Portulacaria afra - the poor man's bonsai

[Gustavo Martins]

Two years ago, I went on vacation to the Canary Islands and I found a very large (and old?) P. afra in an outdoor shopping centre. I couldn't resist and took a little cutting (no more than two pairs of leaves ~ 3-4 cm). I wrapped it in moisten toilet paper and squeezed it in my bag. I few days later, at home, I grabbed the cutting and pot it... It grew amazingly well. I first let it grow unrestricted until I was happy with its girth. Then I started clip and grow. Having decided that I ma generally happy with its structure and that it only needs refinement now I decided to repot it into a 'proper' bonsai pot last weekend and here it is...
Hope you enjoy it. They grow really fast...

 

[Paul F.]

Looks great! My wife has one but she wont let me touch it.. Its horrible looking.. LOL

 

[MrWunderful]

Looks great. I took two cuttings from my moms house from her plant. She kind of butchered it, so I had to clean it up.

What type of soil are you using, and are you watering everyday?

 

[Carol 83]

I know they're not really considered bonsai, but they're fun. Made this little forest, just for kicks.. The pot is courtesy of @Soldano666 .

 

[milehigh_7]

I know they're not really considered bonsai, but they're fun. Made this little forest, just for kicks.. The pot is courtesy of @Soldano666 .

1st you did not include your pics. 2nd they absolutely can be bonsai!

Here are a few pics of some Jim Smith (now deceased) created.

 

[Carol 83]

1st you did not include your pics

Geez, sorry...

 

[Gustavo Martins]

Looks great. I took two cuttings from my moms house from her plant. She kind of butchered it, so I had to clean it up.

What type of soil are you using, and are you watering everyday?

I used larger-sized scoria (lava rock) and a bit of pine bark. Now, it's been potted with a smaller-sized mixture of scoria, pumice and akadama...
No I do not water it everyday. In fact, I seldom do, maybe once a week, on average... Sometimes I only water when leaves start shriveling. Bare in mind that my climate is wet and humid most of the year and that these 'trees' like it dry.

 

[Gustavo Martins]

Geez, sorry...View attachment 199767

Let them grow some... Put'em outside in full sun and maybe a larger pot to speed up the growth???

 

[Carol 83]

Let them grow some... Put'em outside in full sun and maybe a larger pot to speed up the growth???

It was one of those"I've got these cuttings and a cute little pot" days. But you're right.

 

[PeaceLoveBonsai]

I should post a progression of this one...these are fun to play with for sure.

 

[Gustavo Martins]

I should post a progression of this one...these are fun to play with for sure.

Nice one. I never wired mine, but you've got to keep the scissor sharp. They keep budding from everywhere... specially where you don't want them to

 

[PeaceLoveBonsai]

Nice one. I never wired mine, but you've got to keep the scissor sharp. They keep budding from everywhere... specially where you don't want them to

Thanks. Yes, I use some wire. As you know, got to keep an eye on it, or it will cut. And agree, they’ll bud anywhere!

 

[AZbonsai]

Nice work @Gustavo Martins @Gdy2000 I will throw mine in the ring. I try to make pads on mine by triming over and under. They grow very fast here. I should bring in the branches a little tighter. I do not mind doing that because they root easy and create nice mame.

 

[ToddB]

Frankly, I've never really understood the "Portulacaria afra are unsuitable for bonsai" or "Portulacaria afra are not real bonsai" mindset.

Sure, they're are woody succulent and thus not considered bonsai material in the traditional Japanese sense, but that in no way diminishes their potential as a worthy addition to the Bonsai lexicon, especially in countries where climatic conditions are unsuitable for cultivating the standard northern hemisphere species one expects to see in more traditional circles. I think the late Jim Smith of Florida proved this negative mindset to be completely unwarranted. His specimens have as much artistic merit as anything I've seen in a pot, anywhere. Absolutely outstanding.

It all boils down to a matter of personal preference - that's it. I happen to dislike the overly-styled junipers with all the dead wood and perfectly shaped conical tops - I much prefer the naturalistic look - but I'd never say junipers were unsuitable subjects for bonsai...

The added bonus is that P. afra won't die if you forget to water them in hot weather - in fact they just grow faster.

 

[Velodog2]

I’ve stated elsewhere my opinion that if bonsai are simply small trees providing the convincing illusion of large trees, then portulacaria are doing the same but on another level by providing the convincing illusion of being trees at all ...