Portulacaria Afra care question
breathnez
8 years ago
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rooftopbklyn (zone 7a)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoRelated Discussions
Portulacaria afra questions for a newbie
Comments (5)Re-potting usually puts some stress on the plant; you've repotted twice in just a few days. Any stress you are noticing could just be from that or there may be underlying issues. Close up photos of the plant would help. Winkly leaves can indicated that the plant is thirsty OR over watered, confusing I know. When was it last watered? How wet was the soil during the times you repotted it? Can you elaborate on the soil mix you used? Is the garden soil from a bag? Does it contain peat? About what size is the gravel and was it sifted or rinsed? Sand is generally not recommended unless it's very gritty type. -Cari...See MorePortulacaria afra, picture thread
Comments (50)Right - leave a little stub at the cut and don't let anything grow off of the stub. You want it to dry up and fall off - sort of like a scab. If you're going to root the cutting, after it's separated, clean it up with a straight edge razor blade or fresh utility knife blade. Be careful not to use anything that will crush the vasculature of the plant - like loppers, anvil or even bypass pruners when you rem ove the cutting from the rooted part of the plant. Use a fine tooth saw and make sure there is nothing ragged hanging from the proximal end of the cutting - that's where the rot (fungal infections) start and why you clean up the proximal end of the cutting with something very sharp. Also, right after preparing the cutting but before the cut dries or calluses, dip the end in flowers of sulfur, cinnamon, or another antifungal preparation suited to your application - and prune any branches you leave on your cutting back hard. Last tip: There is nothing that says your plant must rise from the soil perfectly perpendicular. In fact, if you want movement in the trunk, it should not exit the soil perfectly vertical and then transition to a trunk with movement. Figure out what angle you want the cutting to exit the soil at, then make your basal cut so it's horizontal. IOW - it won't be cut 90* to the trunk axis. Al...See MoreNeed help! Portulacaria afra wrinkled leaves
Comments (8)May have already been suggested by others I share the common suggestion that each pot house one different plant per pot ( exceptions are the same lithops can share a single pot With out to much talking about pots Each pot will need some form of drainage and be of a relative size for developing the growth you want , size shape and materials of pots can be something for you to explore . Your soil links are basically okay to use for but as you read more into soils for & as your time and investment into succulents becomes bigger you may want to consider better options for soil materials. A bit higher end but may be worth the investment for you especially if you get the any type of plant in a pot cultivating bug ( succulents included) http://www.amazon.com/4pc-Soil-Sieve-diameter-Interchangeable/dp/B0007P4JAU/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1452090931&sr=1-1&keywords=soil+sifting+screen Yes there are sifters that can fit the bidding at wally world yet for some of us here compromising is something to be considered. Compromising; You may want to shop in a hydroponics store for super chunk sized perlite to replace http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GTDI6YO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00 Chances are you may even find some type of pumice at a hydo shop, a bit pricey but if so grab a bag of it It's being suggested that you spend time in developing a made by you ( custom made ) soil for succulents. There are several forms of succulent soils though out the C&S forum yet fast sharp drainage seems to be the key As suggested start with a basic mix formed from some of the items you already have on hand by sifting and rinsing some of the items you already have on hand as to how and what do you do isn't mentioned I wouldn't ( and wont) suggest the sand be used with out a sifting and rinsing and a pic view of it after sifting for opinions ( I've never used it or have seen it sifted ) which can be easily replaced with sifted construction sand found at home depot or lowes http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GTDI6YO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00 Sift all the three items as follows for a better mix: Apx 35 % sand from the link or after pic of yours on hand Apx 30 % of the bagged soil on hand and the remaining % be perlite Using the apx mix % is for each per pot not the over all % amount of each bag. The pot preference for most here is terracotta pots as they provide a breathable surfaces but plastic can also be used. What I do is make enough mix for several pots at a time then fill each pot then re-sift/ remix the soil back into the pot while potting in a plant. Some re-potted in the newer soil mix and draining pots will need a dryer soil> ( Example the lithops ) It might be suggested to let them pots dry for a day or two before re-potting and some will be okay to pot in a damper soil ( example your P afra.) PS. Use some ethics please chances are you wont overwhelm yourself and not overwhelm your plant(s). If you have questions feel free to ask on this ( your) thread. Feel free to read them but please don't ask your questions on another persons plant with problems threads As you get use to your new plant growing hobby ( thats an art for others) you found you may find a need to ask about a particular plant on a different topic feel free to start a new topic ( thread). Example; It would be considered ( maybe) rude of me to post a comment asking for advice on your thread. A small example of me being rude; What should I do so the vine will reach the side stick on this un-ordinary onion? Bowiea volubilis ; you need to concider is that rude can often end up in a very winding vine in a very messy wig...See MorePortulacaria afra Bonsai project pruning?
Comments (11)Daniel Rocks on the bottom do not help. Drain holes (I am assuming you are talking about typical plastic pots that plants come in from the stores) should be enough. Plastic pots are fine, and the size you have in the photo is plenty for the size of cuttings in the large containers. What needs to be changed is the mix: cactus mix is usually not well draining in spite of being advertised as such. It contains too much peat that is fine and hydrophobic - it either stays too wet or dries out as hard as rock. Succulents need well draining substrate. It should be quite gritty and mostly inorganic. Many of us use mix of grit, perlite, turface or scoria, pumice. You may get good info on this site by searching for 'gritty mix' and reading about it. If you want immediate help with your existing mix, I would suggest sifting the cactus mix thru the kitchen sieve. Use only what stays in it. Mix this with equal amount (50/50%) of perlite (easy to get from many stores&inexpensive). This mix will be much better draining. Give your seedlings as much light as possible and grow them as Jeff suggested - until they at least double in size, or more.Rina...See Morebreathnez
8 years agoThanks 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
breathnez
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
flowerlilies77 (zone 6b - PA)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agorooftopbklyn (zone 7a)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
bernardyjh
8 years agobreathnez
8 years agobernardyjh
8 years agoflowerlilies77 (zone 6b - PA)
8 years ago
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