Ciao io ho ereditato uno di questi alberelli, è una pianta succulenta, a essere sincera la mia fa tutto da se o quasi, d'estate la bagno ogni 15-20 giorni e d'inverno mai, prende l'acqua solo quando piove.
Per quanto riguarda i bonsai non sapevo che si potessero fare, per la mia mi sa che è tardi comunque ti ho trovato questo su internet, spero ti sia di aiuto!!
Pruning and wiring: This is a plant that adapts to almost any style bonsai. As a succulent, water is contained in the trunk and branches, they tend to droop from their weight. This characteristic makes them excellent for long cascades.
When styling this plant do not hesitate to do drastic pruning. When removing branches or twigs, make all cuts flush rather than concave. Deep cuts will leave unwanted scars and may cause die back. It is not necessary to seal any of the cuts. It is important to allow the soil to dry before you remove heavy branches or root. Then water sparingly until it begins to reestablish itself.
Refinement is performed by removing the terminal bud from any branch that you don't wish to grow longer. Since the leaves are opposite and each consecutive set of leaves rotate 90 degrees, it is possible to refine the tree by pinching and removing those buds and branches that are not growing where you want them.
When creating very small bonsai (mame) you sometimes need to shorten a branch to a vertical set of leaves. In order to get horizontal growth it is necessary to rotate the vertical pair of leaves 90 degrees. A few turns of 1 mm aluminum wire at the top of the branch and a 90 degree twist of the last set of leaves will accomplish this.
Pinching is the secret to the refinement of any bonsai. Since Portulacaria is fast growing, it must be pinched frequently during the growing season. Usually once a week is sufficient for a large bonsai. When working with mame it may be necessary to pinch as often as twice a week.
While some training can be accomplished by wiring, it is not as effective a training technique with Portulacaria as it is with hard wood species of plant material.
