Giant P. Afra

Mycin

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I love spekbooms but here in Chicago we just don’t get the huge monsters for cheap like you folks down south or West ..... that is, until today :cool: $100 at local nursery.

It’s in a 5 gallon bucket for now for scale. Main trunk is about 3-4” at the and I’m not sure if the other trunks are separate plants or just a multi trunk tree. It’s a mess and I have no idea about what to do with it yet but I’ve always wanted a larger specimen to develop an indoor showcase tree. So jealous of our Florida/California posters who have these growing everywhere it seems.

I’ll repot & trim soon, likely into a grow box of some sort. Let it recover under a grow light over the winter and then prune once the weather warms I’m thinking

It has good early trunk movement and taper for a portulacaria so I’m very excited
 

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Carol 83

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I love spekbooms but here in Chicago we just don’t get the huge monsters for cheap like you folks down south or West ..... that is, until today :cool: $100 at local nursery.

It’s in a 5 gallon bucket for now for scale. Main trunk is about 3-4” at the and I’m not sure if the other trunks are separate plants or just a multi trunk tree. It’s a mess and I have no idea about what to do with it yet but I’ve always wanted a larger specimen to develop an indoor showcase tree. So jealous of our Florida/California posters who have these growing everywhere it seems.

I’ll repot & trim soon, likely into a grow box of some sort. Let it recover under a grow light over the winter and then prune once the weather warms I’m thinking

It has good early trunk movement and taper for a portulacaria so I’m very excited
You're going to have ALOT of cuttings!😄
 

MrWunderful

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That looks like a monster, however it is most likely multiple plants or will need to be separated into multiple plants to make something coherent.

I cannot speak to how they live outside of “normal” range (like chicago) but if it were me I would protect/feed until spring (or after frosts end) then bare root the whole thing, separate the largest trunks and cut back hard to structure while leaving the most amount of roots you can while still tidying them up for whatever pots you choose.

My portys stay outside all year, so I have no idea how they would react to being repotted in winter under artificial light, but that is how I work them here. I will also repot mid summer.
 

Mycin

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That looks like a monster, however it is most likely multiple plants or will need to be separated into multiple plants to make something coherent.

I cannot speak to how they live outside of “normal” range (like chicago) but if it were me I would protect/feed until spring (or after frosts end) then bare root the whole thing, separate the largest trunks and cut back hard to structure while leaving the most amount of roots you can while still tidying them up for whatever pots you choose.

My portys stay outside all year, so I have no idea how they would react to being repotted in winter under artificial light, but that is how I work them here. I will also repot mid summer.

I’ve been thinking about this all weekend and I think I’m gonna slip pot into a 30” grow box with 2:1 pumice:8822

Its in organic soil, in a nursery pot. My fear is that I’ll overwater it and/or it’ll succumb to a fungal issue. I would feel more comfortable caring for it indoors in a more predictable, well draining inorganic soil. There’s a finger sized root poking out the bottom too, so it won’t sit flat.

Repotting at this time of year is risky, but less so than leaving it in its original pot/soil — in my humble opinion, of course.

I don’t get great sun exposure on my north facing balcony, so my other ports have been growing much better under grow lights. I’m still trying to figure out their watering needs indoors, I fear I overwatered a few that have began struggling for no apparent reason. Whereas outdoors in the heat it seems like the more frequently I water them the faster they grow
 

LittleDingus

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I’ve been thinking about this all weekend and I think I’m gonna slip pot into a 30” grow box with 2:1 pumice:8822

Its in organic soil, in a nursery pot. My fear is that I’ll overwater it and/or it’ll succumb to a fungal issue. I would feel more comfortable caring for it indoors in a more predictable, well draining inorganic soil. There’s a finger sized root poking out the bottom too, so it won’t sit flat.

Repotting at this time of year is risky, but less so than leaving it in its original pot/soil — in my humble opinion, of course.

I don’t get great sun exposure on my north facing balcony, so my other ports have been growing much better under grow lights. I’m still trying to figure out their watering needs indoors, I fear I overwatered a few that have began struggling for no apparent reason. Whereas outdoors in the heat it seems like the more frequently I water them the faster they grow

One thing to keep in mind is that p. afra and the similar crassulas are NOT trees. They are succulents. There are some significant differences in general care. For example, repotting now is not any more risky than repotting in spring. I tend to repot mine around the winter holidays because they are large and take a lot of work and it entertains my mother-in-law :) They don't need much after care when repotted. I've never treated them any different before or after a repot as I would normally treat them for that time of year.

You can start p. afra cuttings practically from a single cell. Many succulents root extremely easily. Leaves that fall off mine will root and I'll need to pull them a couple of times a year. As a demonstration, this "cutting" was plucked off a plant on 8/26 and poked into an organic mix in a small pot.

20200826_133840.jpg

Here is it today on 10/4:

20201004_075200.jpg

That's basically a month's growth. Literally all I did was push the stem slightly into the mix to hold it in place, set it on a shelf, and forgot about it. I water it whenever the nearby plants get watered...about every other day. It's etoliated because it doesn't get enough light sitting where it does. But that's still significant growth for such a tiny cutting in such a short time.

These things bounce back from abuse! I wouldn't worry about when to work on it...the plant doesn't much care. It will slow down/pause growth in the winter but it's tough to kill...unless, as you mentioned, you over water it!

What I've learned is that, while in active growth, they are tougher to over water unless they are sitting in a puddle. In winter, when not as active, they can be bone dry for weeks and not care. Crassula are easier to tell because their leaves are more plump, but you can learn to tell the difference in turgidity of the leaves. Basically, the leaves wilt or become squishier and easier to bend when the plant needs water. They stay turgid and snappy when the plant has plenty of water. In the winter, I let the plant wilt some before watering. The soil is basically a brick by that point it's so dry. I use big box store cactus mix for mine. In the winter, I might water once every 3-4 weeks. In the summer, they sit outside and get watered pretty much every day. I might skip a day here and there to make sure the soil has fully drained. When they are actively growing, standing water will kill them, but damp roots not so much...at least in my experience.

If you DO get rot...it will almost always start from the roots and work up. It MAY NOT be visible or have any visible indication on the plant until the plant collapses because the trunk can no longer hold up the weight. What tends to happen is the inside of the root/stem rot while the "bark" looks fine. You might learn to get a feel for a healthy trunk by starting to squeeze it every time you water. You should be able to tell when it starts to rot...it will probably burst and leak under a gentle squeeze. DO NOT THROW THE PLANT OUT! By that point, the roots and trunk will be dead, but continue to squeeze up the trunk until you feel firm tissue again. Cut above healthy tissue and plant the cutting. It will be fine.

Starting from a plant that size, you could have 50 of these things in a year and still have a plant that size! Even in 5b. I lived in the Chicago area when I got my first crassula over 30 years ago. I've had both crassula and afra for decades in your climate. You can do this :)
 

Mycin

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Bad news: the "spiderwebs" I thought saw were mealybug threads

Good news: my watering regiment WASN'T the reason for some of my plants struggling :D

I feel like an idiot, the signs were there for over a month. Plenty of time to nip this in the bud early. Well, not too late i don't think, the problem isn't terminal - just widespread. Probably 2\3 of my plants. Sprayed thoroughly with alcohol, allowed to dry, rinsed with water, sprayed with neem oil & detergent. Today I'll powder w DE and spot treat with alcohol. Gonna repeat weekly for a month.


As for the big port, I'm getting additional shelving & lighting so once that gets here this weekend I'll repot into the biggest colander i can find.
 

Colorado

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I wouldn’t hesitate to repot at any time of year given your setup. These things are bulletproof.
 

Mycin

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Ok today was the big day. Had been steeling myself up for this moment: separated & repotted the Afras.

Settled on the following: an 11” 8L colander for the main tree, and I’ll be repotting the others together in a larger colander just to make it easier to manage. I’ll just be posting about the biggest tree

Anyways, the roots were a mess but I was happy to see that the big one’s roots were pretty decent. Cut a toilet paper roll sized root off but the rest weren’t TOO bad and I wasn’t confident enough to cut anymore off before wintering indoors. I’ll cut the rest of the larger roots off next repot. Sorry for not many photos, I was flying solo

For soil I settled on 3:1:1 pumice:8822:LECA balls. LECA balls are for aeration - a substitute for lava rock. A small amount of lava rock used as top cover. It’ll get as much light as I can get it - currently two PAR38 bulbs and a north facing window, but that may change.

I’m gonna wait a week or so to water it, that was a big cut I left exposed. Root rot is my biggest concern (next to the aforementioned mealybugs!) so I’ll be keeping this on the dry side over the winter. Otherwise, gonna let it regain vigor and push some new growth before I prune.

It’s currently 34” tall and 3” at the base. I’m thinking an eventual height of 20-24”. Style wise I’m torn between informal upright and windswept. To me, the taper on this tree is its strongest point which has me thinking upright. But the directional growth suggests windswept. I could even see a “flat top” canopy style, like an acacia. Plenty of time to think about it!
 

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Colorado

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Hmmm never seen a tree in a metal colender. I would think that would get very, very hot in the sun.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Nice

One tip to offer. With succulents like Spekboom, Baobab, Opercularia, Bursera, Boswellia, Commiphora, and other succulent trees and shrubs. When one cuts the roots, it is often better to leave them absolutely dry for at least a week afterwards, to allow the cuts to seal over. Watering immediately after wounding the roots often provides fungi or bacteria an avenue for infection. When I repot, I use dry media. Pot the tree up. Allow it to sit completely dry for at least a week or two depending on the species. Then begin normal watering.

This was a tip given to me a long time ago, and I found it helps.
 

Mycin

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So update after a couple months - doing well after repot. In fact, I think I was a bit sparing with the water, as this one hasn’t grown as much as my other jades. Gonna start watering thoroughly weekly, with light fert biweekly.

I trimmed the top two trunks just to fit in my shelving but left the rest of the foliage to drive root growth. Once it’s warm enough to take outside, I’ll clean it up down to primary/secondary branching.

As far as a final silhouette, I’ve decided on a flat top style, with a mock-up sketch attached. Stylistic guidelines suggest I remove the first two branches as they are much thinner than the following branch. I just don’t think the trunk is interesting enough to leave the first 7” bare. Not sure yet.
 

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Mycin

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Couple rooted cuttings that I found with the big plant. Before .... and After cutbacks

I’m waiting to cut the fat first branch on the shohin sized tree until I have space to root it. Don’t wanna let that branch go to waste! But yeah I’m planning on doing a nice mame/shohin with it.

Btw @sorce - one of these has your name on it, should be much easier to get it to you after pruning. Sorry for the delay !!
 

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sorce

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I'm in a bonsai hurry!

This is great, because I look through store things and they mean nothing to me.

Hey, If you haven't watched "I Care a Lot" on The big red N, check it out!

Sorce
 

Mycin

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Slowly but surely I’ve been trimming and shaping this tree and it’s starting to take form. Trimmed all of the unwanted primary branches and I’m gonna take this branches down next. I’m waiting for more foliage so I can get a viable thick trunked cutting from it. It’s been a cool spring for us so not too much growth yet .. I’m really hoping for some backbudding on the middle branch
 

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Forsoothe!

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I am amused that you buy a big specimen and put it in a grow box. It's not big enough for a houseplant? I was given several large Jade by a Florida-bound friend and made a finished forest that I just maintain as such and try to keep within a profile...
JdL 062820 post 080820.JPG
...It's big enough for me!
 

Forsoothe!

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And there were left-over pieces...
Jds 101920 Jenny.JPG
...in a Dale Cochoy one-of-a-kind pot!
 

Mycin

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I am amused that you buy a big specimen and put it in a grow box. It's not big enough for a houseplant? I was given several large Jade by a Florida-bound friend and made a finished forest that I just maintain as such and try to keep within a profile...
View attachment 375296
...It's big enough for me!

The grow box is to promote fine feeder root growth, as an intermediary to a bonsai pot. Also to stave off rot while wintering indoors, after the repot and large root chop. I agree with you it’s certainly large enough! Now for my best attempt at refinement

Beautiful forest by the way, I hope to grow a jade grove like that one day ...
 
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