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Jade Plant Trunk-Thickening & Bonsai Guide 🌳

Goal

Encourage a jade plant (Crassula ovata) to develop: - A thick, woody trunk - Compact branching - A tree / bonsai-style silhouette

This takes light, pruning, mild stress, and time.

1. Choose the Main Trunk

  • Select one central, thickest stem to be the future trunk
  • Remove or separate competing stems so energy isn’t split
  • Extra stems can be:
  • Repotted as new plants, or
  • Pruned back hard to become branches

Rule: one leader = faster thickening.

2. Pruning (The Most Important Step)

When

  • Spring or summer only

How

  • Cut just above a leaf pair (node)
  • Reduce tall stems by ⅓–½
  • Leave 3–4 leaf pairs above the soil on the main trunk

What Happens

  • New shoots grow from nodes below the cut
  • Usually 2–4 branches appear
  • The trunk thickens to support new growth

The cut top itself will not regrow leaves — growth comes from below.

3. Light (Gym Time)

Ideal

  • 3–5 hours of direct sun daily, or
  • Strong grow light

Grow Light Setup

  • 15–30 cm above canopy
  • 10–12 hours/day
  • Combine with window light if possible

Good signs - Compact leaves - Slight red edges

Bad signs - Stretching → move light closer - Pale/yellow → raise light slightly

Rotate pot weekly.

4. Watering (Mild Stress = Wood)

  • Let soil dry completely between waterings
  • Water deeply, then leave it alone
  • Occasional slight leaf wrinkling is OK

Avoid frequent small sips.

5. Pot Size Strategy

Right Now

  • Medium-depth pot is ideal
  • Don’t up-pot unless roots are very crowded

Shallow / Bonsai Pots

  • Excellent for jade later
  • Restricts roots → thickens trunk
  • Improves proportions

Timing: move to shallow pot after: - Trunk starts turning woody - Strong branching is established - Roots fill current pot

Usually 6–12 months after major pruning.

6. Repotting into a Shallow Pot (Later)

  1. Remove plant when soil is dry
  2. Gently comb roots outward
  3. Trim roots by 20–30%
  4. Use a wide, shallow pot with drainage
  5. Gritty succulent soil
  6. No watering for 5–7 days

7. 12-Month Trunk-Thickening Plan

Spring

  • Major prune
  • Increase light
  • Minimal watering during recovery

Summer

  • Maximum light
  • Let it grow freely
  • Water only when fully dry

Late Summer / Early Autumn

  • Light shaping prune if needed
  • Shorten long shoots

Autumn

  • Reduce watering
  • Stop fertilizing

Winter

  • Bright light
  • Cool-ish conditions
  • Very little water
  • No pruning

Next Spring

  • Second grow-and-chop
  • Noticeable trunk thickening begins

Repeat yearly for serious gains.

8. Pro Tricks

  • Let the canopy get slightly heavy (don’t over-stake)
  • Weight encourages trunk thickening
  • Angle cuts slightly to encourage multiple shoots
  • Fertilize lightly, spring/summer only

Mindset

Jades reward confidence and patience. If it looks a bit brutal right after pruning — that’s correct.

Think in years, not weeks 🌳