Portulacaria afra in training

Hi everybody,

This is a portulacaria (elephants ear/dwarf jade) I have been working on since 2007, from nursery material. Tropicals are the last thing I plan on buying when I go nursery crawling, but I saw some potential for a decent twin trunk in this one and large portulacarias are very rare around here. This is my only tropical plant, as I do not have the setup to properly grow tropicals over the winter. It does not like my climate at all (zone 6) and it has taken a very, very long time to get enough branching to form a basic structure. It grows slowly for about 2-3 months in the summer (too humid, I think), and hardly at all over the winter (too chilly in the window, not enough light I think).

As a result, progress has been frustratingly slow This is the problem with growing exotic species I guess. It does not thrive, it just survives.

First picture 2007 after its major cutback when brought home.



Second picture 2008, looking quite pathetic having made it through its first winter indoors.



This is fall 2010. Two years of summer growth and occasional pruning have allowed it to fill out a little bit.



This is today, after getting its first full detail wiring. This "tree" is finally starting to behave and I am beginning to like it, even if it is a tropical



Thank you for reading, I welcome all comments and advise

Yes I undrestand what problem you have ...I have the same problem. But your portulacaria is in detail superb ... shape is direct but is there some magic..

good job

martin kolacia wrote:Yes I undrestand what problem you have ...I have the same problem. But your portulacaria is in detail superb ... shape is direct but is there some magic..

good job

Thank you Martin. At least we get to grow larch, right?

Right now the apex of both trunks move to the left.

I have been advised to adjust the crown of the main tree to be more like as shown below.

What do you think?

a2khalid wrote:Right now the apex of both trunks move to the left.

I have been advised to adjust the crown of the main tree to be more like as shown below.

What do you think?

Good suggestion.