Dwarf jade bonsai

Placement

Dwarf jade needs a great deal of light, ideally full sun. Where it is warm all year, it lives outdoors permanently in full sun. In temperate climates it is grown as an indoor bonsai: set it by the brightest window, preferably facing south, otherwise east or west. With enough light, the leaf edges take on a red tinge; without it, shoots stretch, the plant weakens and becomes more prone to pests.

A summer outdoors does it a lot of good. Get it used to full sun gradually, because moving it abruptly from indoors to outdoors can yellow or redden the leaf tips, or even scorch them. Put it out once the danger of frost has passed and bring it in as soon as nights threaten to drop below 41 °F: it does not tolerate frost.

Given good light and correct watering, it rarely falls ill. The main pest is the mealybug, especially indoors: small white cottony clusters, often on the undersides of the leaves. Remove them with a shower of water and by wiping the leaves, then with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol if the infestation persists. Armored scale can also settle in. Avoid petroleum-based products, which damage the fleshy leaves, and test any treatment on a few leaves before applying it to the whole tree. The same symptom can have several causes: check light and watering first.

Soil mix

Like any succulent, it fears suffocated roots: the mix must drain very fast. A standard bonsai mix works, as does a cactus mix lightened with non-porous mineral materials such as small gravel, pumice or grit. Go easy on fine sand, which packs the mix down. Choose a pot with large drainage holes; unglazed pottery lets moisture evaporate more readily. Its small root system adapts well to shallow containers.

Watering

Dwarf jade stores water in its leaves and stems: it handles drought well, but it grows faster and makes denser foliage when it gets enough water during the growing season. It tolerates overwatering somewhat better than many succulents, yet a constantly wet mix eventually rots the roots.

Do not water on a fixed schedule: observe. From mid-spring to mid-fall, water thoroughly, until water runs out of the bottom, as soon as the mix has dried a few centimeters down, then let it dry out again. The rest of the year, keep it almost dry. In a cool room in winter, the gap can become very long: wait until the mix is dry deep down and the lower leaves start to wrinkle. Slightly wrinkled leaves signal thirst. In spring, ease back into watering.

Fertilizer: a balanced fertilizer once a month during the growing season, from spring to late summer or early fall. If you prune heavily to build a dense tree in a small pot, slightly more frequent feeding helps it regrow. No fertilizer during the winter rest.

Pruning

Pruning is the main shaping tool. The plant produces new buds wherever a branch or a leaf is removed, so it can be kept at almost any size and in almost any shape. Regular pruning also pushes out branches lower on the trunk.

• Pinching: during growth, let new shoots lengthen, then cut them back to one or two pairs of leaves, just above a pair. A cut at a pair of leaves usually produces two new branches, which quickly builds dense foliage pads.
• Structural pruning: possible all year except during the coldest, dampest periods. Leave a small stub rather than a concave cut.
• Partial defoliation: as growth starts, you can remove the leaves at the shoot tips, keeping only two per tip.
• Healing: do not apply cut paste. The soft bark heals on its own as it dries, whereas paste encourages rot.

Styles: it suits almost any style. The best fits are informal upright, semi-cascade, cascade and group plantings. Its long, still-green branches bend under their own weight, a tendency that works well for cascades.

Propagation: nothing could be easier. Take stem cuttings, in spring with bottom heat or in summer; let the cut end dry and callus for a few days before planting. In warm conditions they root in four to six weeks in almost any mix, sometimes even in water, and fallen leaves sometimes root on their own. The tiny pink or white flowers are rare in cultivation.

Wiring

The bark is very soft: wiring is possible but calls for great care, and it is often advised to skip it and shape the tree by pruning instead. Wire marks the bark very quickly, and young, water-filled branches snap easily if bent too far.

If you do wire, use aluminum wire about one third the thickness of the branch, wound at roughly 45°, and stick to gentle curves. Protect thick branches with damp raffia before bending them. Check the wire very often and remove it before it starts to bite in, cutting it at every turn rather than unwinding it. For branches that are too fragile, a guy wire anchored to the pot or to a solid part of the tree lets you lower them without coiling wire around them.

Repotting

Repot a young tree every two or three years, an older specimen less often, in spring. Remove no more than a third of the roots. After repotting, wait about a week before watering so the cut roots can heal and rot is avoided, and resume feeding only once growth restarts. Then keep it sheltered from extremes of heat, cold and wind.

The elephant bush page covers its care as an ordinary potted plant.