Petra26
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jade plant, propagation to jade bonsai...?

hi

my mom has a jade plant and it's quite big. is there a way I can take a cutting and make a jade bonsai out of it? can I just try to dwarf any jade plant? or are there specific dwarf jade planets that you have to have in order to grow a jade bonsai?

basically, can any plant become a bonsai? or are there specific plants the can only be a bonsai...?

bonsai addict
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I read that jade plants can be propagated with one leaf placed in moist sand also any woody tree can be bonsai

opabinia51
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This can work but, to increase your chances of the tree taking root, you might want to use some rooting hormone.

Petra26
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the jade plant she has is quite large, and the leaves are quite big. if I take a cutting and try to make it a jade bonsai, will the jade leaves still be huge? cause then it might not look too good...

bonsai addict
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I'm not sure I would take the smallest healthy leaf you can find and try it but I would assume the new growth will be small and if you keep it in a small pot it will stay small.my best guess

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Gnome
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Petra,

In my experience Jades do not really reduce so if you intend to grow this in the bonsai style you will probably have to resign yourself to having large leaves. Some object that Jades are not really woody and therfore are not bonsai in the usual sense, but if you enjoy them I say go for it.

As far as propagation is concerned, yes a single leaf will root but it will be a long haul until you have anything of substance to show for your efforts. A better bet is to choose the largest branch that your mom will let you cut off, perhaps one that does not fit into her design requirements. Let the cutting dry out so that the cut end is quite dry, this is very important in order to avoid rot. Rooting hormone is entirely uneccessary for Jades as they root very easily.

Choose a gritty, free draining mix to plant your cuttings in, avoid watering until roots begin to form. This plant stores water in the fleshy leaves and stems and will not be harmed by a dry period. if you are lucky enough to get a large cutting you may have to get creative in fashioning a method to keep it upright until it is well rooted.

Norm
Last edited by Gnome on Wed Jul 05, 2006 11:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

Petra26
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thank you very much for your advice. I will try to keep the leaves small through pruning and accept the fact of having some large leaves. also, I have cut a piece of my mom's jade plant and it is currently drying and then I will plant it. thank you again :D

ynot
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Petra,
Bright light will help minimise the leaf size and shorten the internodes [distance between the leaf nodes] of your Jade. It will also impart a red tint to the leaf edges of some varieties [like mine8)].

Also a single leaf will root on dry sand [They tend to rot if placed in moist media IME] Just let it dry for two weeks or so. It can just sit where your going to plant it- I have never 'planted them' so much as just sat them on the sand and off they go. :D. Eventually you will see those white root hairs creeping out looking for moisture. Give a light watering then and after that just water when you notice the leaf is not looking so 'water-fat' and squidgy, Like when it has slight wrinkles.

Nearly every 2 weeks or so is when [They start to wrinkle...so] I water my jades and they are in bonsai soil which dries quickly. [But they live over a sink so it is randomly humid also]
Jades are fun and super easy to propagate. If you have one, you can have as many as you want :lol:..
ynot

Petra26
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ynot wrote:Petra,
Bright light will help minimise the leaf size and shorten the internodes [distance between the leaf nodes] of your Jade.
ive read this is true for ficus also. is this true generally for most plants?

ynot
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Petra26 wrote:
ynot wrote:Petra,
Bright light will help minimise the leaf size and shorten the internodes [distance between the leaf nodes] of your Jade.
ive read this is true for ficus also. is this true generally for most plants?
For the most part yes, It is a fundamental concept in training bonsai.



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