Huge Jade Tree into a Bonsai - Help with cuts

[leatherback]

Thanks everyone for chiming in. Through the above comments I'm actually learning a fair amount, which was the goal.
I can see now that Leatherback was trying to be helpful by pointing out the downsides of using this species as a bonsai. His comments are easy to take the wrong way, since he didn't explain himself in those initial comments. They came off to me as a challenge rather than helpful. Later posts cleared that up.

I'll keep the tree and continue to have fun with it, but maybe change my goals a bit based on what I've learned. I also plan on trying to find a good sized P.Afra so that I can bonsai it. I have some smaller p. afra plants but it will be 10-20 years before they'd be ready to chop.

Based on your locality.. i would think people might have them in their yard? Mayne also check craigslistlike sources?

 

[cbrshadow23]

Yes I do believe people have P. Afra in their yards here, but I have a hard time finding them, or finding any on Craigslist. I'll keep my eye out though!

 

[Michael P]

Here in Dallas (where they are NOT cold hardy) P. afra are showing up in big box garden sections, like Home Depot. That's where mine came from, barely rooted cuttings in a 3" pot. I bought them to experiment with and learn if they would grow well in the conditions I can provide. Last time I was at HD, they had 1 gallon plants. Again, a bunch of cuttings in a pot, but large enough to separate and grow on.

 

[cbrshadow23]

Here in Dallas (where they are NOT cold hardy) P. afra are showing up in big box garden sections, like Home Depot. That's where mine came from, barely rooted cuttings in a 3" pot. I bought them to experiment with and learn if they would grow well in the conditions I can provide. Last time I was at HD, they had 1 gallon plants. Again, a bunch of cuttings in a pot, but large enough to separate and grow on.

Thanks, Michael. I did find these at Home Depot and purchased several which I plan on growing. Ideally I'd find a nice big one that I can continue to grow/shape. These small guys will take a decade to get a reasonably big thick trunk.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

For inspiration
Click the link

https://www.bonsaimary.com/Jade-Bonsai.html





I would be proud to own any of these.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

The unicorn.
I have seen a couple of these posted for sale in the past few years.
If you get the word out that you are searching it should not be too hard to find.

https://www.bonsaimary.com/jade-bonsai-tree.html

 

[amcoffeegirl]

On eBay tonight

$46

And at https://schleysbonsai.com/

$125

 

[MrWunderful]

I live in SF bay area too, and have found a few really cool p afra by digging around in actual nurseries, as opposed to big box stores. Found a really old specimen in San Mateo at golden nursery. A lot of times they are left neglected for years and just keep growing.

 

[cbrshadow23]

Well it's been about 20 days since I chopped this Jade Tree down to a stump and I haven't gotten any new growth or leaves sprouting anywhere. I'm worried that I've killed this 25-30 year old plant. I've kept it in partial sun, held back on watering it much (waited until the soil is dry, then a light watering) which is usually 1x per week. I'll keep waiting of course, but is it likely at this point that I've killed it? Visually it looks the exact same as the last picture I posted.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Yes I do believe people have P. Afra in their yards here, but I have a hard time finding them, or finding any on Craigslist.

Some people have P. afra in their landscape here in SoCal. The ones that I have seen don't tend to bulk up like a jade - they tend to have much thinner main stems and grow in a rambling, sprawling, weeping fashion. Next time I am out on our community equestrian trails I'll snap a few photos.

Well it's been about 20 days since I chopped this Jade Tree down to a stump and I haven't gotten any new growth or leaves sprouting anywhere. I'm worried that I've killed this 25-30 year old plant. I've kept it in partial sun, held back on watering it much (waited until the soil is dry, then a light watering) which is usually 1x per week. I'll keep waiting of course, but is it likely at this point that I've killed it? Visually it looks the exact same as the last picture I posted.

It's a succulent. It would be a rare succulent that died just because you pruned it - and the first jade that I've ever seen that has done so. I have pruned yuccas, jades, afras, aloes, agaves, and usually they are better for the experience.

The one thing you didn't mention is if you transplanted it first and THEN pruned it. Usually you want to do either/or, but not both at the same time. If you transplanted it right before you pruned it, you have for all intents and purposes turned it into a big cutting. It just means be patient.

 

[cbrshadow23]

Some people have P. afra in their landscape here in SoCal. The ones that I have seen don't tend to bulk up like a jade - they tend to have much thinner main stems and grow in a rambling, sprawling, weeping fashion. Next time I am out on our community equestrian trails I'll snap a few photos.

Thanks for that. I've only seen (1) P.afra plant in someone's yard so far here in NorCal, but I'm always looking. You may already know this but there are different varieties of P. Afra. There's a type that is more like ground cover, variegated types, cork bark, etc. I found a few stores that carry the upright variety, but they're all small specimens.

For now I'm mostly concerned that I killed my big jade plant :-/

 

[cbrshadow23]

It's a succulent. It would be a rare succulent that died just because you pruned it - and the first jade that I've ever seen that has done so. I have pruned yuccas, jades, afras, aloes, agaves, and usually they are better for the experience.

The one thing you didn't mention is if you transplanted it first and THEN pruned it. Usually you want to do either/or, but not both at the same time. If you transplanted it right before you pruned it, you have for all intents and purposes turned it into a big cutting. It just means be patient.

All good points. Also yes, I did transplant it at the same time as I pruned it. I kept all of the roots on the main plant and tried not to cut any of them. The previous owner had used normal potting soil that I wanted to remove completely from the roots without breaking any roots, so I sprayed them with water from all directions until it was just bare roots, then put the plant in a much larger (pictured) pot with 2/3 succulent/cactus soil and 1/3 Perlite and some crushed lava rock mixed in. I then gave it the heavy pruning.

Thanks for the feedback! It sounds like I just need to give it lots of time.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I've got a couple of cork bark afras that I am training as if they were going to be bonsai... but I'm not convinced They are a fun plant to work with, however, and can take just about any amount of abuse. I took a cutting from a trimming session, stuck it in a mame pot that I had lying around, and it rooted just fine. Gave it to one of my landscapers for free as a gift for his daughter

I've got a bunch of standard and variegated ones in hanging baskets and planters. I don't know what cultivar they are (by name) but I cut them back on an almost monthly basis because otherwise they get too leggy.

 

[hemmy]

Well it's been about 20 days since I chopped this Jade Tree down to a stump and I haven't gotten any new growth or leaves sprouting anywhere. I'm worried that I've killed this 25-30 year old plant. I've kept it in partial sun, held back on watering it much (waited until the soil is dry, then a light watering) which is usually 1x per week. I'll keep waiting of course, but is it likely at this point that I've killed it? Visually it looks the exact same as the last picture I posted.

Stop watering and be patient. If it doesn’t have any ‘leaves’, then it doesn’t need water to transpire and grow. Even if you were careful not to make big root cuts you still want to avoid keeping it too wet and getting rot. The top few inches might be dry from evaporation but the rootball will still be wet. Especially if you added a drainage layer which has moved the perched water table higher in the pot. I had a landscape Crassula fall over in April (compromised roots from apparently being planted out in a terra cotta pot decades ago and too top heavy). I cut away the rot and left the large cuttings (no roots) to dry for 2 weeks before repotting in 100% pumice. I have not watered it since April. The ones with top growth completely wilted and now almost 2.5months later I am starting to see new growth sprout back. I still haven’t watered the pot. I want to be super careful not to induce rot. Your large trunks have plenty of water and stored resources to repair root damage and grow back top growth, just give it time.

 

[hemmy]

Also, I don’t know how much marine layer you have been getting this year. But here in coastal SoCal we are in much more ‘normal’ cloudy summer pattern. Plus you have cooler day temps than we get. Although day length will be shortening in July-Aug, I wonder if your typical tropical and succulent work should be shifted to these warmer sunnier months rather than May-June. Complete speculation on my part.

 

[hemmy]

The ones that I have seen don't tend to bulk up like a jade - they tend to have much thinner main stems and grow in a rambling, sprawling, weeping fashion.

Agreed. But given time they get thick in the ground. Here’s a multi-trunk P. afra in the ground with a 1ft+ base. I have a cutting that I am drying from it that is ~8” in diameter. They also thicken nicely in pots if they are allowed to run since they more vigorous than the Crassula in my experience.

 

[cbrshadow23]

Interestingly I looked over the stump really closely this morning and found (2) very very tiny green buds popping out. That was fun to see, and what a relief! Thanks for the input so far everyone.

 

[cbrshadow23]

Agreed. But given time they get thick in the ground. Here’s a multi-trunk P. afra in the ground with a 1ft+ base. I have a cutting that I am drying from it that is ~8” in diameter. They also thicken nicely in pots if they are allowed to run since they more vigorous than the Crassula in my experience.
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I'm jealous!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

As a follow-up, here's what happens when you let portulacaria grow wild in southern Cal

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I cut away the rot and left the large cuttings (no roots) to dry for 2 weeks before repotting in 100% pumice.

FWIW - these are the instructions for propagating plumeria cuttings. You take a cutting from the end of a branch (can be a couple of feet long or even longer) and you let it dry out until the cut site on the cutting is completely dry - a couple of weeks or so. Then you plant it up. If you plant it when the cut site is still wet, the plumeria cutting will usually rot.