Portulacaria afra suffering

[luvinthemountains]

I picked up a huge portulacaria the other day from someone who had been growing it in a 30gal nursery pot. The soil was so waterlogged that it was all I could do to load it into the car without herniating a disc.

Once I got it back and started checking it out, I realized that the foliage was in a really bad way. Thin as paper, all of it. I noticed the 3" trunk was wobbly in the pot, so sliced throught the soil all the way round and yanked it out of the pot. As I feared, the bottom was badly rotted and I had only severed a few anemic roots. I chopped all 5' or so of the plant into 18" pieces and cut off the rot.

So I need some advice. Those "cuttings" have now been drying for a couple days, and I plan to plunk them in fine, sifted scoria to root. Should I cut off all the foliage at the same time or leave it? What about applying rooting hormone or any other horticultural encouragement I can provide?

 

[sorce]

I think the scope of any text can be so large, that the tree may be fully dead, and folks don't want to instruct you in a lesson of wasting time!

Or maybe we just like....

Pics!

Sorce

 

[jeffapana]

Leave all foliage! No roots and no foliage is certain death. p afra will pull water from the leaves as it establishes new roots so leaves may shrivel and drop as this happens. Don't water until you see it pushing new growth. Rooting hormone should not be necessary.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I would wait to pot them up until the surface dried enough to say that there is no rot present. A clean cut should just dry to a clear surface you can see is not slimy and does not crumble. They can lay on a bench for a week with no discernible change for a week, and since these were too turgid to start they should be able to lay there a lot longer. They are essentially one giant root full of water so it would take a long time to actually be damaged beyond help. Leave the foliage as an indicator of what's happening and don't worry if they all fall off. Strong direct sunlight and heat will do wonders.

 

[Snorlax99]

What these two peeps above me said!

Solid advice

 

[luvinthemountains]

For the visually-oriented like @sorce here are a couple of shots. One is the fattest cut end (the dark part I think is the woody core which was very hard to cut through! The other shot is what most of the foliage looks like.

 

[luvinthemountains]

I think my cuttings are coming along. Most of the leaves have stayed on, although they are still shriveled. Could be my imagination, but I am pretty sure a *few* of the leaves are starting to perk up.

Unfortunately, I noticed on a close inspection today that some spider mites are attacking. I suspect they were already there when I bought the mother plant, but the previous owner was just hosing them off. I hit all of the cuttings with a heavy foliar dose of a neem/dish soap emulsion, and will probably do another round next weekend. That should do the trick.

I am curious whether people think it is okay to move my cuttings outside into full sun. They have been sitting in my sunny entryway for two weeks now. Night time temps are now reliably above 40F. I would just hate to burn the leaves that are there. So what do you all think?

 

[Esolin]

I would leave them in part shade, especially if they're still less than healthy. My crassula jades (different species I know) are happiest and greenest in shade. Many succulents actually are, provided they don't have wet feet. I threw a ton of cuttings in some deeply shaded leaf litter and they all rooted. While portulacaria is a different species, I suspect it behaves similarly. Just give it a little morning sun until it starts pushing some strong growth. It might take a year. Be patient.

 

[luvinthemountains]

Be patient.

These came from your neck of the woods! So maybe I can take your advice...thanks!

 

[Esolin]

Also, Baikoen Bonsai club just released a video today talking about collecting portulacaria. They say don't water cuttings at all until they start pushing new growth. Video:

 

[Snorlax99]

Agree with this. All of my cuttings are left dry until I see new growth.

 

[luvinthemountains]

They say don't water cuttings at all until they start pushing new growth.

I have heard much conflicting advice on how to root portulacaria afra cuttings, including people who stick fresh cut tips into the pot the mother plant is in and continue watering as normal. Is it possible that people are simply anchoring to what they have always done as something that is absolutely necessary?

 

[Carol 83]

I have heard much conflicting advice on how to root portulacaria afra cuttings, including people who stick fresh cut tips into the pot the mother plant is in and continue watering as normal. Is it possible that people are simply anchoring to what they have always done as something that is absolutely necessary?

I have stuck them directly after cutting into soil and waited for growth to water, as well as let them dry out for a couple days and plant them in moist soil. Same result, they grow.

 

[canoeguide]

The only Portulacaria cuttings that I haven't gotten to root are the ones I throw in the trash by the armful after pruning. They're probably sprouting in a landfill.

Too much moisture retention, lack of airflow to the roots, and cold temps are the enemy. In free draining, coarse, inorganic substrate like sifted pumice, lava, grit, etc. you'd have to actively try to get them to rot.

 

[Esolin]

I have heard much conflicting advice on how to root portulacaria afra cuttings, including people who stick fresh cut tips into the pot the mother plant is in and continue watering as normal. Is it possible that people are simply anchoring to what they have always done as something that is absolutely necessary?

Possibly. I think there are also a lot of other variables such as humidity, temperature, the health of the cutting etc... If you're in a hot dry climate with well draining substrate, I think you could still water-as long as you don't create conditions that induce rotting. I think a little cool dampness is actually beneficial for them forming roots--which is perhaps why the cuttings I tossed aside liked the shade/leaf litter. There was enough 'ambient moisture' in the ground there for them to root without me having to water, and they weren't being baked by the sun, so they didn't need as much to begin with. You can probably water a little, just don't over do it, or you'll be back where you started.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Unless plant was in full sun already leaves will sunburn and likely die if put there now. Gradual movement from bright shade to sun over summer likely better to do.

 

[luvinthemountains]

Thank everybody, really good input. I did go ahead and move the cuttings outside, however they are under my mulberry trees now, where they will get only an hour or so of direct sun, in the evening. I am hoping they do well. Any moisture they do get, from nature or from me, does not concern me - water flows right through the pumice/lava/bark mix I have them in.

 

[luvinthemountains]

I have been periodically checking these, and most are solidly rooted into their pots, even if they still look half-dead. There are a couple, though, that seem to be coming back to life, and this morning when I checked on them, they each had a single spike of flowers! I have never seen flowers on portulacaria before, even on a very healthy specimen.

 

[penumbra]

Its alive ... small miracle. From the way you had described it, rotten roots and spider mites, I would have burned it. If it indeed had spider mites you probably still have a problem so keep an eye on it.

 

[Snorlax99]

Portulacaria are hard to kill. They bounce back from almost any abuse. Lovely little flowers!