what would happen if..

[mrme]

I have a baby jade and was want to play around with and see what happens.
If any of you can give me ideas on what would happen that would be most beneficial.

1. I want to hide the lower leafs from the light.. put some dark material around the top so only the top gets light. I imagine lower leafs would die off. but what would happen to the height and the stem size ?

2. Simply cut off the lower leafs. what would happen to the stem height and leaves ?

keep in mind its a baby the leaves are way too big for my liking and i would prefer the plant not grow leaves at the bottom and concentrate on the top growth

thank you

 

[fourteener]

I don't think that is a baby jade. Those leaves look full size to me. This is barely a rooted cutting. It's has a long time before it needs you to cut anything off. They also go through a down where they don't grow much over winter. This needs to grow... A lot.

 

[sorce]

The tree that is hiding seems to have the most potential.

Whats that!?

Sorce

 

[mrme]

The tree that is hiding seems to have the most potential.

Whats that!?

Sorce

Yes it was my fav out of the bunch. I was told it was a lemon cyprus.
It died a while ago. i was hoping the light would bring some green to it.
It really was nice looking. But i think the needles turn in to leaves like a Ceder or something. I got it for 5$ it was half dead with spiders on it. I liked it cause it really looked like a mini tree and the needles were a good proportion and you really couldn't see the stem. A lot of nice details.

I gona try to clone the benjamina. if it works ill try to cut off all of most the leaves of this benjamin to see if they grow back smaller. The light really seems to be working well.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I gona try to clone the benjamina. if it works ill try to cut off all of most the leaves of this benjamin to see if they grow back smaller. The light really seems to be working well.

I would not do that. Do not cut all the leaves off the benjamina. Benjamina make poor bonsai normally, and doing something like that would certainly kill the plant.

 

[mrme]

I would not do that. Do not cut all the leaves off the benjamina. Benjamina make poor bonsai normally, and doing something like that would certainly kill the plant.

what if i keep triming down the new growth?

 

[Redwood Ryan]

what if i keep triming down the new growth?

You could, but I wouldn't. That wouldn't really accomplish anything, because you want the tree to thicken as much as possible so that the leaf size is proportionate to the trunk size.

 

[Giga]

what you have in the pictures is like 10 year a way from anything worth showing(maybe 5 if your good). One is a desert species the other tropical and both need to grow in a very large container and left alone for a few years.

 

[mrme]

what you have in the pictures is like 10 year a way from anything worth showing(maybe 5 if your good). One is a desert species the other tropical and both need to grow in a very large container and left alone for a few years.

True. baby steps. test plant. till i have a real bonsai. As soon as i see a tree ill grab it

 

[Giga]

True. baby steps. test plant. till i have a real bonsai. As soon as i see a tree ill grab it

Garden centers are a good place for learning/starter material