Need help with my Jade PLEASE

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by DamienO'Connor, Aug 14, 2006.

  1. DamienO'Connor

    DamienO'Connor Active Member

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    Below is a photo my jade plant (Portulacaria afra I think) which was a cutting from another plant I got a little while ago. It isn’t that great now, but I want to start to learn to bonsai it, I’ve never bonsai'd before. I’ve tried to wire it and if you can see it, I didn’t do a great job. :( Though it has straightened up a bit. Can anyone give me any tips? Am I doing it right, with the right wire and technique?? I want to eventually get it to look like this - http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c149/afassezke/GardenAug1048.jpg -
    What is a good soil mix I can use when I want to eventually repot it – also where do I get it from, is it in the right size pot coz it is taking a very long time to develop- I’ve had it for probably over a year without doing anything to it and it is still pretty small and not very bushy, so I cant really do much to bonsai it at the moment really can I?? It’s been in the same pot since I cut it off the other plant. Should I put it in a bigger pot, and then when it develops more put it in a shallow pot?? I haven’t fertilized it at all. What should I use – maybe I could put Osmocote in the soil when I make it, but how much do I put in?? Also how do I make the leaves smaller and the trunk thicker with more branches??



    Think that’s all the questions I have right now,
    Thanks for your help, sorry about the length :)
    Damien
     

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  2. Takana_Hana

    Takana_Hana Active Member 10 Years

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    try a regular cacti mix, they do very well in it.. you can get it at walmart, or usually any place that sells cacti and tropical plants
     
  3. rmpbklyn

    rmpbklyn Member

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    Mine is bad shape. I only have two branches with little leaves.
    I'm currently trying to root a stem.

    I also have a pouch for my ipod. I call it iblanki which is aqua blue LOL
     
  4. DamienO'Connor

    DamienO'Connor Active Member

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    Thanks, I think I’ll try the cactus mix. But I still want to make it myself rather than buying it by itself. I’ve looked it up on google and found a cactus mix that Contains: Aged and processed softwood bark and sawdust, sphagnum peat moss, pumice, sand, and compost.

    I also found one that I can make myself by mixing: one part potting mix, one part washed sand & one part course fill (rocks, pumas, broken pots, etc.) – what course fill can I use – where do I get it. What sand do I use? Should I use peat moss?

    Also can anyone answer the other questions I had?
    Thanks again, Damien
    By the way I’m only 15 so I’ve got a lot of questions.
     
  5. Rima

    Rima Active Member

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    Hi, if it's not wintry weather there, it could be outside getting all the sun available (but do shade the pot with a white tile to keep roots from cooking). That plus some light cactus fertilizer (of course it needs some) every 2 wks or so during spring to autumn will help. Cactus soil can be pretty crummy too, and I'd only use 1/3 of it in the mix, the rest being half and half perlite and aquarium gravel, allowing water to flow through quickly and not compact at the roots. Peat is not something you want in soil for succulents (which is what a PA is) except in tiny amts for an organic component.
     
  6. DamienO'Connor

    DamienO'Connor Active Member

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    ok thats good thanks. about the white tile, would it be easier just to get a white pot, or even just a lighter coloured one?? any cactus fertiliser suggestions?? with the soil, where can i get perlite from? ive also just got a cut off from a 'moreton bay fig' which is from here in Australia, just so i dont get bored waiting for my jade to develop. would i use the same soil mix or would i use an alternative mix. i want to make one that would work well with most plants or would be easy enough to alter for a different type of plant.

    Thanks again for your help...
     
  7. Rima

    Rima Active Member

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    Lighter colored pots are better, but unless they're reflective (shiny, etc.) won't be AS good. Perlite (here anyhow) is available at any garden ctre, supermkt, hardware store, etc. in big bags. Cactus fert. should be labelled along with other ferts at those places (mine is a 2-7-7 mix, which I also use on my evergreen conifers in the autumn as they only want very low nitrogen at those times. To root the fig, you can use straight perlite, or add a little soil and mix well, but don't keep it too wet, just barely moist. The point of soil mixes is free drainage, which means an inert component (grit - decomposed granite bits used as a chicken digestive, avail. at feed stores, or aquarium gravel, coarse sand (saltless!) or perlite), an organic one (humusy soil, leaf mold, bark bits, etc.) and an inorganic one that holds a bit of water, high fired tiny clay bits are good but what name they are sold under there is ...? You can use crushed lava rock if you have it, or pumice as well. The proportions change for each plant - i.e. an azalea would use mostly peat, a pine mostly grit, a little organic and some inorg., but your trees (eucs, etc.) are diff. from ours, so it's hard to be precise, and in any case that's not as important as just achieving good drainage. You do need to water and fert. more often with a really fast mix, but then chances of root rot, etc. are much less.
     
  8. DamienO'Connor

    DamienO'Connor Active Member

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    alright. well i'll give that a go. right now i'm off to the shops to get some stuff :)
    is the reason why you keep mentioning perlite and aquarium gravel over the other choices (salt, grit etc) because they are better, cheaper? will i use the same mix on my fig once it has rooted? - or add some organic, inorganic components to it as well?
    will i use that mix on most of my future plants? - so i dont have to keep anoying you by coming on this forum every time i get a new plant.
     
  9. DamienO'Connor

    DamienO'Connor Active Member

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    where do i find perlite? - i've asked people i know and no one has heard of it (maybe i cant get it here in Australia?)
     
  10. terrestrial_man

    terrestrial_man Active Member 10 Years

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    Forget the perlite. The primary use of perlite is to provide coarseness to the mix as well as help keep the mix light in weight. It also has some use as an aerator in helping maintain some aeration of the mix but this is not its best use and if over used can be just the opposite.

    I have a plant that is growing outside. It gets down to the mid 30 degrees F not C here in California. It is growing in only about an inch of soil on top of cement but in shade with only late afternoon sun.
    1. Soil mix: blend a commercial soil mix and gravel-not from the beach together-you may want to see if you can find gravel that is used in making cement as here in this country it is generally granitic in content. Try 50-50 soil-gravel.
    2. Pot-any clay pot but one that is at least 3 inches deep but for your plant only about 2.5 to 3 inches wide. Put a piece of window screen over the hole in the bottom of the pot.
    3. Sit the plant outside to grow for a year in shade at first and then maybe only early morning or late afternoon sun.
    4. Watering-only once a week or less depending on how damp the soil feels.

    To try practicing bonsai on a jade you should begin with a larger plant and do some trimming of the plant and then wiring of what you have left to the desired or hoped for shape. Be careful as the stems snap easily.

    On the soil mixes for different plants. Check out the net for your particular plant. See what kind of soil it naturally grows in. Then
    keep in mind that a good rule is to have a mix that will drain freely when watered. That is the water goes right from the surface through the mix out the drain hole. You can adjust the gravel to soil mix percentages in order to allow for plants that tend to like wetter feet such as willows or mangroves and for less wetter feet like pines or she oaks. Learn the plants and understand the materials and you have already learned how to grow!
     
  11. Rima

    Rima Active Member

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    Perlite and aquarium gravel are easily accessible by almost anyone, which is why I mention them.
     
  12. DamienO'Connor

    DamienO'Connor Active Member

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    thank you so much. thats really helpful.
     
  13. DamienO'Connor

    DamienO'Connor Active Member

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    sorry i asked about the perlite again i forgot id already asked about it. ;)

    i looked up about my moreton bay fig as well, i found out that they like water and thats why fig trees usually have big roots above ground. so instead of 1/2 cactus mix and 1/2 gravel (is it the same dif. if i use aquarium gravel or the cement gravel?) should i use 3/4 potting mix (instead of cactus mix) and 1/4 gravel? - so that it has more organic than inert component, so it holds more water because thats what it likes.
    sorry i keep asking more and more questions by the way...
    is everything i said all right so far?

    thanks again.
     
  14. DamienO'Connor

    DamienO'Connor Active Member

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    heres a pic of my plant recently. i used half catctus mix half gravel. i was also told to snip the top off the plant so ive done that as well. is there anything else i need to do to it you reckon? havn't fertilised yet - i was told i can use a 20-20-20 fertiliser on it, what fertiliser has this, can i use this on most of my plants.
     

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  15. globalist1789

    globalist1789 Active Member

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    You'll find the fert you need in any place that sells house plants. Normally makes as a "general" or "all purpose" plant food. look where you see the houseplant food and african violet food, not in the section with huge bags of lawn food etc. You could find 20-20-20 or 20-30-20, both are close enough for you. Succulents don't like a lot of food so mix is very weak, like 1/8-1/4 what the directions say for potted house plants. Should all work fine, but don't be in a real rush to feed it, as you just repotted, and it should only take one feeding this year. Don't feed and barely water during winter.

    M.

    PS: I like your plant
     
  16. DamienO'Connor

    DamienO'Connor Active Member

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    ok but how much would i usually fertilise. the same as on the packet for normal potted plants? so if i bought thrive which is a soluble fertiliser, instead of 1 spoon per litre or whatever it is would i use 1/4 spoon per litre.
     
  17. Rima

    Rima Active Member

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    Damien, you can buy fertilizer for cacti & succulents and follow the info. on the label. PS - that's a Portulacaria afra, not a jade (Crassula argentea).
     
  18. globalist1789

    globalist1789 Active Member

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    Yup thats the ratio. I suggested general plant food instead of cactus food because you might not want to buy a jar of fert just for one plant.
     
  19. barvinok

    barvinok Active Member

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  20. DamienO'Connor

    DamienO'Connor Active Member

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    yeah true. especially if they don't like to be fed much.

    so it is a jade? what will happen now that i have snipped the top off?
    thank you for all your help,
    damien.

    PS..
    will it start to flower once i start to look after it better? it has never flowered before. when people mention piching the plant are they refering to the flower buds on the plant. is this to let the plant focus on growing rather than flowering?
     
  21. Rima

    Rima Active Member

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    It's unlikely to flower in the near future, I think it would need to be a bit older, getting the ideal amount of sun (hard to do in a house), etc. but they're not grown for their flowers. And you can call it a jade, but it's misleading, and most people I know who have them don't. Pinching (any plant) just means using your thumb and forefinger to nip of unwanted foliage, as in the tips of evergreens, or dead flowers, or even seeds, but you're right about it acting as a growth stimulant.
     
  22. DamienO'Connor

    DamienO'Connor Active Member

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    oh okay, i didnt exactly want flowers, just out of curiosity.
    umm.. at the moment (because im a newbie) i only have the cactus soil mix and a bag of those orange gravel. can i use cactus mix on all my potted plants (it looks just like the commercial bonsai mix, so i figured i could just use it) when i get a cutting from another plant can i use this - should i use the gravel (i want to get the same gravel but with a natural colour rather than that orange) how much do i use, ive got my hands on some sand from someone though i think it will be too small, what size does it have to be and should i be using it?
    i am planing on getting some 'thrive soluble fertiliser' although because i only have two plants i think i will have trouble mixing it because one spoon of the powder makes 4.5 litres of fertiliser which i think will be way too much for two plants every two weeks or longer.(and because aparently jade plants need a 1/4 strength of the fertiliser then it just makes it more difficult) any ideas? - maybe a different fertiliser brand/type
    (i thought i would get osmocote and put it in with the soil as well as a liquid fertiliser every two weeks - does that sound about right?)

    thank you so much for your replys, i really appreciate all your help.
    Damien..
     
  23. Rima

    Rima Active Member

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    Damien, find a little bottle (with an eyedropper squeeze cap) of Schultz Cactus fert. (2-7-7) and follow directions. You're fussing waaay too much with what is, for now, essentially a house plant that almost anyone can grow as long as they don't water too often and give it enough sun. That soil mix needs to be cut with an equal amt of grit ('sand' as we know it is not what is meant by sand in bonsai bks), so just get some smaller sized gravel at an aquarium store and relax. As far as jade (or Port. afra) cuttings go, just take a leaf and stick it in the soil cut end down (about 1/4 of its depth) and wait.. a couple of months at least, and you'll see tiny 'babies' start from the bottom end.
     

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