Overwinter Issues

LittleDingus

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Unfortunately, neither have I. This is very strange to me. If it's yellow just go yellow, there are like hints of red which I have never seen before.

Reds and oranges are typically a good sign in succulents...some orchids too.

I've never kept a p afra outdoors before, but my crussula sits outdoors most summers now. Its leaves will tinge red and the leaves will get quite pale by late summer. That "healthy dark green" that looks attractive to those of us unaccustomed to arid regions is often a sign of too little light in succulents and orchids and even citrus.

My crussula has lost most of its summer color from being trapped inside already :(
 

lieuz

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Reds and oranges are typically a good sign in succulents...some orchids too.
I initially speculated that as well. It would make a ton of sense that the canopy has the most red as it's closest to the light. The yellowing and dropping of yellowed leaves I feel has thrown me in for a loop. The new growth doesn't look as green either which is confusing.

It's equally saddening to see as this tree looks gorgeous during the summer. It experienced it's first full year of uninterrupted growth. Here it is in August.
108126425_329618898197099_5062007704819094629_n.jpg
 

LittleDingus

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I initially speculated that as well. It would make a ton of sense that the canopy has the most red as it's closest to the light. The yellowing and dropping of yellowed leaves I feel has thrown me in for a loop. The new growth doesn't look as green either which is confusing.

It's equally saddening to see as this tree looks gorgeous during the summer. It experienced it's first full year of uninterrupted growth. Here it is in August.
View attachment 347793

Hey...mine still has a few branches with some summer color after all! P afra behaves a little differently than crassula ovata which is what the pictures below are from...but most succulents behave similarly...

If the plant is getting enough light...actually a little more than "enough" ;)...it will tinge orange or red or pink like these leaves.

20210104_185302.jpg

If the majority of the leaf is turning pale yellow to red...the plant is likely getting too much light. Leaves that turn too pale or mostly red will "burn out" faster than normal. They may start to dry out and never plump up again. They may change over to a sickly yellow then fall off. They may just fall off for no apparent reason. My jade will start dropping these burnt out leaves like mad once the temps start dropping below 60F or so...The ones tinged like these will typically slowly green up now that the plant is in a dim north facing window.

Here is a range of colors left on another branch.

20210104_185559.jpg

The darker green leaves closest the flowers were mostly matured after the plant moved indoors. They are dark green with no red tinge. Just behind those are leaves tinged red at the edges. These were the last set of leaves grown out under full sun. They will typically darken for me to full dark green by winter's end now that the tree is in a dim north facing window with short days. Behind those are leaves that are a much paler green...almost a yellow. Those will very likely continue to turn yellow and fall off in the next few weeks. They look too damaged to recover. What you don't see behind those leaves are the several sets that turned sickly yellow and fell off when the temps fell while still outdoors.

While not truly deciduous in the way a maple or elm is, the leaves do have a lifetime. They get lighter and tinge red because the sun is burning up chlorophyll. Up to a point, they can continue to regenerate chlorophyll as it is burned up. After a point, there is too much damage and the leaves will not recover. Leaves will typically last much longer in low light than high light.

Succulents can tolerate much less light exposure than it takes to bleach leaves and grow just fine. People who grow succulents grow them to bleach the leaves! That's when they are the most colorful :) Most succulents need that kind of light to trigger the best flowering as well.
 

Carol 83

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My jades with the exception of one p.afra, sit in the southern window of my office and have never been outside. Their leaves are dark green with a tinge of red.
 

leatherback

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Keep in mind one tropical is not the other. Plants from wet tropics respond difeerent from plants from deserty regions. Some tropics have cold periods others stay warm yearround. Like the ficus that will drop leaves if a dry spell comes around.

Watering more is not per se what all species need. For Portulacaria I would doubt it is a lack of water troubling. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
 

Mycin

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Unfortunately, neither have I. This is very strange to me. If it's yellow just go yellow, there are like hints of red which I have never seen before.

Those yellowing leaves just look like they are being replaced with a new flush of growth. My portulacarias do the same after repotting or being brought indoors. The new growth on yours looks good so they seem healthy to me.

Ive wondered if p. Afras grow larger/smaller leaves dependent on light conditions...

Nice port!
 
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Paradox

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This is odd for sure
My first inclination is not enough water cause the soil in the pots looks very dry
Then the picture of the ficus leaf makes me think fungus, too much humidity (is that even possible for a tropical???)
I dont know enough about jade plants to help much on that
Too much light.....not sure if thats possible with artificial lights on tropicals unless they are on 24/7?
 

lieuz

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Those yellowing leaves just look like they are being replaced with a new flush of growth. My portulacarias do the same after repotting or being brought indoors. The new growth on yours looks good so they seem healthy to me.

Ive wondered if p. Afras grow larger/smaller leaves dependent on light conditions...

Nice port!
Thanks, I hope you are right. The one thing I will say is the fine branching isn't decicating. They are pushing new growth so that is a total plus.
 

lieuz

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Then the picture of the ficus leaf makes me think fungus, too much humidity (is that even possible for a tropical???)
I've been treating this guy with a fungicide. It had me worried too to be honest. Humidity is at 50-60%. When the light is on, the humidity drops to about 39-40%. When the light is off it rises to about 50%. I have a monitor that detects temps and humidity and it'll tell me the previous night's humidity level. When I used to not have the crates, the sitting puddle can generate up to 80-90% humidity with the light shining directly on the water. The standing water can produce quite a bit of humidity too. That def gave me a lot of problems but it was very momentary as the water does evaporate away. This system gives me a pretty constant humidity. I'm never down past 35% humidity.
Too much light.....not sure if thats possible with artificial lights on tropicals unless they are on 24/7?
Negative, they're on at 5 PM and turn off at 7 AM.
 
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sorce

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Sorry to have missed you since last year feller!

Really good to hear from you!

Sorce
 

lieuz

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Update:

Almost a week later, I discovered new growth peeking through on the bougainvillea early last week, and this week the new foliage is growing out prolifically. The new growth is coming globally and the leaves are emerald green with no signs of any yellow. The other trees have stabilized. Will have to follow up with pictures.
 

Carol 83

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Update:

Almost a week later, I discovered new growth peeking through on the bougainvillea early last week, and this week the new foliage is growing out prolifically. The new growth is coming globally and the leaves are emerald green with no signs of any yellow. The other trees have stabilized. Will have to follow up with pictures.
👏👍
 

lieuz

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Update:
It's now overwintering season again 10 months later and I just wanted to say that last year when the trees went in for overwintering, the trees showed stress pretty much immediately and within the month a lot of foliage has dropped. This go around, I realized my fertilizing regiment was the reason. It's very anecdotal I feel. The first year, everything was hunky-dory. The second-year everything drops. The third year, I'm starting to realize fertilization was key to the success of the lights. These lights are pretty intense so going into the tent with a crap ton of plant food seems to be the key. A month in, the tree is still green and lush. I think I completely covered the entire surface of the soil with fertilizer and watering on a daily occurrence. For some reason, the temp in the tent is also hovering around 85 degrees this year while last year it's hovering around 65-70. It might have something to do with the raised base, I added a platform to raise the trees. The bottom of the tent collected all the water and without seeing the light to evaporate it created maybe a foot of cool column of air which made for a cooler environment.

Altogether last year was a bad growing season. I've learned a lot since year one and come full circle to not introduce any more necessary elements to the system. The only thing that was needed substantially was fertilizer and I'm happy to add more at a moment's notice when the previous batch has deteriorated.
 

sorce

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It's very anecdotal I feel.

I feel like the truth may lie in the outdoor temperature at the time of move.

Not in one certain way, like, you were late and they got cold.
But their ability to read and adapt to future conditions, a "prep" for winter that gets jolted back into life.

It comes down to "confusion" (of tree) for me, which is rather hard to consider but easy to see pattern of, which is why we keep it anecdotal.

Sorce
 

just.wing.it

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I feel like the truth may lie in the outdoor temperature at the time of move.

Not in one certain way, like, you were late and they got cold.
But their ability to read and adapt to future conditions, a "prep" for winter that gets jolted back into life.

It comes down to "confusion" (of tree) for me, which is rather hard to consider but easy to see pattern of, which is why we keep it anecdotal.

Sorce
This is why I bring mine in early....usually early October.....sometimes even late September.
 
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