portulacaria afra - SPEKBOOM - 2 1/2 year progression

answers to several of the questions you ask are easily found with a minimum amount of key-boarding...

read up on superthrive (be ready for dissenting opinions) and make up your own mind as to whether or not you want to use it.

google images of wild spekboom, and again decide how you want to design your tree(s)...
i have an upright spekboom that looks as equally convincing as the one in this thread.

i did nothing to encourage surface roots or an interesting base on any of my spekboom, but they have done so over time...
there are numerous ways to encourage nebari, again, minimal research needed...