Is the Baby Jade Bonsai Right for You

by Ava Conner

The Baby Jade Bonsai is an excellent choice for bonsai gardeners of all skill levels who desire an indoor bonsai. Baby Jades are succulent, tropical plants native to Africa. Though they are a rather new variety of bonsai, Baby Jades are becoming quite popular due to their stunning looks.

The Baby Jade is also known as the Elephant Bush. The trunk, leaves, and branches are ‘fleshy’ and are used to store water. The leaves are round, and pale green. In the wild a Baby Jade will grow close to six feet tall.

How to Take Care of Your Baby Jade

The Baby Jade makes the perfect indoor bonsai tree. Proper lighting is essential for food production. The Baby Jade bonsai can go long periods of time without needing to be watered. It is over watering you will need to avoid with this plant!

Judge watering needs of the Baby Jade bonsai by the dryness of the soil in its pot. When the soil has become dry, it is time to water your tree. Remember that even though the Baby Jade can go a long time without watering, care must be taken to not avoid watering at all!

Baby Jade bonsais tend to grow fast. Your shaping preferences will determine how much time and how often you spend on this aspect of bonsai gardening. Do not worry though, your hard work will be rewarded. The Baby Jade is a beautiful plant, especially when it is flowering.

The Baby Jade’s bark will go through various stages in its lifetime. It will start with a green bark. As the tree matures, the bark will turn deep red. When the final stages of maturity are reached, a beatiful, natural gray coloring will take over. The flowers of the Baby Jade bonsai are purple in color with pink borders, shaped like stars.

There are some more traditional bonsai gardeners who will try to tell you that the Baby Jade bonsai is not a real bonsai. I say they are wrong. There are thousands of bonsai gardeners who proudly display their Baby Jade bonsai and will tell you loud and clear that the Baby Jade is here to stay!

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