How to Prune a Thick-skinned Plant
For netizens to detail how to prune thick-skinned plants and the illustrated pruning methods for green plant maintenance, the following is a brief introduction by the editor for the netizens.
Jade Tree, with its robust and ancient branches, is an excellent material for making bonsai. If you want the Jade Tree to grow into an interesting and powerful old stake, pruning is essential, especially severe pruning. However, improper care after topping (heavy pruning) the Jade Tree may cause the branches to shrink back, or even rot and blacken. So, how should we care for the Jade Tree after topping it?
1. Choose the right timing for topping the Jade Tree.
The best time to top the Jade Tree should be in April, when the temperature is about to rise, and the Jade Tree is preparing to grow new leaves and buds. At this time, you can combine potting and soil replacement with severe pruning. Early autumn is also a good time for topping, but it's not recommended to do it in late autumn because the temperature will gradually decrease, and the Jade Tree is susceptible to cold. Pruning too many leaves will lower its resistance, making it hard to survive the cold winter. Summer is the least recommended season for topping, as high temperatures make it difficult for succulent plants to survive, and they should focus on "resting" instead.
2. Properly operate when topping the Jade Tree.
Often, we see many experienced gardeners剪 branches and leaves roughly, leaving almost nothing behind. However, for beginners, it's better to leave a small part of the leaves for photosynthesis, allowing the Jade Tree to recover growth as soon as possible. Once new branches and leaves grow, the previously retained branches and leaves can be cut off if they are considered unsuitable.
3. Keep the wound dry after topping the Jade Tree.
The Jade Tree is a succulent plant of the Crassulaceae family, with thick leaves, which we call "thick-skinned." Its stem is also fleshy, and after topping, it will secrete a lot of milky white liquid. On one hand, we can use a clean paper towel to absorb the liquid and then apply a little mycostatic powder or wood ash to promote wound drying. On the other hand, we can place the Jade Tree in a shaded and well-ventilated area to promote scab formation.
The faster the wound of the Jade Tree heals, the lower the chance of black rot. Of course, if only the branches shrink and wilt after topping, it's a normal phenomenon. If the shrinkage is not long and stops shortly, there's no need to worry. If it continues to shrink and rot, it's necessary to cut off the blackened part completely.
How to Prune a Thick-skinned Plant
4. The cutting tool used for pruning the Jade Tree must be disinfected.
To minimize the probability of black rot in the branches of the Jade Tree, the cutting tool used for pruning must be disinfected. It can be soaked in a prepared mycostatic solution for ten minutes to an hour. If you don't have mycostatic, you can choose to disinfect with boiling water or by burning it with a lighter. The tool must be dried or cooled down before pruning the branches of the Jade Tree.
5. Appropriate application of nitrogen fertilizer.
Some gardeners may find that their Jade Tree becomes dormant after pruning, meaning it doesn't grow, doesn't produce new buds or leaves, and doesn't die. This is what we often call "dormant seedlings." We can break this dormancy by applying high-nitrogen fertilizer or urea to stimulate growth. However, be careful to control the amount and concentration of the fertilizer, as too much can burn the seedlings and make it difficult to save them.
If you don't want to waste the pruned branches, you can also propagate them through cutting. Interested gardeners should definitely try it. Propagation is a very interesting process, especially for plants like the Jade Tree, which is tough and easy to survive. The success rate of propagation is very high, which can greatly enhance your gardening accomplishment.
The above is the specific content on how to prune thick-skinned plants and the illustrated pruning methods, for everyone's reference and operation.