Dwarf Jade?

[Bonsai White Belt]

I would like to try my hand at a dwarf jade. I would love to eventually do a forest but I know I am getting ahead of myself. Would purchasing a dwarf jade and potting it in a large pot to thicken trunk now during the end of summer in NY make sense? If not when would be ideal to do this?

 

[canoeguide]

If you are going to give it/them good light (within a foot or two of a south-facing window) or with supplemental grow lighting this winter... you can repot at any time, in my experience. Ideally, you'd do repotting in mid-summer, but don't sweat it. They are incredibly easy to find, generally cheap, and very easy to care for. The biggest mistakes are not enough light and/or too much water.

Mine live in a south-facing window all winter (also zone 6) and I water once a week at most. Outside right now in the summer, they get watered every other day. Use an inorganic and/or very fast-draining soil. Potting soil is not recommended.

 

[Bonsai White Belt]

If you are going to give it/them good light (within a foot or two of a south-facing window) or with supplemental grow lighting this winter... you can repot at any time, in my experience. Ideally, you'd do repotting in mid-summer, but don't sweat it. They are incredibly easy to find, generally cheap, and very easy to care for. The biggest mistakes are not enough light and/or too much water.

Mine live in a south-facing window all winter (also zone 6) and I water once a week at most. Outside right now in the summer, they get watered every other day. Use an inorganic and/or very fast-draining soil. Potting soil is not recommended.

inorganic is bonsai soil? And yes can put in south facing sliding glass door window. What size pot to thicken trunks do you suggest? 1 per pot correct?

 

[Michael P]

What Canoeguide said. By inorganic, I believe he means things like pumice, akadama, NAPA 8822, expanded shale, etc. The idea is to get excellent drainage with moderate moisture retention. I pot mine in 2/3 expanded shale or NAPA 8822 and 1/3 coarse compost. Size of pot depends on size of plant when potted. Try for twice the diameter of the original pot, then repot next summer.

Mine get less than ideal light during the winter, and I water about once a month. You almost cannot kill them by letting them dry out, but you can definitely kill them by over-watering.

 

[Bonsai White Belt]

Is the point of a larger pot depth/ diameter or opening? I may make some myself.

 

[canoeguide]

Is the point of a larger pot depth/ diameter or opening? I may make some myself.

A small portulacaria afra (dwarf jade) isn't going to grow any faster in a 5 gallon can than it is in a quart pot. With that said though, a pot that offers the roots room to grow is going to lead to better/more/faster growth than a pot that is packed full of roots already. Most things that people use for training pots are both deeper and wider than what a final bonsai pot might be. Even though P. afra is a succulent and not a tree, it's still worthwhile to work on a shallow, spreading root system. It will be easier to fit into a real bonsai pot someday, and you can get some root flare at the base of the tree.

So, a nursery can is usually as deep (or deeper) than it is wide, and you'll eventually want the opposite for bonsai: much wider than it is deep. A training pot lets you start working toward that.

 

[Bonsai White Belt]

A "bonsai training pot" is a specific type of pot?

 

[canoeguide]

A "bonsai training pot" is a specific type of pot?

No... just anything that's being used for training, not "final" display.... wooden boxes, pond baskets, colanders, cut-down nursery pots, used plastic yogurt containers, old boots, dollar-store tupperware, flowerpots, whatever is the desired size and shape. (I'm making a point/joke... I don't think anyone uses old boots, but who knows?)

There are also inexpensive plastic "training" pots sold that resemble a real bonsai pot. I think they are sold out of many sizes at the moment, but this is one supplier to give you an idea of what's available and pricing: https://www.superflybonsai.com/collections/plastic-resin-bonsai-pots (Searching the internet will yield other sources for these too.)

 

[Bonsai White Belt]

No... just anything that's being used for training, not "final" display.... wooden boxes, pond baskets, colanders, cut-down nursery pots, used plastic yogurt containers, old boots, dollar-store tupperware, flowerpots, whatever is the desired size and shape. (I'm making a point/joke... I don't think anyone uses old boots, but who knows?)

There are also inexpensive plastic "training" pots sold that resemble a real bonsai pot. I think they are sold out of many sizes at the moment, but this is one supplier to give you an idea of what's available and pricing: https://www.superflybonsai.com/collections/plastic-resin-bonsai-pots (Searching the internet will yield other sources for these too.)

appreciate it! Also, is it worth purchasing trees online for a starter or local nursery or like a home depot ok?

 

[BubblePopScott]

dwarf jade make excellent bonsai, very fast growing and easy to train. Lots of fert and sun.

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

The term training pot comes from the Japanese training pots like the one in the picture below.
Those pots are relatively wide and not as deep as standard (terracotta) pots.

 

[Michael P]

Also, is it worth purchasing trees online for a starter or local nursery or like a home depot ok?

My original portulacaria came from Hopeless Depot as 6 tiny barely rooted cuttings. They were in a very peaty, moisture retentive soil and sulked until I repotted them in free draining bonsai mix. After that they grew quickly and were trouble free.

 

[Katie0317]

OP, are you aware there's almost an identical discussion going on in general discussion on this plant and where to buy it? It's called 'Thoughts on pre-bonsai'. Read there, I think it will help you a lot.

 

[Carol 83]

OP, are you aware there's almost an identical discussion going on in general discussion on this plant and where to buy it? It's called 'Thoughts on pre-bonsai'. Read there, I think it will help you a lot.

They are both his threads.

 

[_space_bard_]

If you have some larger old plastic nursery pots, you can cut them to be shallow. Like say a 5 gallon black plastic nursery container and a razor blade you can make something cheap and functional as a trainer.

 

[Katie0317]

They are both his threads.

That's funny. I didn't see that. Thanks.

 

[Bonsai White Belt]

They are both his threads.

Shhhhhh. Why you snitching lol

 

[Benjofen]

appreciate it! Also, is it worth purchasing trees online for a starter or local nursery or like a home depot ok?

i'd check out wigert's they have some pretty good dwarf jade for reasonable prices. This one cost me like I think $30 with the trunk as is.

 

[Joedes3]

If you are going to give it/them good light (within a foot or two of a south-facing window) or with supplemental grow lighting this winter... you can repot at any time, in my experience. Ideally, you'd do repotting in mid-summer, but don't sweat it. They are incredibly easy to find, generally cheap, and very easy to care for. The biggest mistakes are not enough light and/or too much water.

Mine live in a south-facing window all winter (also zone 6) and I water once a week at most. Outside right now in the summer, they get watered every other day. Use an inorganic and/or very fast-draining soil. Potting soil is not recommended.

I just brought my ports in, zone 6a, They started dropping leaves, could that be because of the change in light?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@Bonsai White Belt - Home Depot, Walmart, Target, Farm & Fleet, and many many other "box stores" will have Portulacaria afra, the dwarf jade, for sale. Often at the big box stores, they are not labelled with the scientific name, which means if you are not familiar with what Portulacaria afra looks like, you could end up with Crassula ovata by accident. The Crassula does not make as refined a bonsai image as Portulacaria.

Mail order from any reputable plant business where they go through the trouble of using the scientific names is a reliable way to get the species you want. I've purchased from Wigert's Bonsai in Florida, they sell material that has been grown with bonsai as the goal.

Bonsai Trees, Pots, and Supplies - Wigert's Bonsai

We are your source for beautiful one-of-a-kind pre-bonsai trees, finished bonsai trees, bonsai pots and bonsai supplies - shipped directly to you!

www.wigertsbonsai.com

A more generic nursery, with a wide selection of all sorts of plants is Hirt's Garden https://hirts.com/

The plants Hirt's sell are smaller "starter material" and were grown with houseplant purposes in mind, not bonsai.


@Joedes3 - a quick check of my references on hand did not indicate whether it is changing day length or colder night temperatures that trigger the leaf drop in autumn. Key is, you brought it inside for winter. This is good. In my area, rain has returned after a fairly dry summer. Wet & Cold at night is guaranteed to get a fungal or bacterial rot going in Portulacaria. Warm and wet is tolerated, cold & wet leads to "sudden death". So bringing it in before cold autumn rains is a good idea.

Portulacaria afra is from southern Africa, and in nature very rarely encounters a frost. They grow when it is warm. They are more or less dormant or semi-dormant in cool weather.