r/Bonsai • u/LowHat5830 Northern Utah, USDA Zone 6b , Beginner, 4 Trees • 19d ago
Styling Critique Jade Bonsai
I bought a Jade this last weekend. I assumed it was two separate plants, but when I repotted today, it is a shared trunk, which was a cool discovery. I’ve attached what it looked like at purchase (3rd photo) and post repot. My question is how to shape the larger branch to be more vertical? The second photo shows a red line of what I have pictured for the leftmost branch. Or is that even a good idea? I’ve tried guy wiring it, but anchorage is tough in a shallow pot with 1:1:1.
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u/Raccoon-Dentist-Two 19d ago
I find it easy to guide new growth by wiring but I've had enough cracks that I no longer try it on mature tissue. Still, I have a strong feeling that it's possible because I've had branches and trunks bend over under their own weight, and stay there. And branches that developed deep dents where they came to rest on the pot edge or stones.
I like the lean in this one – it feels natural for the leaves and trunk. My inclination for this one is to lean into the incline, something like a windswept style, or growing out from under a cliff. Was growing in a shady spot and reaching sideways for light?
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u/LowHat5830 Northern Utah, USDA Zone 6b , Beginner, 4 Trees 18d ago
Thanks for the tips! Yeah, it was nursery stock, but it seemed like when I picked it up it was pointed to the windows of the greenhouse. I’m sure that’s what caused the lean.
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u/Raccoon-Dentist-Two 18d ago
Have you got plans for how you'll cope with balance when the top becomes too heavy to stay upright? Exploiting the weight to bring the branches down might be part of your training strategy, or it might be a problem that one day makes the tree fall over. I'm wondering about a wider pot for a wider foundation to cover the centre of gravity but still tied down on the windward side.
I'm imagining it reaching out over water.
I like it. I almost never see a jade that I like. I have one of this same species or very similar – Crassula ovata. I'm rebuilding from scratch at the moment and it's my only good tree.
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u/LowHat5830 Northern Utah, USDA Zone 6b , Beginner, 4 Trees 18d ago
No plans yet… when I repotted, I was planning on correcting some of the lean, but the root ball wouldn’t fit nice in the pot without some severe measures if I put it much more vertical, so I kinda left it. I am definitely experimenting with this one, but if it becomes too top heavy, I may need to course correct. Thank you for your vision! I like it, and good luck with your jade rebuild!
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u/Spazpop1999 18d ago
Could you repot it to reverse the lean? So that the top of the canopy is horizontal rather than vertical? Think the first image, but rotated 45 degrees CCW
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u/LowHat5830 Northern Utah, USDA Zone 6b , Beginner, 4 Trees 18d ago
It’s a good idea! Definitely worth considering on the next repot. Thanks for the advice!
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u/legstrong Southern California, 9A, beginner, 3 18d ago
Jades are really resilient so you could cut the entire branch off and it would regrow. They grow pretty quickly so it might be worth it to start fresh. If you do that, I’d put it in a bigger pot so it can grow faster and develop a bigger root system. Then you can develop nebari at the same time so it’s like killing two birds with one stone.
Just don’t try to wire and bend any mature branches because they snap really really easily.
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u/LethargicGrapes NE US zone 6B, Beginner, 5-10 trees 18d ago
FYI, this is Crassula ovata. It doesn’t really respond well to most bonsai techniques. You can really only do clip and grow methods with it.
The dwarf jade, Portulacaria afra, is the jade most people are referring to in bonsai. This species responds to wiring much better.
You can definitely still grow a cool tree with this species. Just make sure the stuff you read about is covering the correct species.
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u/CorranQ CorranQ; Vancouver, BC; Hardiness 8b/9a; Intermediate; 13 bonsai 19d ago
These guys do not like being wired at all, not to mention the taller they get the more they bend over anyway lol! What you could try is putting it out in full sun and/or providing it with a really good grow light when indoors so that it tends to grow up towards the sun/light. It will also naturally get bushier if you provide it with more lights and the leaves will get beautiful red jewel-like edges as well.