Small Leafed Jade
Posted: January 20th, 2016, 1:26 pm
This morning I finally got around to trimming this Portulacaria afra. It's a big bugger - 700mm and because they store so much water it weighs more than my back likes, so I don't often get to trim it properly and get a good look at it.
Summer is the best time of year to trim, propagate and repot Jades. The hotter it is the better they respond. Here in Adelaide you'll see them growing in large pots on people's front porches as they are really low maintenance. I've even seen them as hedges. Everyone refers to them as Jades but it's not really an accurate name as it's not related to the true Jades (Crassula ovata). However both come from South Africa and have similar growth habits. I've been told the locals call it Elephant Plant or Food as the Elephants like them for their high water content, and the bushes grow back so quickly.
You can trim and wire these guys just like any other species and the branches set fairly quickly.
In the wild they grow as an unstructured bush so I reckon you can choose any style you like as there is nothing in nature to emulate.
Propagation is easy in summer. Cut off a suitable branch, slash the base with some vertical cuts around the circumference, stick it in some medium, give it a water and then wait. Don't water it again until new shoots appear or the roots can rot off. I'd be wary if you live in a frost prone area, as they really don't like frost. A friend of mine had one in the National Collection in Canberra and was horrified to see it with black patches and poor growth, so she bought it home again where it quickly recovered.
This tree needs a better pot and a better planting position. This year I have changed the angle and length of the branches to give it a stronger direction so now the pot is all wrong. Apologies for the poor quality pic. I'll try again later when the light is better.
Matt.
Summer is the best time of year to trim, propagate and repot Jades. The hotter it is the better they respond. Here in Adelaide you'll see them growing in large pots on people's front porches as they are really low maintenance. I've even seen them as hedges. Everyone refers to them as Jades but it's not really an accurate name as it's not related to the true Jades (Crassula ovata). However both come from South Africa and have similar growth habits. I've been told the locals call it Elephant Plant or Food as the Elephants like them for their high water content, and the bushes grow back so quickly.
You can trim and wire these guys just like any other species and the branches set fairly quickly.
In the wild they grow as an unstructured bush so I reckon you can choose any style you like as there is nothing in nature to emulate.
Propagation is easy in summer. Cut off a suitable branch, slash the base with some vertical cuts around the circumference, stick it in some medium, give it a water and then wait. Don't water it again until new shoots appear or the roots can rot off. I'd be wary if you live in a frost prone area, as they really don't like frost. A friend of mine had one in the National Collection in Canberra and was horrified to see it with black patches and poor growth, so she bought it home again where it quickly recovered.
This tree needs a better pot and a better planting position. This year I have changed the angle and length of the branches to give it a stronger direction so now the pot is all wrong. Apologies for the poor quality pic. I'll try again later when the light is better.
Matt.