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.
Here is it today on 10/4:
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