To my fellow beginners....(portulacaria)

[Fidur]

Just wanted to share with you the easiness of this species.
A year ago, I chopped a branch of a big portulacaria afra my neighbour has in his garden. Then I chopped and chopped that branch, and as a result, I had a lot of this. I neglected most (some stayed in the floor of my garden for months). But this species is so strong and resilent that finally, even though I don´t love this species, all you see in this pic rooted. I gave away most of those rooted cuttings but these in the pic finally stayed in my garden. I think I will try as bonsai a couple of them and the rest will go to the bin.
So if you like portulacaria, this is the species to begin with....

 

[Srt8madness]

I love P Afra, super fun species which can be made into good looking Bonsai, and a great medium to use while waiting for slower stuff to grow. They propagate so easily you're only limited by pots and space!

Have lots of regulars, working on making a variegated specimen. Obviously they grow much slower than the others.

There is another variegated type on the market that is green with white in the center of leaf with a red line ringing the white. They grow slooooooow though.

Upside, you can work on year round, repot middle of blazing hot summer, doesn't miss a beat.

 

[19Mateo83]

Man you got some good looking chunky cuttings!

 

[LemonBonsai]

Must be awesome to live in a part of the world that they grow in the ground i have a couple P. Afras. Love them! Although the squirrels here love them too and like eating the bark

 

[Perplexody]

Love my portys, don't have any worth pictures yet.

Even was gifted lovely cork bark cuttings from someone here in the community last year which are growing well but not corky yet, Though much smaller than yours still.

They seem ideal for those impatient among us. Also if friends have failed with bonsai before and they want to try again go with portulacaria

There's a variety that has even smaller leaves than the regular called "Lilliput", I've found them at the blue and the orange stores

 

[Carol 83]

Must be awesome to live in a part of the world that they grow in the ground i have a couple P. Afras. Love them! Although the squirrels here love them too and like eating the bark

I have that problem here as well. One particular one they just will not leave alone. It had survived the trunk chewing and just started growing, when they went after it again.

 

[Perplexody]

I have that problem here as well. One particular one they just will not leave alone. It had survived the trunk chewing and just started growing, when they went after it again.

Has your corky gotten any of that wonderful bark, hope the squirrels stay away in the future.
Luckily they've always left my trees alone except some digging and peanuts in my pots.

 

[LemonBonsai]

I have that problem here as well. One particular one they just will not leave alone. It had survived the trunk chewing and just started growing, when they went after it again.

I have 3 jades, one dwarf jade, one regular jade and one variegated dwarf jade. They will not leave the variegated one alone. They have chewed it twice and of course they picked the side that I wanted to use as the front

 

[Carol 83]

Has your corky gotten any of that wonderful bark, hope the squirrels stay away in the future.
Luckily they've always left my trees alone except some digging and peanuts in my pots.

Not so much, it's still pretty young. The trunks fatten up pretty quick though.

 

[Carol 83]

I have 3 jades, one dwarf jade, one regular jade and one variegated dwarf jade. They will not leave the variegated one alone. They have chewed it twice and of course they picked the side that I wanted to use as the front

I have never had one die, but I think they have damaged the trunk so badly that it will not recover.