I have never grown bonsai and don't know a thing about it, but isn't jade a difficult plant to manage that way? I grow a lot of jade and have for almost five decades, and though it certainly does fine in a small pot, if it is managed well, it will really get large and top-heavy. If under-watered, the leaves will shrivel and fall off. Is their a (magic) medium to make it conform to bonsai criteria?
This has nothing to do with jade per se, but earlier this week I hosted 1/2 of the Mississippi State Horticultural Club (I split it into two visits just because my greenhouses are so jam-packed with plants and had no room for more students). There were eight of the students that visited. Anyway, after seeing the greenhouses we all came inside into the enclosed porch and I have lots of tropical plants and some succulents there. I have a number of aloe vera plants, and a half dozen get morning sun and another half dozen get no sun. The ones that get no sun are very dark green and the ones that get sun are very light green. One of the students that grows aloe vera asked if I had two different varieties. I explained that they were the same variety but the amount of sun causes the difference in coloration. This is the same thing that happens with orchids. One orchid that gets plenty of strong, indirect light will have light green leaves and the same variety, getting insufficient light will have very dark leaves. Three of the students took aloe vera home with them (that's all I would donate!).
Sorry to take off in another tangent.
