What are the cultivation methods to make a Portulacaria afra (elephant bush) grow into a full, overflowing pot?
Portulacaria afra is a perennial evergreen shrub native to Africa that was later introduced to our country. Its appearance is just like its name: it has many branches and dense leaves. Its most striking feature is that its young branches are originally green but turn purplish red under sunlight, and its leaves are also green yet likewise turn yellow or red under sunlight, making it extremely unusual and beautiful. Especially when it fills and overflows its pot, its ornamental value is extremely high, so how do we grow it to that overflowing-pot stage during cultivation? Let's take a look below.
Growth habits
If you want to grow it into an overflowing pot, let's first understand its growth habits. Portulacaria afra prefers a warm, dry environment with plenty of sunlight. It can also grow in shaded places, but its stem nodes become longer, its leaves become dull and lusterless, and the leaves are also thinner, lacking that fleshy feel when touched. It dislikes exposure to blazing sun; in summer, when sunlight is strongest, it needs shading to avoid wilting from strong light, which affects its ornamental value. It dislikes waterlogging; too much water accumulated in the potting soil will cause its root system to rot and die. It is not cold-tolerant; when overwintering in winter, the temperature is best kept above 10 degrees. Although below 5 degrees will not cause the plant to die, its leaves will continuously drop.
Methods for growing an overflowing pot
Soil: A fertile, loose, well-drained sandy soil is suitable. This kind of soil has sufficient fertility and can provide ample nutrients for plant growth, while being loose and well-drained can maximize avoidance of root rot damage caused by excessive water accumulation.
Watering: When planting or transplanting Portulacaria afra, be careful not to water it immediately. Newly potted Portulacaria afra has a period of root recovery, and generally it is watered only three to four days after being newly potted. The flower pot used for planting needs breathable drainage holes, otherwise root rot is easily caused. Watering principle: do not water when dry, and when watering, water thoroughly. In winter, when temperatures are lower, watering should be controlled.
Pruning: Portulacaria afra has strong sprouting ability and grows extremely fast. To ensure a beautiful plant shape, branches and leaves should be pruned frequently and buds pinched off; otherwise, once it grows too tall, its branch and leaf growth will stagnate and the branches and leaves will become messy. Pruning should consider the desired shape, generally with pruning as the main method and wiring as a supplement.
Repotting: It needs to be repotted once every two to three years. Repotting is recommended in spring, choosing a moderately fertile, loose, well-drained sandy soil. When repotting, the plant should also be pruned once: cut off its weak branches and branches that affect the tree shape, then cut off part of the root system, remove about half of the original soil, and replant it with new soil.
Portulacaria afra has relatively strong vitality, and once you understand its growth habits it is fairly easy to grow. As long as you do the above points, growing it into an overflowing pot is relatively simple. I hope this article can be helpful to you.