Styling decision for Crassula Ovata

[Bonsai_youngster]

I have a jade plant that I would like to convert to a bonsai tree, I am torn between two styles, informal upright, or twin trunk. The plant does not seem to respond well when I prune younger green parts. I will need your guy's help with deciding on what to do as far as styling goes. I am even open to just letting it grow for now, if that is what it takes for the plant to be successful. Before I posted this I was intending for the plant to be informal upright, but now I'm not sure of my decision. We have freezing winters where I live and the plant stays outside during the late spring and through most of summer.

 

[LittleDingus]

I have a jade plant that I would like to convert to a bonsai tree, I am torn between two styles, informal upright, or twin trunk. The plant does not seem to respond well when I prune younger green parts. I will need your guy's help with deciding on what to do as far as styling goes. I am even open to just letting it grow for now, if that is what it takes for the plant to be successful. Before I posted this I was intending for the plant to be informal upright, but now I'm not sure of my decision. We have freezing winters where I live and the plant stays outside during the late spring and through most of summer.View attachment 438467View attachment 438468View attachment 438469View attachment 438470

Welcome to the forum!

Sorry for the lack of responses. People are very helpful around here. You're not getting any traction on this thread because crussala are not generally considered "bonsai". Ovata in particular has huge plump leaves that never really look much like a tree. Some will use portalacaria afra and claim "bonsai". They have smaller leaves and are very similar to crussala so can be a little more "tree like" sometimes.

Crussala and portulacaria are both succulents...they do not have wood like trees. Their trunks and branches are water storage organs and don't grow in rings like trees do. They are closer to cacti.

That said, they can make very nice specimen plants and are trivially easy to care for. There are a number of enthusiasts on this site and they do get talked about from time to time so you can search and learn a ton...

I've had "one" for over 30 years now. It's more than one...but they all came from the original 4" pot my then fiance/now wife gifted me...my very first plant that started a much larger obsession

Here is the main plant



It's a little wilty from neglect. I haven't switched to growth watering with it yet and it's mad at me. When they are inside for the winter, I rarely water them. Maybe once a month. Really only when the leaves are thin and wilty like this.

In growth I water pretty often...over water by most peoples standards!

Here is a single trunk I'm growing separately.



This might give you a better idea of what they look like with some age. Even with thick trunks, there's no nebari to speak of. And the foliage is too coarse to "style'.

They need a lot of growth to get this thick...but they don't heal scars. You end up with this



Which can be hidden...but don't expect bonsai techniques to yield bonsai results.

My advice? Grow yours and enjoy it for what it is Style it to make you happy...they really can make nice specimen plants! But don't expect a ton of "bonsai" feedback...they just don't fit the "bonsai" mold very well...

 

[Eckhoffw]

I’d just let this one rip. Prune when needed and take cuttings. After a decade or so it will get a woody surface and add to the appeal. Once large enough, it can take on a tree like appearance.

 

[Bonsai_youngster]

Thank you for your replies, I understand that crassula is an unusual and difficult plant to work with in bonsai, but I thought it would be nice to have that one tree that stands out from the rest because of how peculiar it is.The leaves don't really bother me as far as proportion goes, but it would make fine wiring harder. I still would like to keep styling it for bonsai and if I suddenly don't like it then I'll have a very nice looking plant. This still leaves me lost on the styling however, (sorry, I should have stated that I knew crassula was a.strange species beforehand) and I still would like suggestions on the styling of the tree.

 

[Jmontee]

Hello! My suggestion would be to just let it grow wild for the next two to three years (maybe longer than that) and see what you get. This plant is so small right now that, IMHO, there is really no styling that would work. I honestly don't know much about them but I have worked with them at a bonsai nursery near me and you can pretty much style them however you want once the tree let's you know what it wants to do.

Sometimes we, as impatient beings, try to make decisions before there is even something to decide on. Good luck and let the plant grow as much as possible.

 

[Bonsai_youngster]

Thank you for your suggestion, I can agree the tree is small, and I will follow your advice to let it grow more. It should be fine to do some basic work while it grows right? Example: removing branches that will cause problems later.

My suggestion would be to just let it grow wild for the next two to three years

 

[sorce]

I think traffic is such that posts tend to get second paged quick.

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Succulent and desert pachycaul trees can make excellent bonsai, unfortunately crassula is not one of the best choices. Look into Portulacaria, Operculacaria, Bursera, Comiphora (myrrh), Boswellia (frankincense) and many more. The great thing about desert shrubs is that they don't have to be watered often, especially in their dry season. Some have winter dry seasons, growing with summer rain. Some only get winter rain, and summer drought, and some are opportunistic, growing whenever they get water. Read up, shop around. Most of the desert pachycaul trees are not really handled by traditional bonsai nurseries, but rather by cactus nurseries.

Do check out Wigerts in Florida, they carry a few pachycaul trees

 

[Jmontee]

Thank you for your suggestion, I can agree the tree is small, and I will follow your advice to let it grow more. It should be fine to do some basic work while it grows right? Example: removing branches that will cause problems later.

Sure, removing problem branches that might cause inverse taper and such is fine but I really think you are quite far off from that point.

 

[Bonsai_youngster]

Thank you Jmontee, Leo, and Little Dingus for your help and suggestions, I really do appreciate it.

 

[Mapleminx]

There is a whole thread of people sharing and discussing their Crassula collections here.
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/jade-lovers-delight.35065/

 

[Lucio]

I second the suggestion of just letting the plant grow to a decent size, expecially for building a thick trunk first. I also advise against defoliation.
Here is my experience, for what it's worth.
First picture, a small cutting probably 2-3yr old at that stage, at beginning of summer 2020. Over the course of one year I maniacally exposed it to direct sun, shuffling it from one balcony to the other as the sun was turning, expecially in the autumn and spring to maximize the short days (I'm living in the Paris region). Even in winter I would put it on the balcony outside if more than 4-5°C. I got like this 6 internodes in one year. No attempt to style whatsoever, with the exception of removal of four side shoots from rings at ground level.
Second picture, beginning of summer 2021. Very top-heavy but symmetrical crown. From the base to the top I followed the up-pointing branches at each fork, deciding which would be the leader. All secondary have then be cut to first internode, one branch from a 3-fork cut flat (always the rule of two, for aestetics).
For the following year I let everything grow back, but this time I systematically intervened with sticks and pads (never wires) to
* get the young new branches horizontal-ish against tendency to point up
* direct forks so that there is a 60° angle between secondary branches, and towards voids I want to fill in the future development (and conversely letting a clear view of the main stem from future "front")
Fourth picture from beginning of summer 2022, after third and final repotting in a large flat terracotta container. The overlay represents a sketch of the intended structure (informal weaving trunk with layered branch stages).
Notice that the lower branches under the first planned level are sacrificial, they will be removed at some point in winter, for now they help thickening the base of the trunk (presently 4 cm in base diameter, for 32 cm in height). I will severe thise branches flat when they reach ~10mm in diameter max, in order for the scars not to be too obtrusive.
I am not removing any leaf, the older ones tend to fall naturally after a couple of years. Think long term, avoid stressing the plant.
Last picture is from ten days ago. I reckon that next winter I will also repot my crassula with a 10° tilt, the trunk ended up a bit slanted for the intended final direction.
Hoping that this gives you ideas.

 

[Lucio]

Ehm, sorry for the duplicate photos in the above post... I would edit it in order to remove the first four, but it's not possible anymore. Well, I suppose you can still see the sequence (5th -> 6th -> 7th -> 8th -> 9th)