what I put my afras in. I know alot of uk guys use a specific type of cat litter because its high fired clay.

That cat litter is Sanicat Pink, i use it all the time and really like it. and Cheap as well, you get 30L bag for 20 bobs.

 

[just.wing.it]

I like the pot.

Here's mine.

Little Spekboom... then and now.

Little Spekboom 2015: Little Spekboom 2016: Little Spekboom Today:

www.bonsainut.com

 

[moved on]

Can you get scoria or pumice in the UK? Thats what I put my afras in. I know alot of uk guys use a specific type of cat litter because its high fired clay.

I found some pumice stone on Ebay, it's coming tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Stormwater]

I love our little jade. Fun species! My 9 year old likes to propagate it now.

What it taught me is “listening” to branch bending. Yes every species is different, but how cool is it that if you bend something too far and it breaks off, You just have a new plant in the works.

Both jade and ficus are fun species to have around. Easy to take care of when you go away. Didn’t used to like them, but their funky look has grown on me.

 

[moved on]

My little Jade has just arrived! Very exciting. After everything, it didn't arrive in the metallic looking pot! I think I may change the plot anyway though as I think the Jade would look better in a different pot that I have - it's slightly larger, round and a dark blue.

As requested, I've attached a couple of photos (including a close up of the soil.). It needs some re-styling but I think there's potential. Any thoughts on styling would be welcome.

I just love the look and feel of the leaves. I like the roots as well on the plant.



As was suggested, I think the soil will need changing to something more suitable for succulents.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Good start! Id try and repot into a less water retentive soil.

Good root start on the tree.

Try eating one of the leaves when you prune it next time. They taste lemony.

 

[moved on]

Try eating one of the leaves when you prune it next time. They taste lemony.

Really?! I will definitely do that!

I've got some pumice stones coming tomorrow which I'm going to mix in with some specialist succulent soil. It looks like they soaked the tree for transport so the soil is drenched.

I was thinking something radical with the re-styling ... I really like the top portion of the tree but am not so keen on the lower branches. The top reminds me of the canopy of trees in the rainforest; very tall with leaves at the very top in a wide and flat canopy. I like the idea of using one of these trees as inspiration and removing the lower branches. I'm going to think about it before I do it!

 

[Orion_metalhead]

 

[moved on]

That is a tree gone crazy! Thanks for this, I'm watching it now.