Desert O'Piñon
Omono
Late last summer (August 2024) I snagged two 3" pots of Portulacaria afra and three 3" pots of the same in a variegated form. I repotted them into a few pots of a lot of 4" pots I got cheap online. I was able to divide them into 5 of the solid green and 9 of the variegated. They stayed outside until about this time in October, when I brought them inside and kept them in their pots in two 10 G aquariums under full-spectrum grow lights. There was about 1/2" of aquarium gravel in the bottom so any runoff would be below the bottom of the pots, although they were only watered about three or four times over the winter. The east facing window blinds were opened before sunrise every day when I left for work. They stayed green, but very little growth, if any. The variegated form was especially lethargic, and I wasn't sure they would even recover, but they did.
This spring, I decided to plant them all in an old electrical box I've repurposed as a planter/grow box. I mostly left them alone except for water and fertilizer, but didn't prune or wire/shape at all. (Pics 1 & 2)
The difference in growth between the green and the variegated was dramatic. The standard form had no less than three times the growth of the variegated form, but the variegated form did improve significantly in stem color, and foliage density and color.
This spring, I decided to plant them all in an old electrical box I've repurposed as a planter/grow box. I mostly left them alone except for water and fertilizer, but didn't prune or wire/shape at all. (Pics 1 & 2)
The difference in growth between the green and the variegated was dramatic. The standard form had no less than three times the growth of the variegated form, but the variegated form did improve significantly in stem color, and foliage density and color.
