Hack, Hack, Hack, Give the Jade a Hone

14 years ago

Ever notice how a few sips of the grape empowers one to practice the non-existent hyperpruning (I shan't call it bonsai) skills one doesn't know one doesn't have?

This is the third time it's been gone after in the last few months - it seemed it didn't slow down in the summer (I had it outside) nor does it slow down in the winter - it grows new leaves at the drop of a toque.

I think the shape I want is coming along, but I need to clean up numerous bits and such with the Exacto. I'd be happy for any advice.

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Comments (12)

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
14 years ago
Hey, Jeff!
In vino veritas....great, bold work!
I really like the look of your top-dressing, too. Great subdued tones. Looks local.

A couple days ago, I took the hatchet to my Big Jade Cutting - took it from something like 30 inches, down to about 15 inches. I had determined it was time to lay into it, to take it to that next level of development. After that first cut, it gets easier.....

Josh
cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
Original Author
14 years ago
Josh,

And thank you. Yes, I haul the rocks out of the ravine near the house and then smash them up - they're only put through the screen twice, however.
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Yay! I did it, and I’m really pleased with the results. :-) Doing our Ikea kitchen ourselves, has been harder than I thought it would be, but this little project was not too much trouble and the results are very satisfying. I’ll share my process in case someone else wants to try this themselves. I made a 5.5" cabinet from a 12" base cabinet. Step 1. Cut the bottom piece to size. The bottom piece is 10.5” for a 12” cabinet, since it is connected to the sides, which take up 1.5” total. So I needed to cut the bottom piece to 4” (5.5 - 1.5). A table saw is probably the best tool for this. I had read that taping the cut might help keep the cut clean so I made my measurement marks on some painters tape I put on the bottom piece. It did a decent job. Not perfect, but acceptable. Step 2. Create a way to connect the tops of the sides together to replace the metal strips. I cut two 4” pieces from a 1x6. Other sizes of wood will work, but we had leftover 1x6. The nice thing about a 1x6 is that it is 3/4“ thick like the other parts of the cabinet. Step 3. Cut down the back. The original back is 11 5/16” wide (or 11/16” less than 12”). So for my 5.5” cabinet I wanted 5.5” - 11/16” = 4 13/16”. I used a utility knife to cut the back. It took many passes, but using a straight edge I was able to get a clean cut. If you get close, but haven’t cut through the back, you can bend it and then use your knife on the back by cutting in the crease. (Similar to how you would cut drywall.) I decided to also cut out the corner square on the right side for the bracket. That left a skinny little part in the middle. This was a mistake. Unless you are doing a cabinet larger than 6” you should definitely skip this step. The brackets that hang on the rail left exactly 0" of space in between for the back, and it broke off before I even realized this. Step 4. Assemble the cabinet. Assembly the cabinet is mostly the same. The exception is that you cut off the holes on one side of the bottom for the wood dowels and cam locks. I assembled the one side that had the holes the normal way, but I used screws to connect the other side to the bottom. I predrilled the holes for the screws the depth of the screw. Then I did a shallow hole with a wider drill bit, so I could counter-sink the screws and they would not stick out. The final step is to connect the wooden pieces that replace the metal strips. I screwed those in using the same process that I screwed the bottom to the side. And now I have a 5.5” cabinet. Total cost: $34. This does not include a door. If the cabinet was 5” you could use a 30” wide low drawer front. I will be using part of a cover panel to create a door. I have to wait until we get to the using the panels to try that part. I’ll try to report back how that goes.
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beachplant
14 years ago
Ya'll bored up there in the frozen northland? Step away from the jade. It's soo cute.
Sorry no advise from here, I'm not into bonsai, I'm more of a machete type pruner myself. Whack at it with the machete when it blocks the pathway.

Keep up the good work. Hauling rocks is great exercise so bonus points for that.
Tally HO!
paracelsus
14 years ago
Jeffrey wrote: "Ever notice how a few sips of the grape empowers one to practice the non-existent hyperpruning (I shan't call it bonsai) skills one doesn't know one doesn't have?

I don't need any alcohol to fuel my shears. I have a natural tendency to 'hyperprune' (what a lovely word, could easily be applied to overly exuberant plant whacking, and my mother-in-law).

It is very hard to make that first cut, but once you get going, the hardest thing is knowing when to stop. One cut leads to another, until very soon, there is nothing left to cut. I don't think you're done yet, Jeffrey.

Brad
Denise
14 years ago
Beach - are you ribbing Jeff about the good ol' days of the Jade-gone-wild he enjoyed in his yard? (That wall-o-Jade was in your yard, wasn't it Jeff?) You southern folk got it so good!

Jeff, your Jade looks like it's on its way to being a bushy fella. I've been known to whack them until there are nothing but leafless branches. Had one (of the sports) that got beat up in a bad wind/hail storm in June 2008. After two months, it looked like this...
{{gwi:623609}}
By this last May, it had filled in nicely...
{{gwi:557900}}
I don't have a current photo, but it's looking pretty great! I love the way the trunk thickens with each serious pruning.

I have two big standard Jades that are in dire need of a serious pruning that I plan to whack at as soon as they're done flowering. And I agree with Josh - I'm a little nervous (even after all the pruning I've done) the first few cuts, but it does get easier. The fun part is waiting to see those cute little leaves emerging from those tough barky branches!

Denise in Omaha
laura1
14 years ago
Drink and prune...
doesn't sound as serious and "drink and dial"!
I don't know anything about bonsai so I got a book and I still don't know anything about bonsai.
puglvr1
14 years ago
Great Hack jobs everyone!! I too am a believer in severe Jade pruning, and have been known to "whack" a few of them! Its fun watching them grow into more compact tree like plants.

Nice pics!!
beachplant
14 years ago
All I know about bonsai is that I have to water those little tiny trees far too much. BF is the bonsai nut in the family. I do look at plants differently now, plants I wouldn't look at twice I'm examing trunks thinking, that would make a good bonsai. I now appreciate all the hard work that goes into them and he's becoming a fan of cacti/succulents and other related plants.

Hyperprune-my mother-in-law ROFLMAO!!!! Could describe my ex-mil too.

I've no room to talk on chopping up plants. I'll get a wild hair and go chop something almost to the ground.

Tally HO!
cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
Original Author
14 years ago
Brad,

I haven't felt necessary to act thusly towards my MIL, mostly.

Yes, there are nubbins, scraps and varlet-looking remnants left to remove, but I had to keep some leafery to keep some folks happy some of the time.

But if I was to be cutting more....I'm going to have to look at this again.

Denise,

Each time I cut, I think of the 30-lb. pieces of trunk that I tossed away in a number of times when I was reducing the GWOJWKL's relatives in order to make growing room for other plants - I think there were four or five other shrubs that I got rid of in the dumpster. A few small barrel-looking trunks would be nice to practice on.
johnh_or
14 years ago
Thought maybe you'd taken up smoking till I saw the tail end of the subject! Looks like you have the beginnings of a "hyper" plant in the making....Nice!
kikeen
14 years ago
Remember what Sheryl Crow says "The first cut is the deepest". They were actually playing that in the operating room when I had my hip replacement done! ;)
blutarski
14 years ago
I'm limiting my whackage to once a year. Some I think I'm going to let grow a bit. I don't know...I guess it doesn't really matter either way, does it?

Hack, Hack, Hack, Give the Jade a Hone

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greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a

cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
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Hack, Hack, Hack, Give the Jade a Hone

Comments (12)

cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5Original Author

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