- madonnaswimmer
- Senior Member
- Posts: 146
- Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2011 9:41 pm
- Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Looking to start Bonsai: Jade?
I just bought a "hobbit" variety of Jade plant at my local greenhouse. I had been meaning to start bonsai soon - could I use this Jade plant for Bonsai?
Yes, you could. By "hobbit", I suppose you mean a "dwarf jade"? Portulacaria afra is the most common species sold under this name. I wouldn't necessarily suggest it as a first tree for bonsai, though. IME, they can be a little finicky about soil mix and watering to such an extent that recommendations will often fail for your unique situation. My personal pick for a starter would be something in the Ficus genus.
- Gnome
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5122
- Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:17 am
- Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A
kdodds,
'Hobbit' is one of the unusual varieties of Jades that can sometimes be found, another is 'Gollum' Obviously the person who named them was a Tolkien fan. Here's one of mine.
[url=https://img48.imageshack.us/I/jaden.jpg/][img]https://img48.imageshack.us/img48/9420/jaden.jpg[/img][/url]
The other variety is similar and I can never remember which is which. Actually I only ever bought one of these and it has thrown several different forms (from cuttings) over the years. I'm not sure how stable any given form is.
[url=https://img99.imageshack.us/I/crassulaconfusion.jpg/][img]https://img99.imageshack.us/img99/7015/crassulaconfusion.jpg[/img][/url]
Norm
'Hobbit' is one of the unusual varieties of Jades that can sometimes be found, another is 'Gollum' Obviously the person who named them was a Tolkien fan. Here's one of mine.
[url=https://img48.imageshack.us/I/jaden.jpg/][img]https://img48.imageshack.us/img48/9420/jaden.jpg[/img][/url]
The other variety is similar and I can never remember which is which. Actually I only ever bought one of these and it has thrown several different forms (from cuttings) over the years. I'm not sure how stable any given form is.
[url=https://img99.imageshack.us/I/crassulaconfusion.jpg/][img]https://img99.imageshack.us/img99/7015/crassulaconfusion.jpg[/img][/url]
Norm