Trimming your Dwarf Jade
Why we prune our trees:
- Maintain the overall shape of our tree’s canopy as it grows.
- Cause dormant buds to push to develop more branches and denser foliage.
Basic Tips:
- Clean your scissors before trimming!
- Trim back to branches that have already started growing.
- Trim flush with a set of leaves.
- Unless you are completely removing a branch, leave at least one pair of leaves on a branch.
At the base of each leaf on your Dwarf Jade is a dormant bud. When branches are pruned flush with a set of leaves; the dormant buds are encouraged to grow and will develop into new branches over time.
As new branches grow and develop; trim them back as needed. Branches that grow outside of your desired style or design should be trimmed back, or off completely. Branches that grow with your design can be grown to the desired length and thickness, and then pruned back to maintain shape.
Once pruned, branches will continue to divide, grow, and develop smaller leaves. After a while the foliage will grow denser and denser.
As you trim branches, keep and eye out for two leaves emerging from a single point. Where two leaves emerge on the same stem is the start of a new branch. If possible, trim back to branches that have already started. It will save you from growing branches from dormant buds.
On other branches, trim the length as needed, but no further back than the first set of leaves. You want to leave at least one set of leaves on a branch to ensure future bud development.
As you continue this process, your tree will fill out with branches and small leaves. Continue to trim outlying branches and foliage back to your design.
