Jade development

[ward0]

Hello,

I have a jade for about 4 months now and i would like to know when to cut back to develop trunk thickness.

I have read many sites on the net about development and i know by now that a jade backbones good within 2-3 weeks after the cut. But i wanted to know what month to do it? Some people advice November , others in August.

Also , should i pinch out leaves during the growing season? to develop something? ( i'm not sure about the affects of doing this )

Advice is welcome,

Regards,
Ward

 

[Deleted member 18707]

Hello Ward, I believe what you have there is portulacaria afra, or dwarf jade. You might have better luck if you post this in the "miscellaneous / other" forum.

If you pinch the new leaves up top it will encourage back budding lower on the plant. I'm not sure about it's growing season or best time to pinch -- I had a dwarf jade kept indoors under a grow light, it grew year-round.

 

[Cypress187]

I have a jade for about 4 months now and i would like to know when to cut back to develop trunk thickness.

I think you read the wrong website Bonsai is a long process and developing a bonsai will take years. If you want thickness it will take most definetly years and the best way is to NOT cut anything and put it in the ground/big training pot.

I think you can better test/practise other skills (pruning / wiring) and just buy another tree with a big fat thunk. But i don't know if you can wire succulents.

 

[M. Frary]

I think you read the wrong website Bonsai is a long process and developing a bonsai will take years. If you want thickness it will take most definetly years and the best way is to NOT cut anything and put it in the ground/big training pot.

I think you can better test/practise other skills (pruning / wiring) and just buy another tree with a big fat thunk. But i don't know if you can wire succulents.

Now you're cooking with gas. I don't know about jade plants but you just spit out some good advice that goes for all trees.

 

[GrimLore]

Jade grow fat and furious if you put them in a large container and keep them in a sunny window. Let them dry out between watering. A friend brought us a couple of cuttings from a monster and in 3 seasons the went from under a 1/4 of an inch to about 1 1/4 at the base. Now established they will grow even faster. We do not intend to work them but are letting them grow like a ornamental shrub. They probably could be wired but it would be difficult and the leaf will break of very easily. To "shape" one is most often done by pinch and grow methods.

Grimmy

 

[ward0]

Thanks for the tips people , so don't cut a jade thats what are you saying to me and let it grow several years w/o pruning or cutting anything.. ( I have time .. )

 

[Deleted member 18707]

You can cut branches if you want to. It will just slow the trunk thickening process. Anything you do cut can be very easily rooted by literally just sticking it into some soil. Dwarf jade is the easiest thing I've ever propagated.