The previous resident of my place has this huge, God knows how old, Gollum jade that I want to turn into a bonsai. However, I'd like to bring the root level a little further up. Is the strategy in the first pic feasible? What kind of timeline am I working with? Would you recommend a different strategy? Digging it up and try to expose the root flare, perhaps?
I really wish the sadist who planted this tree had removed the pot prior to planting. I bet there would've been a visible root flare here instead of this strait trunk.
by I-drink-hot-sauce
11 Comments
Unfortunately it’s just not a great species for bonsai
Also. There is no mound soil* thats not a thing. Even in general arborism- that’s frowned upon because it offers no benefit.
You should be able to root that whole thing as a cutting
Jades don’t root flare well in general. It’s a common issue with them, even in many shown jades. At least given it’s in a training pot it’ll make digging it up easier. Crassula can be grown and trained with bonsai adjacent techniques. For instance you’ll only be able to clip and grow. For the most part even guy wires are only so useful. That being said they handle root pruining surprisingly well and will “back bud” pretty reliably when cut back. They even handle “defoliation”.
I’m trying to move my jades towards more African tree styles. Wide, flat topped, fat trunked. I think in that context they’re great subjects and this would make a fantastic one as well. If you’re trying to create a more traditional bonsai subject it might not work as well
You could try ground layering it, I don’t know how well it would work for this species but I imagine it would. Succulents do root easily. But it being in an old buried pot will also make it easier to dig out , I’d think. I killed a much smaller one repotting it poorly, so they’re not as foolproof as some other succulents.
if you cut that thing, it will die 100%
For such a beautiful jade, preferably I’d just accept its trunk and roots and develop it from there. Any manipulation has a risk of causing rot or failing to root, even if it is typically small with this species. So, my suggestion, dig it up as is and repot it.
But if you absolutely must manipulate it, I’d suggest giving it a good watering and making sure it’s getting a lot of nutrients, too. After that, prepare whatever soil you’d like to plant it in. Cut the trunk where desired, let it sit and callous. Place it in that soil, and put it in bright but indirect sunlight for a couple weeks. Do not water, wait a couple of weeks. Roots will grow back in the meantime.
If you try to air layer it like you would other plants, the roots would just grow out of the area where there are leaf nodes. And, additionally, you’d risk rot for the part of the trunk that is submerged especially if it stays wet.
If you commit to this, just take all the root structure you can and know that it will take some work and patience to get this down to workable bonsai material. Will be work, but if you have the patience and desire, go for it. Good luck and good times.
Would an air layer work? Leaving what’s in the ground and working from the ground up, literally. Once the air layer is done, no cutting chops, just raising the soil level to where the root flare is still visible?
The green area you remove bark and cambium right ? I suppose it can work. The soil looks quite dry, try to keep it a bit more moist then.
Nah, Jades don’t really flare well.