Those are terrific. I can't do that, don't have a good eye for the art. Norma

J -

Those are great! I really like the way you have staged them. P. Afra is great bonsai material to play with - pretty predictable as far as pruning and subsequent budding behavior so you can really direct growth.

My two cents is to give them as much sun as you can (e.g., their new growth looks a bit stretched), and to prune that new growth way back to get a tighter branching look. You may also want to start thinking about branch selection, primary branch, next one up, back branches etc.

Do you use twine instead of wiring the plant into the pot? Interesting approach.

Nice trees.

Tom

Here's the smaller of my two - just got crushed by a major rainstorm we had yesterday:

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Great finds Jo...you did an excellent job with them...

Tom that is one Awesome looking bonsai...Wow!! to own one of those, **sigh**

Great Pictures, thanks

I have one that is a wippy 4-5' tall.It was in sun until two years ago when a fence went up right in front dooming it too deep shade. Too late in the year to dig up?
Jo,I like the second one best.I think the first two of yours only need tip pruning. The third one is a tough call.With so many vertical shoots, you have many options,from windswept to a mini forest cluster.

Tom: Super nice plant. Really great ramification. I should have wet mine down for the pictures too, the red stems look awesome. Most of the etiolated growth is left from when it was growing at the nursery. They get full sun now, but due to my space limitations, they only sort of get it from one side. Since the shelf above them blocks some of the mid day sun, I try to rotate them every week or so, but often forget. You can see in the picture below how they are set up...

I really need to do some major pruning, but I still have a hard time "seeing" the results before I do it. So of course that makes me nervous that I'll botch them. I suppose I should just be brave and dive in...

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Stan: We just posted at the exact same time! Jinx, you owe me a Coke!

I don't think its too late to dig it up. Like Jades, I'm of the opinion that P. afra is pretty much bullet proof. As long as you cut back on water well in advance of digging it up, I think it will do just fine.

I've always thought the third was suited for a windswept look, so that is probably what I'll try for. I'm having a hard time deciding which branch should be the leader though. It has sort of three equally dominant branches that all seem like viable candidates.

Gorgeous! I need me one of these in a bad way!

Josh

I love those three guys in a row! Don't be afraid to prune them back, they respond well and grow fast, so it is easy to correct any errors.

Here is my big guy. I posted pics of this one earlier in the summer when I got him as a 'shrub'. Bonsai pot next spring, I hope:

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T

Tom-- did you buy this as a shrub or did you grow it from a wee-lil thing? I'm always curious because in CO, you will rarely find a succulent this big (at least not Port-Afra). Mine were 3 inches tall when I got them-- they have trunks maybe a lil over half the size of yours.

I can't wait to get mine into pots but they have a ways to go.

Has anyone here used the trunk chop method on their Port-Afras? I chopped my biggest one this summer-- and I'm anxious to see it thrive again.

Ryan

Hi Ryan -

It was big when I bought it - looked like this:

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Any updates on the Port-Afras? I don't have any pics of mine, but they are enjoying a great run of weather here in Colorado-- sunny and 70 every day-- very dry air is in place with only light winds.

There isnt much new growth on any of my trees-- do these guys go into a full-on dormancy or just a slow down of growth?

Ryan

I have had mine pretty much stop growing completely during the darkest winter months, even under HID lights in temps of 60-70 day, 50s at night. So, I keep them pretty dry in the winter, but they do tolerate a bit of watering.

Mine are still growing now, but with the impending cold weather that is forecast for here (upper 30s tonight!) I have brought mine in. All but a small cutting that I am experimenting with outside...

I also sprayed them with Anti-stress 2000 (another experiment based on some information I read on this site) and there have been no adverse affects to the spraying. Now I would like to see if it makes them more cold tolerant, as it describe in the literature (hence the cutting experiment). I also did it as a precautionary (e.g., mites) spraying before bringing them in to close quarters will all my other plants.

T

This might be one of those plants that looks nicer in a pot than in the ground where they become a green blob. This post keeps reminding me to dig up my floppy P.afra.
Tom,that is a great looking plant to find in Maine. It must have been a rare plant nursery. Tom,what's that very nice plant to the right in your last photo?..I like the feathery leaves.

Hi stanofh -

That is Pithecellobium tortum, aka Brazilian Raintree (not succulent, sorry everybody):

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I live in Massachusetts - picked up the P. Afra in a bonsai nursery near me. The owner had just returned from FL with a batch of P. Afra. Found this one in the back...

T

Wow Tom!! That is absolutely GORGEOUS!! Wanna adopt me?, LOL
If not I will work for bonsai...Thanks for the great pics!

Beauty.If Buddha had meditated under that tree instead of a Ficus he would have learned faster!

Tom..your bonsais are breath-taking. How much work is involved shaping, pruning, etc?
Is the Brazillian Raintree tropical?

I have a question you should be able to answer. I won a variegated Afra on Ebay..it hasn't arrived yet, so don't know its height. I would very much like to grow as a bonsai. Is there anything I should or shouldn't do to get it started? Keep in a small pot, for instance?

Also, I have a Richardson Begonia in a bonsai pot. It's 3-4 yrs old. Although it's doing okay, it could look a whole, lot better. One problem may be it's in a north window.
The foliage and stems are red, and it flowers, but not nearly as many as those seen online.
If I were to prune, how much should be removed? Should pruning be done now or in spring? Thanks, Toni
Again, your plants are beautiful..

Thanks for the nice words on the tree.

I know it is off-topic, but the Raintree is a relatively easy to care for tree. Good light, drainage, and lots of food and they grow pretty fast. Just a little messy when they drop foliage indoors during the winter, as you can imagine.

Here is a pic of it four years ago:

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Again, sorry about the off-topic stuff...

T

Hi Toni -

Thanks.

Not seeing the P. Afra and being able to see trunk girth, size, etc. it is hard to give specific advice.

In general, though, if you want it to thicken up before you stage it for bonsai, it would be best to get it healty and growing more freely than plunking it straight away into a bonsai pot. In fact, I often keep my plants growing in stock pots for varying periods of time before I bonsai them. That allows it to get some root growth to start in the stock pot - but I also start lightly pruning it with a general design in mind (unless you need to thicken up some branches, in which case you may want to let them grow more freely). When you prune, it is pretty easy to anticipate the branch direction from the prune - you will get buds at the base of the remaining leaves at the point where you pruned.

Then, when you are ready to stage as bonsai, you will likely need to root prune to get it to fit in the pot. So, do the typical succulent routine for this - prune and let it callous over a bit before you water.

Sorry, I don't have any direct experience with that type of begonia.

If you want some real inspiration for P. Afra as bonsai, Google "Jim Smith Portulacaria Afra" and check the images that you find. You can also find some good care information here:

http://www.knowledgeofbonsai.org/species_specific/smithport.php

Tom

Tom...Do you know if bonsai art can be done with C. (Jade) ovata? Standard Jade.
I started a thread here tonight, but so far no replies.
I've seen Jade bonsais sold at Home Depot, but don't know if they used a different Crassula species. They look similar to ovata.

BTW, I checked out the website you posted..It's quite informative..didn't have time to read through the whole site, but will do after deciding what to do with my Jade..I'd like to get it started..Thanks, Toni

Hi Toni -

Jade can most definitely be 'bonsai-ed' - you may just have to quell your enthusiasm a bit for now. The best time for drastic root and branch pruning is spring.

See this link on that website for more information - good luck!

T

Here is a link that might be useful: Jade as Bonsai

To tide you over until spring, why don't you make a Jade Mame? Take a small cutting cutting with the growth point still in tact. Next, place the cutting in/on a piece of very porous rock, lava rock is ideal. (If you really want to allow for maximum growth potential, drill some small holes for the roots to eventually grow out of and into some soil you place below.) Now just put it in a warm, bright spot, and wait a few months. The cutting will root out into the pores of the rock, attaching itself and making an instant, tiny staged plant. You can get pretty creative with shaping or finding the rock. I know it isn't quite as satisfying as pruning and staging a full size bonsai, but now is actually a pretty good time for this little project.

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This is mine after I think about six months. It is totally attached and putting on new growth. I took this photo a few months ago, so when I get home, I'll take another one, showing the new growth.

Jo,

What a great idea!! Thanks for that great explanation, I think even an amateur like me can try one of those...I'm going to give that a try!!

Thanks again,

Wow! I am headed for the creek to find some porous rocks!

Mike

Jo -

Love the rock jade - is that what they call "root IN a rock style"?

T

A few notes for those who try it:
*Warmth always helps!
*You've got to be patient after you finish placing the cutting. Moving it around or checking to see if there are roots will damage the tiny new roots, and make it take way longer.
*The rocks obviously don't provide much in the way of macronutrients, but they do a surprisingly good job with all the micronutrients (lava rock in particular). That means very slow, but healthy growth, especially if you keep them in the sun.
*Watering will have to be closely monitored to figure out how your particular rock responds.
*Carbide-tipped masonry drills are awesome for playing with rocks, pots, and all sorts of other hard things. Buy a few of the cheapies at Home-Depot and use slow speeds and ample water.
*For city folk, check out landscape supply yards for rocks.

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Same view as before, taken today.

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New leaf pair and the stem is putting on a little size too.

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Right now, it gets full early morning sun, and shade in the afternoon. Although it has a nice red blush, tt might be getting the tiniest bit etiolated, so come spring, it will get moved out to full sun.