How Many Varieties of Portulacaria Afra Variegated Are There?
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
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Elephant Bush(spekboom, Portulacaria afra) Leggy growth
Comments (6)Not all soils drain thoroughly enough to allow you to water according to that plan w/o severe limitations being imposed on the plant, but ideally, we would all be using soils that DO allow us to water correctly w/o our plants having to suffer for it. I'm about to retire & will be busy for the weekend, so I wouldn't be able to pursue the conversation with you, but I'll leave you some reading, in case you have interest, that will bring to light how important soil choice is to your ability to consistently maintain your plants in good vitality. This is a link to an overview that will help you avoid all the common pitfalls you're likely to encounter. And this is a link to information that explains how important an appropriate soil is to your plant's well being. Saving them starts with allowing the soil to become almost but not quite completely dry before you water. I'm sure Josh (the guy who posted above your post) will help you further if he's available. Al...See Moresucculent id, portulacaria afra update pics,
Comments (3)Jose, As to your unid plant, it it one (I believe) of the many New World Crassulaceae hybrids - to me, it seems it has some Pachyphytum and Graptopetalum in it. Of the New World Crassulacae, Echeveria, Pachyphytum, Graptopetalum and Sedum are the more widely-seen species, and they almost all can be crossed with each other. Perhaps someone else can give you a definite ID....See MoreIt this Portulacaria afra were yours...
Comments (14)I haven't pruned my little guy yet, but I will.... In the meantime, I snapped these pics of my other Port's. As you can see, I'm attempting to grow two in a tree-like fashion....though the going is slow.... My favorite of the bunch....looks miserable over the winter, however. Loses most leaves. Another style of tree: This container is my stock-pot of extra Port. afra. Grown in mass, in almost pure Orchid Bark, in terra cotta. This container does the best over winter. And, lastly, a quick shot of my green Port. Once this Port. bushes out again, I'll most likely top it by 1/3 and then begin removing branches (a la Tom's advice). The opposite branches are very apparent. Josh...See MorePortulacaria Afra care question
Comments (13)Thanks everyone for comments. Here's my tree and what I did: Once full of leaves, now pretty bare, about 8" tall. I bought it about 6 months ago. A closeup on a branch, showing some desire to leaf out again. I decided on a repot into more water retentive soil, keeping the 1/4" bark but replacing the granite with 1/4" pumice, still 1:1. Once unpotted, nice fine roots are seen to look quite healthy. The pine bark is nicely moist, with roots wrapped around it. All looks well. Hmmm, I probably just jumped the gun and the plant was shocky from the move inside several weeks ago. Oh well, hope it survives the second shock of a repot. Back in it goes. I will water immediately b/c the gritty mix I use falls away so easily I'm not worried about damaged roots that need to callous over. Here's what the new soil looks like, courtesy of Bonsai Jack's. They clean and pre-sift it. Nice. From what I've read, pumice holds onto less heat than granite, so hopefully a better environment for the roots come those 100F days of summer Assuming it survives my care :-\ of late, the intention is to thicken up the trunk considerably through lots of growth, then trunk chop it to about 6 inches and attempt to grow it in the form of a baobab tree(and put it in a much smaller pot). Here is the tree I am using for inspiration, courtesy of google images: ez...See Morewestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
3 years agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
3 years agoEmily (5b)
3 years agoEmily (5b)
3 years agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
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luci (CA, 9b)