The Creation and Maintenance of Jade Leaf Bonsai
Sharing knowledge about the creation of jade leaf bonsai, including its production and maintenance. Let's delve into it together.
Jade leaf, also known as Portulacaria afra Jacq (Portulacaria afra from Africa), commonly referred to as "Gold Branch Jade Leaf," is scientifically named Portulacaria afra Jacq. Its English name is Elephant Bush (an African useless shrub), belonging to the Portulacaceae family, Portulaca genus, a succulent evergreen shrub. The main stem is sturdy and robust, with nodes twisted, branches flexible on the outside and rigid on the inside, densely growing upright or sprawling, leaves tiny and thick, clustering at the top of branches. It exhibits both the vigorous and ancient posture of an old tree and the vitality of lush branches and leaves. Moreover, with its strong adaptability, preference for sunlight, drought resistance, pruning tolerance, and ease of sprouting, it is particularly suitable for growing on balconies and is an ideal plant material for creating solo or combined plantings in bonsai.
I. Preparation of Jade Leaf Bonsai Plant Materials
Jade leaf seeds are generally not easy to obtain, so propagation is mainly through cutting. Cuttings can be done in spring, summer, and autumn, but spring cuttings yield the best results. With moderate spring temperatures, the succulent stem cuttings are less likely to be infected by bacteria and rot, which is most favorable for wound healing and root growth. Generally, 2 to 3-year-old straight stems or branches can be cut, preferably considering their ornamental effect after survival. For single-plant pot cultivation, straight stems or branches can be selected as cuttings, while for combined bonsai plants, stems or branches with special shapes can be chosen as cuttings. After appropriate pruning of the cuttings, the lower cut should be located 0.2CM to 0.3CM below the node, then slightly dried before inserting them into clean fine sand or substrates like vermiculite or perlite, with about 1/4 to 1/3 of the cutting length inserted. Keep the substrate moist, but do not water too much, as it can cause rot and lead to failed cuttings. Generally, complete roots can grow within three weeks. To facilitate the cultivation of plants suitable for making bonsai, the surviving plants can be transplanted into earthenware pots, with enhanced water and fertilizer management. Based on the needs for future bonsai creation, the plants can be pruned once a month. After about a year of cultivation, when they have a certain plant shape, they can be used for bonsai making.
II. The Creation of Jade Leaf Bonsai
When the plants propagated by cutting have basically taken shape after a year of cultivation, they enter the stage of bonsai creation. Bonsai creation can be done throughout the year. Depending on the thickness of the plant stems, shape, length of branches, and their growth position, one can decide whether to create a single-trunk or a combined planting style and choose a pot that suits it.
For plants with a straight and robust main stem, dense internodes, no branches in the middle and lower parts, and many branches in the upper middle part that are evenly distributed in all directions, a single-trunk style bonsai can be made. The pot can be round or rectangular, blue or green shallow pots based on the shape of the plant. For stems that bend to one side but have a smooth overall line, blue or light yellow cylindrical pots can be used to create a cliff-style bonsai, but more stones and coarse sand should be placed in the pot to prevent waterlogging and root rot. For plants with one-sided beauty, 2 to 3 plants can be combined to achieve the best combination, making them complement each other,斜欹 appropriately, and echo each other, creating a landscape-style bonsai with high taste. For combined planting style pots, rectangular or elliptical shallow pots are suitable, as they provide more surface space to highlight the ancient and robust appearance of the tree trunks and create a unique artistic conception, also facilitating the decoration with拳石 and accessories.
The newly created jade leaf bonsai may not be completely satisfactory, and pruning is the main method to achieve its tree shape beautification and gradually perfect composition. For areas that need to form a canopy, repeated pruning can promote the germination of axillary buds on the lower side, generating new branches to form a dense canopy. For overly dense areas, pruning can achieve a tree shape with an alternation of dense and sparse. It is important to note the pruning time, avoiding the hot summer season and rainy days, and not watering or spraying water for 1 to 2 days after pruning to prevent the succulent new wounds from being infected by bacteria and rotting, leading to counterproductive results. Due to its ancient-looking, wrinkled stems and relatively sparse branches, and small leaves, compared to common banyan bonsai, it has a more straightforward and simple style, especially suitable for representing the spiritual appearance of evergreen trees in the south.
III. Maintenance and Management of Jade Leaf Bonsai
Jade leaf is native to tropical Africa and its bonsai prefers sunlight. As its branches and leaves contain a lot of water, it is a succulent plant that can tolerate a lot of sunlight. In summer, it can safely receive full sunlight on the balcony. Excessive shading can lead to long and thin branches and thin leaves, reducing their ornamental value. The potting soil should be loose and fertile, and watering should not be excessive, as it can easily cause root rot and affect normal growth. Jade leaf has poor cold resistance, and it usually needs to be moved to a bright room and maintain a room temperature of no lower than 5°C to survive the winter. Short and tender branches that sprout from the main stem of the jade leaf should be removed in time to prevent them from affecting the ventilation and light transmission in the inner canopy and to form scars on the main stem, enhancing its ancient look. Jade leaf bonsai can be repotted every 2 to 3 years, removing some old roots and old soil, and replanting with good permeability and fertile soil, keeping the potting soil moist to promote the growth of new roots and enhance the growth momentum of the plant. Fertilizing for potted jade trees should use well-rotted thin cake fertilizer water, fertilizing once a month during the growing season, stopping fertilization in the midsummer, and reducing water and fertilizer in autumn (G-Y), to benefit both growth and safe overwintering and summering.
The above sharing on the creation and maintenance of jade leaf bonsai hopes to bring a little help to your life!