Very, very nice! You have done a great job there Jo.

I am attempting to start an ovata in the same manner. I'll post a pic here soon. I also have a big branch from the monster that broke off I would like to do something with. I'll post that one too.

Ok...here's my early attempt at a cascading jade. Whether or not it ever works out only time will tell. My previous attempt at bonsai with a juniper was a miserable failure. Jades I can grow.

(Tape measure for reference)

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This is the broken piece from the MIMBY (thanks paracelsus!) that I want to work with. It was previously a side branch so it has no growth on the back side. Any thoughts, ideas, hints would be great.

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Jo,

Wow!! Wow!! Those are absolutely beautiful!! I especially love the ones with the pretty yellows/reds...and your pots are so NICE!! They compliment the plant so much. I know you make most of your pots, I just wish I could find some local places here that have bonsai pots, I have to order mine, and they are usually the plastic pots...not that there's anything wrong with them, just wish there were more of a selection. Are you sure you don't want to start selling your pots on ebay, LOL...

Seriously...those are incredible!! Thanks for the pics, really enjoyed looking at them, I'm (green with envy)!

Jo, Absolutely gorgeoues..
A few questions..How often does a plant in a pot like yours, need to be watered?
What about fertilizer?
How often do you root prune? It seems roots want to grow. To keep potted in a shallow container, roots have to be what size? I mean do they spread horizontally or vertical? Both?

I second Pug's motion about you selling pots on Ebay..lol. Toni

J,
What an improvement!!

Did you make that 1st pot?

Pug: Thanks for the very kind words! I didn't actually make either of these pots. Currently, my class only allows me to work on the wheel, which pretty much just makes round things. To make a rectangular pot like that, you build it from "slabs" or thick sheets of clay. The small brown pot and the large green one both came from a local bonsai nursery. The first pot I put the small plant in are these junky chinese knock off pots I've seen in a few nurseries around here. They look decent and are cheap, but they don't have drainage holes!!! Its nothing a carbide drill can't fix though! I really have seriously considered trying to sell some pots. I question how much demand there really is on eBay and at local shows/sales, but it would be fun to try.

Toni: The smaller plant gets water on average every other week. Although in hot weather, I tend to give it more. The large plant gets water maybe once a month except for during the height of summer, when it will get water every other week. They are both in 90% pumice, which in these broad, flat pots dries out pretty quick. Both stay out all winter and get whatever rain we receive her in Los Angeles. Our summers are mild enough (highs of 80-90F max) that if given enough water, Jades will just barely go dormant, and grow for almost the entire year.

I don't do a whole lot in the way of fertilizing. The 10% organic material is all they will get for the first year. After that, they will get a 1/4 strength dose of 13-13-13 Nutricote Total. Nutricote is a granular product, similar to Osmicote that releases a small amount of fertilizer each time the granules get wet. Unlike Osmicote, Nutricote goes on top of the soil, and provides a much more uniform, controlled release of the fertilizer. That lasts for another year and then it is usually time to repot!

I root prune only when repotting for some other reason. More often than not, I find myself simply removing large masses of roots just to fit them into a smaller pot rather than trying to promote growth. For example, the small plant had a dense wad of roots completely filling the first pot. I removed close to 75% of the roots. Even that filled more than half the volume of that little brown pot! Only rarely do I do any root pruning and the repot into the same container. Since I was already repotting the large Jade to do a new staging, I cut out all the older, "woody" roots while I was at it. Since it is only the fine, hairy roots that take in water, you can remove these thicker, woody roots without putting much stress on the plant. Root pruning does seem to encourage more growth with Jades. Just like pruning back the leaves and branches will thicken stems...

Caudex: Nah, too formal for my skills!

Moonshiner: Sorry, started a response earlier, then forgot to include it...

Thanks for the compliment! I'd tried a a couple conventional bonsai before too, but really just tortured then killed the poor things. I am simply not meant to own a plant that needs water every day! "Succulent bonsai" has really been great in that regard.

For your cascade, you probably need to be more aggressive about training it. A cascade should have a pretty sudden bend, not such a broad arc. I understand that is probably your intent, and you were just going for the slow but steady approach. Well, at least for me, Jades respond much better to strong, determined actions. Then again, I've always been a brute force kind of thinker, maybe I'm really missing out on the subtle approach. You could probably get better results wiring. Although, I still totally suck at using wire, so I probably shouldn't be telling other people to do it! ;-)

That cutting looks like it has good potential. I know just what you mean about it being a flat side branch though. Sort of an awkward starting point, at least for me, since I have sort of a hard time visualizing what everything will look like after its been bent/pruned into shape. I might be tempted to prune it way back to the main stem and kind of "start over" but that would be a *very* slow approach. The other thing I will do is focus just on the main stem, determining what my preferred viewing angle is. Then, if a branch doesn't fit in with that composition, then bend it or prune it until it does!

For all those even remotely interested, I can't possibly recommend this book enough!!!
Pachyforms II: Bonsai Succulents

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This is my "flat branch" C. ovata. I'm so uncertain of what to do with it, that I don't even have it in a pot!

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All lined up...

Thanks for the encouragement Jo. The "cascade" is very simply just a broken branch that I let heal and then placed in that position. I have done nothing to it other tie it into place and try to secure it while the roots start to grow. I do agree with you that I should probably just take most of the top green growth back and let if go from there in it's own way.

I will definitely check out the book.

I see, I didn't realize it hadn't rooted yet. Honestly, you're better off getting the plant started in a little 2" plastic pot than that nice bonsai pot. It certainly isn't necessary, but you could have something nicer in the good pot while the cutting grows some roots. Not to mention the reduced risk of rot... Anyway, cascades work better in tall narrow pots versus squat and broad ones. If you want the instant bonsai effect, at least go with one of those.

Also, your soil looks pretty rich. You should add a bunch of additional drainage material. If that is store-bought C&S mix, I would add at least equal parts pumice.
The book isn't super strong on technique, but it has a lot of very specific information to succulents, and is loaded with photos and specific instructions for a a variety of popular species.

you're better off getting the plant started in a little 2"plastic pot than that nice bonsai pot. It certainly isn't necessary, but you could have something nicer in the good pot while the cutting grows some roots.

I've got about 20 of those sitting around already, in all shapes and sizes!

This is just an experiment, something to play around with, keep me occupied. The soil is sifted Palm/Cactus mix, with some extra sharp sand mixed in. Only the top 1/4" is regular C&S, just for looks. I don't give it enough water for it to rot. Usually just thoroughly mist the soil once a week until I see some roots getting started. Then I might soak the pot and let it dry completely before it sees water again. But I will think about putting it into a tall, narrow pot, and maybe trying a taller specimen in this one.

Less is always better with these guys, as you well know. I really love the way yours brightened up when you started giving it *way* more sun and restricting water.

Moonshiner: Sounds like you got things well under control, and certainly don't need any advice from me! ;-) Be sure to share the progress of all you various projects with us!

I was out taking some shots today, and the setting sun set up this lovely shot:

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Sunset!
That is a wonderful shot, Jo.
Sorry I didn't post sooner. I am thrilled to see these projects of yours!

Josh

In my haste this morning I forgot to mention, Jo, that I think these Jades
are closer in leaf-shape to the 'Skinny Finger' sport. The leaves come to
more of a point; whereas the 'Gollum' sport has leaves that are trumpeted
toward the cup-like tip. Either way, your plants are excellent examples.

Josh

Thanks for the info Josh! These are all labeled as Crassula ovata monstrose in my personal records, but I'll change my Picasa labels to reflect the sport name you prefer. Part of my feels that these Jade sport names are kind of pointless since they can all be so variable under different conditions. Then again, these names really seem to make Jade enthusiasts happy, so I might as well join the party! Anyway, I am glad you took a look, as I figured these would be right up your alley!

They are right up my alley, indeed!
I wish I had some big Jades like these.

With my own Jade sports, I find that 'Gollum' and 'Skinny Fingers' will usually exhibit some cross-characteristics. That is, to say, Skinny Fingers often puts out Gollum-like leaves (and vice versa). When one of these out-of-character leaves appears, I usually just pluck it off.

Side by side, the differences between sports are far more apparent.

Josh