New Jade Tree

[Allen MacMillan]

Hey all,

Found a guy up here with some nice Jade trees. However the leaves are a bit large. I have read that poor lighting will do this. So the question is can I reduce the leaf size and how do I do this. The tree is 18" high and its 5 inches around. So its a fairly large healthy tree. Here is a shot, any help would be great.



Thanks all.

[sharkbyte]

I have tried jade before and I personally don't care for them. They never look "right" to me :\ ?
Also if I was you I would not buy any of that Succulent soil. It is junk in my opinion. #1 it holds to much water #2 has loads of fines #3 is very very hard to re-wet. I would just use a standard mix and water as the tree needs it. Keep in mind Jades don't need hardly any water. Water as the leafs start to wrinkle. They need full sun, if given all the right conditions they flower . Also a sign of good health is the edges of the leafs will get a red color to them.

As for reducing leaf size pinching out top growth continually will reduce the leafs. Also you can chop of leafs and they grow new branches in the are where the leaf was. They take to wire very well, just be careful the bark is very thin and will mark easy. It is a good idea to wait until it is close to water the tree again then wire. This way the shoots bend much easier and can be bend more.

- $h@rK

[sharkbyte]

Also here is a care list for your tree .

www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Crassula.html

- $h@rK