Succulents make great bonsai trees – here’s 3 good ones
Succulent plants in many colors
Succulents can be made into bonsai trees
I really like this list because they are easy to work with and also easy to find at a store as well. You probably should not prune them while they are really young. When they are old enough, strong, healthy, you can prune them on the roots and branches to increase the trunk size. I would not do both kinds of pruning at the same time. These plants will respond much more quickly on giving exciting growth results.
Pruning of Succulents
Pruning will set them back on their growth. They should have a nice heavy trunk and be able to stand this process. When pruned, multiple new branches will come out of the end of the one where you have pruned them back. After pruning, the new branches should pop out pretty quickly.
Root pruning can be done every 2 years when they are young and seem strong. This should be lengthened to 3 to 5 years as they get older and larger. You should not remove more than 1/3 of the root mass.
Large mesh of roots at the base
Another great bonsai style you can give these plants is a mesh of tangled thick roots at the base that keep a nice shape to work under the trunk. This is something that you can gain by pruning to increase the amount of roots and slowly raising the plant in the pot to expose more roots over time. I have only seen this done with Desert Rose. The results are quite impressive looking.
Need to stay dry
Succulents do not like to stay wet, they will rot in areas that remain wet very long. In a humid environment, they may not be able to do well. If you can keep them inside with plenty of sun where humidity can be controlled, then this is not an issue. These are a great choice if you are not there to water consistently.
You also need to give them soil that has a great mix of sand and various sizes of gravel. This will help them to have good drainage. It will keep them healthy and prevent problems with staying wet that could lead to root rot. Staying wet can also allow the roots to get infected by bacteria or fungus.
Damage from being wet
If your plant stays too wet, it can rot and die. Taking steps to dry it out can save it from this. You can remove it from the soil and dry it out. Replant and start again. Wet areas can recover, they may just have some scarring. When an area is in trouble from being to wet, it can look dark, shriveled and wrinkled… kind of like we get pruny from being wet too long. You may see a darkened and softened spot at the base.
Monstrose or Cristate can be more interesting
Monstrose (monster) or Cristate (crested) is a mutation for succulents and cactus too. This can make them far more attractive and unique looking. Here is the cool part… there are people who will pay better for a Monstrose or Cristate plants. Maybe you enjoy the mutation and it is a more attractive bonsai plant for you… or maybe you will like better to sell it. When you know these things… you have more choices.
Jade tree (Crassula ovata)
These can get very large with time. When you are cutting back and keeping it a bonsai tree… this is not a concern. I have seen very large Jade trees and they are so uniquely beautiful. You can get this tree to grow in the bonsai style that you have in mind, or you can just trim it back and get it to grow in Broom style (Hokidachi)… a smaller version of what it does naturally.
Elephant bush or Dwarf Jade (Portulacaria Afra)
This plant grows very much like the Jade tree, but smaller leave size.
Desert Rose (Adenium obesum)
These come with a wonderful bonsai growth style already there! They have a stout, tapered trunk that is exactly what you strive for in bonsai tree appearance. They have beautiful flowers. The flowers come in pink, white, purple, and red. I have one that is white with pink on the outer edge of the petals.
If your Desert Rose is not stout, pruning can get you to this result. Usually when I find them, they have a wonderful stout trunk with 2 branches and flowers. You can cut back these 2 branches and see the branching increase. Not only does this increase foliage for them, but the opportunity for flowers as well.
Succulents make great easy bonsai trees
My Desert Rose bonsai
This is my Desert Rose in the picture. It was a typical one from the store. It had just 2 branches and a big flower. I pruned these branches back a few times to make it grow more branches. This takes times and you sacrifice blooming during this process. I also have a picture of the scar it developed after being too wet at that spot on the base. They can be recovered from this, just dry them out.
