Repot dwarf jade?

[Kynewt]

I picked up a large beautiful dwarf jade a few days ago. I was wondering if i should repot it? The soil is so compact that i cant even stick my finger into it. Makes it impossible to tell how dry the soil actually is. I’m new to bonsai and haven’t had to repot any of my plants yet and was wondering if this is a sign i should repot or just ride it out in this pot until next spring.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Saw off the bottom 50 to 66% of the roots and an inch or so of the perimeter and that's it. Nice tree!

 

[Carol 83]

Nice choice, I like it. Jades are pretty indestructible, I'm sure it won't blink at a repot. I keep mine in cactus/succulent soil, but I imagine any well draining substrate will do.

 

[fredman]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What they said...
Also for interest. It's NOT a tropical, it's a succulent from the arid areas of Africa. Should be treated as such too

 

[Kynewt]

Saw off the bottom 50 to 66% of the roots and an inch or so of the perimeter and that's it. Nice tree!

so i repotted and trimmed the roots. It was pretty root bound. Should i just not water it and leave it in the dry soil for a week until the roots callous over? Also sun requirements. Should i just continue letting it get full sun?

 

[Forsoothe!]

It's like one giant root storage system and has lots of resources to apply to growth. Full sun and regular water. It will park for a while as it grows some feeder roots, but shouldn't look any different.

 

[BonsaiWilderness]

Maby try moving it up a size!

 

[smc]

Out of curiosity - where did you find that fantastic tree?

At the moment, I know of only two people who sell really nice dwarf jades. Miami Tropical and also there is a guy who has an instagram account littlejadebonsai and he occasionally sells his trees on ebay (he has lots of good photos on his account for inspiration).

 

[Kynewt]

Out of curiosity - where did you find that fantastic tree?

At the moment, I know of only two people who sell really nice dwarf jades. Miami Tropical and also there is a guy who has an instagram account littlejadebonsai and he occasionally sells his trees on ebay (he has lots of good photos on his account for inspiration).

I picked it up from Bonsai West in Littleton, Massachusetts

 

[Theo Smith]

so i repotted and trimmed the roots. It was pretty root bound. Should i just not water it and leave it in the dry soil for a week until the roots callous over? Also sun requirements. Should i just continue letting it get full sun?

For certain do not water it until it starts to push growth after root work. Don’t worry about it needing water, they can go a long time without it. Leaves can shrivel/wrinkle and some may drop but don’t worry. I’ve noticed that applying liquid fert leads to tons of new buds. Root rot is a real killer for Ports. As mentioned, P. Afra is a succulent from very arid regions and is well adapted to growing with little rainfall. Watering needs vary depending on environment, inside vs outside, humidity, sun light and nighttime temps. Nice tree!

 

[fredman]

Agree...best is to not water now. Leave until it starts growing again...iow it'll ask you for water when it wants it.

 

[Forsoothe!]

If you want your trees to look like they belong in a wasteland, treat them "naturally". If you want them to look the best they can, treat them well including watering and feeding.

 

[fredman]

Most important is to treat a succulent as a succulent. When you trim the roots let the tips dry out before watering it.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I saw the roots off, wet the whole plant with water, dust hormone on the roots, especially heavily on the cut surfaces, put it all in a big plastic bag and leave it for a day or week. Then pot it up. They never blink an eye.

 

[fredman]

Yeah they must be one of the toughest plants on earth. Mine (before it was given to me) stood in a pot filled with garden soil for 15+ years..out in constant winter rain.
They CAN take it, but it's not best practice...it's a succulent. It does not need water until it grows.

 

[pweifan]

so i repotted and trimmed the roots. It was pretty root bound. Should i just not water it and leave it in the dry soil for a week until the roots callous over? Also sun requirements. Should i just continue letting it get full sun?

Can we see an "after" picture? I'd love to see how it turned out.

 

[MrWunderful]

I water the shit out of mine, even right after repots. On hot days I will water them multiple times a day.

Portys will survive with little water, but explode when giving as much water as they can take.

For what its worth, I find the whole “dont water for two weeks” only applies to cuttings, not mature specimens with what I assume is a decently ramified root ball.

 

[fredman]

Again they are phenomenally tough trees. They will take a lot of abuse without blinking.
In Africa elephants rips off branches and it lies on rock hard soil for months until it send shoots out to form another bush.
I'm talking best practice scenarios for a succulent.
The thicker roots reflects the upper shoots and stems....a fleshy outer (water storage) with some lignification of the inner wood.
When that thick roots are cut during a repot, it's best to leave it for a while so the fleshy outsides can seal over...same as a cutting. It don't need water to shoot roots anyway...the water it needs is stored in that fleshy part.
One thing is sure...it loves a hot climate, and will perform optimally in it. In my colder climate i've learnt to be patient with it. Mine grows slowish. More or less water don't makes no difference. I don't risk rotting a fleshy root by watering it when it has enough stored water.

 

[Mycin]

Great info in here. One thing that I'd add - I've noticed that old/existing leaves tend to wrinkle after repotting, even with minimal rootwork. It's tempting to assume that the tree needs water but I'm learning that this is a sign that the tree is growing new roots, not that it's too dry. I've heard that Ports grow roots in response to an absence of water--in contrast to plants, which grow roots in the presence of water. Not sure if this is true or not, but just in case I've been waiting a week or so after repotting to water.

Existing leaves may shrivel, yellow and fall off but they'll quickly be replaced with new leaves. I've been waiting until the tree starts pushing new leaves as a sign that it's recovered from the repotting.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Great info in here. One thing that I'd add - I've noticed that old/existing leaves tend to wrinkle after repotting, even with minimal rootwork. It's tempting to assume that the tree needs water but I'm learning that this is a sign that the tree is growing new roots, not that it's too dry. I've heard that Ports grow roots in response to an absence of water--in contrast to plants, which grow roots in the presence of water. Not sure if this is true or not, but just in case I've been waiting a week or so after repotting to water.

Existing leaves may shrivel, yellow and fall off but they'll quickly be replaced with new leaves. I've been waiting until the tree starts pushing new leaves as a sign that it's recovered from the repotting.

On a scale of 1 to 2, I give you a 1. Maybe if you watered normally, the plant wouldn't lose its leaves?