Anyone have experience with Breynia Disticha (snowbush)?

BillsBayou

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Anyone have practical experience with Breynia disticha (snowbush)??

A local garden center has pre-bonsai and I found a snowbush in a 4-inch pot. General care of a tropical is easy enough, but I want to know more about this species as a bonsai. Google doesn't help too much or I'm not searching for the right terms.

The two unknowns for me are
  • Can it be leaf-pruned?
  • Can it be bare-rooted?
Here's a BNut post from 2017:
I believe your plant is commonly called a Snowbush or Breynia disticha
See http://www.bonsaigardener.org/snowbush-bonsai-care.html
or http://www.bonsaiboy.com/catalog/snowbushcare.html

They are easy to propagate by cuttings.
If they get a lot of light , the leaves start showing a little pink.

The first link is helpful to a point. However, the photo at the top of the Bonsai Gardener page is of a white bougainvillea, not a snowbush. That lowers my confidence level.
The second link is for Bonsai Boy. My confidence in them bottomed out a long long time ago. Their snowbush care techniques are rather generic for a tropical.

IMG_20220920_093314596.jpg
 

Arnold

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I have one, very delicate tender tropical plants, with pruning I always go with some caution, I dont left bare branches without some green, they are not cold tolerant dont let them below 15 celsius. I keep them in half shade they dont like a lot of sun
 

BillsBayou

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I have one, very delicate tender tropical plants, with pruning I always go with some caution, I dont left bare branches without some green, they are not cold tolerant dont let them below 15 celsius. I keep them in half shade they dont like a lot of sun
What is your repotting recommendation for going from nursery soil to bonsai soil?
 

Arnold

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They like water and a bit of organic matter, never let them dry out too much, repot them as any tropical just on the conservative side pruning roots
 
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