Jade Tree Projects

Bonsai

• The jade tree, especially in its many dwarf varieties, is an excellent candidate for bonsai, the Japanese art of training and sculpting miniature trees. Jades are very tough and can withstand aggressive pruning, making them a good candidate for beginning bonsai artists.

  The trunk and branches of the jade tree are pliable and strong. They respond well to being shaped through wiring, and will set into their new positions in about a month. Bonsai jades require frequent pruning, but this also makes them forgiving of mistakes.

Propagation

• If you have one jade tree, you can have as many as you want! Jade trees are among the easiest garden plants to propagate. Just lay a cutting or even a single leaf on sandy, well-drained compost. Water very occasionally, and give it partial sunlight. Within a month, roots will start to form. Soon, the new jade can be transferred to a pot.

  Propagation is a slow process, but with a little patience you can turn one jade tree into a whole forest.

Medicinal Uses

• The jade tree originated in South Africa, and the Khoisan people there developed a number of medicinal uses for the jade's leaves and roots. The Khoisan harvest the jade's edible roots. These are grated, cooked and eaten. They also use the leaves of the jade medicinally. When boiled in milk, the leaves are used as a remedy for diarrhea.

  Jade leaves can also be used to remove warts. Cut the leaf in half, and apply the moist interior of the leaf to the wart. Leave it in place overnight. Repeat until the wart falls off or disappears.

  In China, the pointy leaves of the "stone lotus" variety of jade tree are used to make a tea that is said to cure diabetes.

Money Making

• Money might not grow on trees, but throughout the Far East, it's said that a jade tree grown in a square porcelain container with lion's feet will bring good luck and riches. This tradition has given the plant such nicknames as the Tree of Happiness, the Money Tree, and the Dollar Plant.