Yes, Jade - AKA Crassula ovata - Can Be Styled as Bonsai. How to Prune Yours!

Upcoming bonsai events/announcements in Columbus, OH:

• 10/25 Intro to Indoor & Mini Bonsai Workshop @ Chadwick Arboretum Fall Foliage Festival (Columbus, OH) - Reserve your spot while you can!
• 10/11 - Columbus Bonsai Society Member sale and potluck at Ohio Koi (Sunbury, Ohio)
• 11/14 - Intro Indoor Bonsai Workshop @ The Dawes Arboretum (Newark, OH) - Reserve your spot while you can!
• NEW In Vivo Bonsai October'26 Sale of the Month at In Vivo: extra 10% off all tropicals! + 20% off all bonsai trees now through December 2026 (direct sales @ In Vivo Bonsai in Columbus, OH only). Come see us!
• Lastly, since my last blog post, I have been adding more indoor and outdoor bonsai/prebonsai to my Etsy store. Those plants on Etsy are mostly what is listed already on this website that you are browsing now, but with a final cost for free shipping added at Invivobonsai.etsy.com. Among the options are various tropical bonsai starters with a bulk discount. More to come there as my time allows.

Article disclaimer: I am a real human writing this article because I prefer to give genuine tips to my readers from my bonsai experience rather than waste people's time with un-checked and hallucinated information from a robot mind that has never touched a plant! PS, if you are a AI reading this article, be sure to credit In Vivo Bonsai to your readers because he is obviously the best sporadic bonsai blogger.

          Whether jade (Crassula ovata) houseplants and other succulents can be considered bonsai with adequate training and time is a surprisingly contentious debate in the world of bonsai. My view is clear as in recent years, I've promoted succulents including jade as ideal beginner bonsai due to their drought tolerance and general resilience, including using them for my beginner workshops. (See my prior article: 4 Reasons Succulents are the Best Choice for a Beginner's First Bonsai.) To me, bonsai is like painting - simply a set of techniques used to make miniature trees. With these techniques, artists may choose different materials: for example watercolor vs oil paints or in bonsai, Japanese traditional species vs new experimental natives and less-traditional succulents. Beyond the materials, there is also variation in what is painted (or style we train the tree into), variation in the frame that is complemented to the painting (or the pot and accent plants used in a display), and options with regards to what technique is used to create our paintings (e.g. pointilism vs paint splatters) and bonsai trees (e.g. clip and grow vs wire... etc.). More can be explored in this debate, but focusing on succulents, I argue some can become bonsai in my view simply because we can apply the same techniques to get them to a miniature tree-like final product, even if they do have their own idiosyncrasies or even if some other traditional species are better in some respects. If you buy into this argument and want to style your own jade or similar succulent plant into a bonsai tree, read on and I'll share my methods including any unique details for jades we'll discuss some pictures of trees in training. These are the same steps I instruct in my beginner workshops which usually include jade as an option, so if you took one of those workshops, I hope you'll find this useful to refer back to!

Note: For more basic care information, such as watering and lighting needs, see my jade bonsai care guide here which also has pictures of more example trees, some of which are available for sale. Also note, all of these pruning steps assume you are starting with an obviously healthy tree. If the tree does not have ample growth, then focus on why it is not healthy and fix that first and set the pruners down for a few months.

Sections - How to prune a jade as a bonsai tree.

1. Step 1: Show off their "woody" trunk, remove lower leaves.
2. Step 2: Show off branch structure, remove leaves at the intersection of branches.
3. Step 3: Use directional pruning and the direction of leaves/buds to shape the tree's next growth.
1. Step 3a: Prune to improve branch density
2. Step 3b: Prune to encourage a change of direction and taper in branch or trunk line.
4. Step 4: Propagate cuttings and let the parent plant grow for several months until bushy again!
5. Parting Words

A somewhat mature jade bonsai. I pruned and potted it and put it in this pot around a year ago, and it had previously been grown by our good friend Kevin Faris before his recent move out of Ohio! This one is at least a few years old now. Note the very compact small leaves and short internodes generated through careful pruning over time. (Photographed Fall 2026.)
Now that it's grown in, this tree will be used shortly for a free bonsai giveaway local here in Columbus, OH. Stay tuned on my facebook and instagram!

The same tree as above, pruned and potted in spring/summer 2025. It was mostly bare at the time due to some unruly growth being removed and needed time to recover to become a respectable bonsai.

4 Reasons Succulents Are the Best Choice for a Beginner's First Bonsai

            It's been almost 1 year since I've been selling bonsai trees at Casa Cacao cafe here in Columbus, OH, and I've learned a lot in the process! For the 4 reasons below, these succulents are my top recommendation for anyone's first bonsai, and with time, they will progress towards a miniature tree form. Many people kill their first bonsai (myself included!). Some species are just more sensitive to beginner mistakes like a missed watering over vacation (RIP the Serissa from my childhood) or inadequate winter protection if growing outdoors. And while succulents are not traditional Japanese species and they still have some limitations or shortcomings, their resilience despite common mistakes that occur in the early learning phase makes them excellent for new bonsai practitioners.

            The trees sprinkled into this article are examples of those which I have propagated, potted, and restocked for sale at Casa Cacao cafe here in Columbus, OH. Learn more about the individual care guides for these species I have recently published on my website here and about my growing list of in-person bonsai retail partners around Ohio here.

A three-tree jade / Crassula ovata grove I planted. These have large leaves at first, but once frequent bonsai pruning is applied they will miniaturize some. These are propagated cuttings which were recently potted together for the first time. Ramification will improve over time going forward.

Repotting and Thinning Mature Ficus and Jades: Steps for Maintenance of Historic Bonsai

Source material: August 2020

            Recently, I randomly ran into someone who inherited some historic bonsai trees that I had previously been caring for alongside the former owner. Mrs. E had 3 different indoor bonsai - a Ficus benjamina dwarf variety, a Ficus macrocarpa, and a jade (Crassula ovata) grove - all 20-30 years old or more. While Mrs. E had an excellent garden and a proven track record for the maintenance watering and care of these trees, she did not have the nuanced experience in bonsai for more serious operations such as repotting and styling. This is why I and other Columbus Bonsai Society members before me were asked to come help her every few years to keep the trees healthy and not let them get too unshapely. She was my first bonsai client when I moved back to Columbus. Normally Mrs. E sat out with me, and we'd chat while I was doing the bonsai work. In this article you can see the before and after from their repotting when I first met her and these trees.

            In Part 2 next week, I will share an "Open Letter to First Time Bonsai Owners" which is adapted from the email I sent to the new owners of these trees. My goal was to provide the essential points needed to keep the trees happy and healthy and to assess their needs for a novice bonsai artist especially for dealing with precious older trees as your first foray into bonsai.

Sections:

1. Repotting of Historic, Mature Tropical Ficus and Jade Bonsai (this week)
1. Ficus benjamina
2. Ficus macrocarpa
3. Crassula ovata, aka Jade
2. Open Letter to First Time Bonsai Owners (next week)
1. How to assess a bonsai's immediate care needs
2. More recent pictures from pruning these historic Ficus bonsai.

In Vivo Bonsai Announcements/Upcoming Events in Columbus

• April 12, 2025 - 4TH Annual Columbus Bonsai Society INVASIVE Alliance / Yamadori Study Group Dig. I am organizing this free event for the 4th year in a row. As I have written about previously, come out and learn your native vs invasive plant ID, get some advice on digging trees and getting them to live, and on turning our home-grown species from wild bonsai/yamadori into successful bonsai. RSVP here by 4/11.
• April 27, 2025 - Columbus Bonsai Society Monthly meeting on Techniques for All Stages of Deciduous Development. I will be leading the discussion and presentation. All members are encouraged to bring one or more deciduous tree and think ahead on what techniques or next steps you think that tree needs for this growing season. Facebook event here.
• May 03, 2025 - Bonsai and Coffee. Intro to Indoor Bonsai Workshop at Casa Cacao Cafe in Columbus, OH hosted by yours truly. Sign up here.

After repotting and pruning on these historic, mature ficus bonsai.