Crassula Ovata Repotting, worth it?

[cbrshadow23]

I'm considering putting my Jade (Crassula Ovata) into a shallower pot. I live in Northern California in a place that gets lots of sun but we have a "wet season" in a few months where fog comes through and rain is more frequent. The area is very good for these trees - lots of my neighbors have them sitting in pots all year in their front yards, or planted in the ground.

I purchased this tree several months ago as a 6-foot tall overgrown monster. I chopped it down to this current trunk and put it in the biggest pot I could find. I thought I may have killed it, but now it's sprouting out lots of leaves/branches everywhere. The picture below is from a few weeks ago - now there's probably 2-3x as much foliage.

I have a general goal of making a bonsai from this plant. I guess the next steps are to let it grow these branches for a year or so, then prune/train it how I'd like it to look.
I'm afraid the current pot is so large that it will:
1) Slow down growth compared to slowly up-potting
2) Retain too much water since it's so deep. I used a mixture of 40% succulent soil, 40% lava, 20% perlite. I've also drilled extra drainage holes into the bottom of the pot

If I move it to a smaller pot I'll use 50% pumice 50% lava rock.
I have about 3-4 months of sunlight before the wet season comes, which lasts about 3 months.

What would you do?

P.S. I know Crassula is looked down upon, isn't best for bonsai, isn't everyone's favorite, has big leaves, etc. Assume this has already been discussed

Thanks,
Ryan

Here's a picture of it from a few weeks ago. The picture doesn't do the trunk justice since it's deeper than shown, and the can covers part of the trunk - it's about 8" diameter!

 

[leatherback]

Take a saw. Cut the bottom flat. Scrape out the soil between the first inch of roots. Let it sit on your bench for a day. Then pot it in a shallow pot.

Jade in the right climate will survive a reverse trunk chop.

 

[cbrshadow23]

Take a saw. Cut the bottom flat. Scrape out the soil between the first inch of roots. Let it sit on your bench for a day. Then pot it in a shallow pot.

Jade in the right climate will survive a reverse trunk chop.

Leatherback, I’m not clear on what you’re saying I should do, or what goal this would achieve. Can you give more detail please?

 

[AlainK]

Where you live, I'm sure it can be a great bonsai, especially if it flowers. The flowers are in the scale of the plant, I had a big one that flowered in December, Christmas stars on a tree

 

[cbrshadow23]

It sounds like you're saying I should cut the trunk right at the base near the dirt, then replant the top portion as a cutting. This seems like it would just be a big setback rather than progress.
The current roots are very healthy and doing great. The tree is growing fast and throwing out new buds/leaves daily. I'm just worried about there being too much soil in such a large pot currently, which might slow growth compared to up-potting over time. Also we're coming into our rainy season so I'm a bit worried about sitting water.
It's possible that I'm overly concerned though, and none of these are necessary.
Did I misunderstand your instructions above?

 

[leatherback]

I am saying that you can chop the roots on these as small as you would like and plant it in as shallow a container as you would like. As long as you make sure the cuts get a day or two to dry, it should be fine. These take pretty much any abuse you can give them.

Mins sits in a very shallow but wide container. Once well-rooted this makes the whole thing a lot more stable than a tall pot.

 

[cbrshadow23]

I am saying that you can chop the roots on these as small as you would like and plant it in as shallow a container as you would like. As long as you make sure the cuts get a day or two to dry, it should be fine. These take pretty much any abuse you can give them.

Mins sits in a very shallow but wide container. Once well-rooted this makes the whole thing a lot more stable than a tall pot.

That makes sense - thanks for the clarification. Won't a very shallow container slow growth considerably?

 

[leatherback]

Won't a very shallow container slow growth considerably?

I am not convinced of that. For this species, I think getting just fertilizer, water and sun does it. I do not feel that container size does a lot. But someone will for sure tune in on this!