Decaying Portulacaria Afra

[Thorge]

Hello everyone,

after years of reading along, I would now like to ask you a question.

First of all, a brief introduction. My name is Thorge and I live in northern Germany with a maritime climate and around USDA 8a.

My PAs have been weakening since last summer and haven't really got back on their feet since then. I had a look at the roots of some of them and they looked good. The stems are all firm. What is noticeable is that many of the leaves have died off the stem.

As usual, I had to deal with pests over the winter, so I put them out about 4 weeks ago and sprayed them twice. Since then we've had a few temperature drops down to 4°C for a few hours. The plants are protected from the rain on the veranda.

The PAs are completely on inorganic substrate (pumice, zeolite, lava), I use mineral fertilizer (8/8/6), last year 20 ml to 10 L and every 10 days, this year I started with a proportional doser and converted the concentration to a daily dose accordingly. If that doesn't sound like a good idea, please let me know.

Long story short, pictures say more than 1000 words.

Pic 1 The spots occur frequently


Pic 2


Pic 3 the leaves may have received some rain




Pic 4


Thanks for your help and best regards
Thorge

 

[penumbra]

Not dissimilar from many P. afra after the winter inside. In a couple of weeks (in my zone 6B) I will be plucking leaves, pruning weak branches and moving to a sunnier and more open space with good air circulation. I will fertilize lightly but frequently. In 4 to 8 weeks it will look like a new plant.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Don't forget that these are succulents. Full sun - the more sun the better - and watch that you don't overwater.

In Southern California I had these growing in landscape where they would go nine months without getting a drop of rain. I would walk by, brush up against them, and a branch would fall on the ground, lay there for about six months, and eventually start to grow roots where it was touching soil. They thrive on neglect, and punish too much water or not enough sunlight.

 

[Thorge]

Hello everyone,

thank you very much for your answers.

I kept the plants in a south-facing window with additional artificial lighting throughout the winter and initially watered them about once a month. That didn't suit them at all, at least with once a week it went downhill more slowly.

Do you have any idea what the dying off of even very young leaves from the stem to the outside could indicate? Sometimes very good-looking leaves have fallen off where only the stem has turned brown.

I fertilize with NPK 8/8/6 and 0.2 ml per liter and water (Wuxal according to instructions 20 ml per 10 liters and 10 days) every few days, depending on the weather, when completely dry.



Thank you and best regards

Thorge

 

[Nitrogen Fixer]

I suspect you might be overfertilizing (especially when indoors). That looks like fertilizer burn to me. I'd stop fertilizing for a few months. It may need to grow new roots.

 

[nuttiest]

What is the green in zeolite? When did you change to that soil?

 

[leatherback]

Mine are in full sun, and get watered with the rest of my trees. They love sun and water..

 

[Srt8madness]

Mine are in full sun, and get watered with the rest of my trees. They love sun and water..

Yup! Common misconception that P.Afra don't like water. If they're in blazing sun, or in shallow bonsai pots, I water them right along with everything else. They are just more forgiving when not watered.

 

[Russ1]

I find that if i keep my PAs in the house with Orchids and Brazilian Rain Trees (Plant Room, Humidity ~40%, Temp 65-73 deg F ) over the winter their leaves will fall and look like their net getting enough water, but if i keep them in my attic (under a skylight, temps average from low 30's F to mid 40's F, Humidity tends to be higher with the lower temps) they do just fine. It looks like 4 deg C is around 39 deg F so I don't think that's a problem. I also use Pumice, Lava & a bit of Pine Bark and I water freely in summer but slow watering down in winter. As soon as the temp stays mostly above 40 deg F I put them out in a cold greenhouse and they love it then move them to full sun when I get around to it. I don't fertilize in winter since I don't want to force new weak growth, I just let them rest.