Portulacaria afra & Juniperus procumbens 'Nana' care. .

[docszoo223]

My dad is a gardener, and so is my girlfriend. . . and I am getting into the hobby after I got out of the Reptile Keeping hobby. . . and it will induce my love for photography. . . anyways so today my family and I went out to get some seasonal plants for some pots outside. While there, there was this table set up with a bunch of little trees. I had earlier received a small bonsai "kit" that had seeds in it. I kinda didn't want it cause the instructions were odd .. . but, now I have a sprouted plant, and am happy My sister got one too (hence the &)

So. . . just needing information from people talking TO me, instead of just the instruction booklet that came with em. . . so tell me what I need to do for these specific plants

I know these pictures SUCK, but they are good enough
[img]https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m272/docszoo2/DSC08037.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m272/docszoo2/DSC08031.jpg[/img]

^ That one is mine ^_^

[img]https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m272/docszoo2/DSC08041.jpg[/img]

^ mi sisters. . .

I already soaked them (submerged them in water to the rim of the container they were in, and waited till the bubbles stopped coming up)

The whole trimming of both of them confuses me. I kinda understand the root thing. . .

[tarian]

I already soaked them (submerged them in water to the rim of the container they were in, and waited till the bubbles stopped coming up)

I don't use this method to water my tree's as it can cause root problems
or drownd the tree
just use a fine rose watering can (just like rain to these little tree's)

most bonsai kits give misleading infomation making it a hardship more than a hobby I now understand you'r dads gardner does he have any info on these trees after all they are little tree's

[docszoo223]

My dad has no idea about these little trees. . . and really neither do I. . .

But, the trimming, how is the Jade suppose to be a "triangle" shape top?

[Gnome]

docszoo223,

Hello and welcome.

My dad has no idea about these little trees. . . and really neither do I. . . But, the trimming, how is the Jade suppose to be a "triangle" shape top?

I'll deal with the Portulacaria first. Not terribly relevant but just for your information, it is not really a Jade but many refer to them as baby Jades and their culture is much the same. It must not be kept too wet for long periods of time. I water mine very well, thoroughly saturating the soil and then allow it to go bone dry before I repeat. If the leaves are not shriveled then you are still in good shape. When they begin to get flaccid you know you have waited a bit too long. Don't worry it will rehydrate easily. You can trim it any way you want. for now just let it grow and observe it. Usually new shoots are allowed to extend several inches and then cut back to one or two pairs of leaves. If you observe the orientation of the leaves you can direct the direction of the new shoots by pruning to the appropriate location. The trimming will root easily. Allow the cut stem to dry for a few days then pot, withholding water until they are established.

The Juniper should also be allowed to dry a bit between waterings but not nearly so much as the other one. It should not be kept sloppy wet but not allowed to dry out entirely either. It looks like both of the plants are potted in a decent medium. The medium appears to be gritty with a good texture, this is appropriate.

[url]https://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Juniperus.html[/url]

Both of these plants like full sun. In my area I don't have to shade either species but you may need to do so particularly during the afternoon.

Please read the sticky threads at the top of the forum and follow the links provided. If you have any specific questions don't hesitate to post further. In the future please keep your photos sized to avoid horizontal scrolling as this is distracting. The second photo is the best of the lot with the neutral background but it could have been cropped.

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3557


Norm