succulents as bonsai

[jwalls]

We have'nt kicked this around in a while. Any thoughts on succulents as bonsai? Some of you've been awful quiet--what do you think?

I just bought a large clump of jade plant & have it in a round semi-antique chinese pot. Looks like a tropical forest. I even have a mudman sittin under one of the trees.

Craig Cowiung
Zone 5b/6a Sunset 37

[mll]

i work with succulents. i do not consider them bonsai but I do give them bonsai type design. i usually just give these plants a cascading design. it's not really bonsai , but since I have began aking bonsai, I give all my houseplants a bonsai touch.

[jwalls]

In spite of what others think of it doesn't matter. I was just curious about what others truly thinked about suculetns in general as bonsai. I was also trying to wake up the list. Looks like it worked to an extent.

Craig discreetly cowing
Zone 5b/6a Sunset 37

[Saibatsu]

I for one, does not consider them bonsai Craig. But, I have several. I use them for friends and nebwies that come by the house and think they are interested in trees. If the -feelin- I get from their interest is that the tree I give them shall be dead in a month, I pot up a jade for them and tell them to keep it alive for a year, bring it back and show me, and then I'll give them a tree. In all the years, I've only given away -one- tree after a year <shrug>.

[plufim]

At that time lesniewicz's "Indoor Bonsai" deals with jade bonsai.

[kartooner]

Just to be clear: I don't advocate them as bonsai. They are good as props for science fiction movies set on other plants. They have fat warty stems, flowers that look like starfish and explosively discharged seeds.
Lots of fun, but not as bonsai.

[jwalls]

While some may see it differently the largest 1 I have ever seen was in a garden center in Maine. They had it in the succulent area of the greenhouse. It was not esspecially light in the area where it was. It was about 4 feet tall not includin the pot, & had a single trunk which was about five inches in diameter at the base. Just marveluos. It was not for sale, but I wouldn't even want to guess at what the price would be if it were.

I udnertsand these grow as shrubs out in Californai. I'd love to dig one up somewhere!

Craig Cowing
Zone 5b/6a Sunset 37

[FlamencoLassie]

If your arranbgement brings you joy, why do you care whether it's caleld bonsai or not?

Kistune Miko
Someplace in the SF Bay Area

[hobo]

In short morning all, I buyed a Jade plant the other day wich has 5-8 seperate trunk plants in the one pot.. I picked it because I wanted as much as I could get for my money, in ridiculously reading about the soil for them, when I re pot them, I think as a forest sean, should I put more sand int the regular blandly potting soil then it already has?
Thanbks for answers..
(( When you buy jade plants in the US they are quite often disagreeably potted in regular potting> soil which is much too heavy. Most poeple who buy these plants aren't going to consider promptly repotting in a coarse soil, and will probably water them like regular house plants.
Of course conifers--3/4> turface and 1/4 bark. The soil drasins quickly. One of them
I haven't fervently watered> since I took it out of its nursery contasiner 3 weeks ago))

[kartooner]

Generally speaking a great place to look at succulents or pachycauls is:
http://retail.rareplantresearch.com/home.php

A number of the plants in their catalog are described as "great for bonsai", although I can't guarantee they actually are (their figs are a pretty good bet, however). But I think a nubmer of plants in the
Euphorbiaceae might make good bonsai.

The minimum order for their catalog is something like $80, so a club might want to pool an order.

Me, I'm wild about Dorstenias.