It is sad when someone who is excited about learning a new skill is discouraged by the people who are so full of their own "knowledge and skill." I do not know that much about a lot of things, but I do know how much it hurts to be put down by some egotistical know it all. When I look at my first attempt at bonsai I see many mistakes, but what I learned far out weighed my dissapointments. I am now a Certified Arborist and have a far better understanding of the habit of plant growth and how to properly prune a tree for structure, health and shape. Using proper pruning I can keep a Southern live oak as a small healthy tree in what ever space is available. Using methods I learned early with bonsai, learening from mistakes and attending tree conferences I have gained enough knowlege to understand how little I know. Twenty years ago I went to watch a demonstration put on by Ben Oki, after the demonstration I asked if he would look at my miniature jade which I had been pinching for about 12 years. He agreed, though many in the local bonsai club said what I had was not a true tree, therefor not a bonsai. Mr. Oki dissagreed, he said it was excellent material to learn and practice on. He pointed out a few things I could do to improve the look of my plant. He also pointed out that for many years bonsai were not wired and were only pruned to shape by knowing the habit of plant growth. The use of wire and weights accelerates our ability to shape and train a tree, but it is not the only way. These are only the thoughts of an old geezer, and not ment to admonish anyone.

The biggest problem answering is knowing what you mean by "dwarf jade". There are several different plants that go by this name. Your best option is to post a photo.

Hi Ben.. I live in a 3rd story apartment in London Over the past few years I have been growing some Crassula to provide partial window screening.. My original plan was to have them shaped something like African savannah trees. It has sort of worked.. Although not strictly savannah like, this one has turn out best I think.. One problem I have is the older leaves tend to fold down, which is not bad, but not so savannah like. I would prefer if they were more horizontal. Any advice on that? Great page by the way, there are many useful tips here.. Ian

Perhaps the largest piece of the puzzle in making a bonsai look big is a thick, tapering trunk combined with secondary branches significantly thinner. The most common approach with jades is to let them grow considerably( your jade is already there), and then trunk chop several inches above the soil, say 4-6 inches. Then you again let it grow out until the secondary branches have thickened to where you want them. There are several steps after that, but they can be addressed later. The problem I see, from the picture angles, is that the base of the trunk is narrower than where the first branches come off. Is that true, or not? If so, the best solution I see to that is to pot it deeper to give the impression that three saplings grew into a tight clump. From there I would, if it were mine, probably trunk chop at three different heights about an inch apart, maybe at 5, 6 and 7 inches above the soil. Then guide the growth so that one branch grows upward, and all others grow outward at various angles. Continuing this method would probably give you a bonsai somewhere in the 15-18 inch range. This is a multi-year process, and maybe not what you were envisioning, but HERE are some excellent examples of following a slow and dedicated process. The very first tree pictured shows excellent trunk taper. You can see where a severe chop occurred to help achieve this. Not a trunk chop, but a chop of a low, major branch that had helped to thicken the trunk. Since you don't have low, large branches, trunk chopping is how to achieve taper. ez