Portulacaria Afra

[willhopper]

I recently befriended a guy at a local nursery who used to be a member of my bonsai society. He’s a landscaper and bonsai enthusiast who collects trees often while he’s at work. He has too many saplings and medium trees to care for so he invited me to his house to take them and donate them to the society. He’s really cool, has his horticulture license and is real generous.

Anyway, he gave me a rather large and neglected Portulacaria Afra that is a semi-cascade. My question is, and I’ve searched the Internet for answers, are these trees worth wiring? One of our members told me that they just return to their starting positions if you ever remove the wire.

I really like this tree and want to save it (the trunk is large, like 4 inches, and the cascade is plentiful and long. I want to wire it and give it some style, but do I have to keep the wire on in perpetuity? Will I have to constantly rewire it over the years?

Also, does this species lend itself to deadwood?

Thanks ahead of time.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Your friends are correct... you really can't wire them. You need to trim them to whatever shape/form you desire.

As succulents, they don't have wood of any type - let alone deadwood though we were just talking about Frank Yee's line of corky "barked" ones that look amazingly like a cork bark pine. If you can get your hands on one they can be pretty cool looking. But it isn't bark - just mutated cuticle/skin.

 

[willhopper]

Your friends are correct... you really can't wire them. You need to trim them to whatever shape/form you desire.

As succulents, they don't have wood of any type - let alone deadwood though we were just talking about Frank Yee's line of corky "barked" ones that look amazingly like a cork bark pine. If you can get your hands on one they can be pretty cool looking. But it isn't bark - just mutated cuticle/skin.

View attachment 174386

Thanks! So, I guess I’m at the mercy of nature. I’ll do my best to clip and grow.

 

[sorce]

I’ll do my best to clip and grow.

Even the brownest thumb's best is all you need with these I reckon!

Sounds neat! Pics?

Sorce

 

[willhopper]

The tree is in my garage so forgive the mess.

 

[willhopper]

I gave it a trim.

 

[GailC]

I really like these in a cascade. Since you can't wire, at least not without difficulty, how would you go about getting a small cutting bend over? I have little cuttings, around 1/4" stem. Wondering if I can let it get a bit dry so its someone flexible and somehow weight it down so it cascades.

 

[willhopper]

I really like these in a cascade. Since you can't wire, at least not without difficulty, how would you go about getting a small cutting bend over? I have little cuttings, around 1/4" stem. Wondering if I can let it get a bit dry so its someone flexible and somehow weight it down so it cascades.

It feels like this one I have was neglected and go so overgrown that gravity did all of the work, but I could be wrong.

I also think wiring can be done, but you’d have to be diligent with taking it off and rewiring somas to not scar and lose the bends. Not sure it’s worth all that so I’m just gonna practice cut and grow.

 

[bonsai-ben]

Bring it to the club workshop on January 27th. centralfloridabonsaiclub.com I'll help you with it and make it shiny. One of my favorite species as bonsai.

 

[GailC]

It feels like this one I have was neglected and go so overgrown that gravity did all of the work, but I could be wrong.

I also think wiring can be done, but you’d have to be diligent with taking it off and rewiring somas to not scar and lose the bends. Not sure it’s worth all that so I’m just gonna practice cut and grow.

I've seen them wired so I will eventually try it, once they get big enough that is.

I had a regular jade for 17 years, sometimes in the winter I would forget to water it and the large trunk would flop over. I would have to stake them back up and it took a few weeks for the trunk to get rigid again. I think you are probably right that yours was neglected, either got dry or too heavy and just flopped over. Made for a neat looking plant though, should be fun to work.

 

[willhopper]

Bring it to the club workshop on January 27th. centralfloridabonsaiclub.com I'll help you with it and make it shiny. One of my favorite species as bonsai.

I’m in St. Pete, my club is the Suncoast Bonsai Society. But I appreciate the offer. Any tips you want to give here?

 

[Velodog2]

Certainly you can wire them. I suggest you use copper and wire very neatly, expecting to leave it on for years. The copper turns a similar color to the skin of the tree. They thicken slowly so there is not much issue with it biting in. They do seem to take a set eventually and making cuts at the curves helps that to happen.

 

[willhopper]

Certainly you can wire them. I suggest you use copper and wire very neatly, expecting to leave it on for years. The copper turns a similar color to the skin of the tree. They thicken slowly so there is not much issue with it biting in. They do seem to take a set eventually and making cuts at the curves helps that to happen.

Cool, great tips, thanks.

 

[bonsai-ben]

I’m in St. Pete, my club is the Suncoast Bonsai Society. But I appreciate the offer. Any tips you want to give here?

"Central Florida" my ass. Tips are in quantity on the Portulacaria Afra Facebook group, but I'd hate to divert traffic to another site. I just dont have time to type em again, head there, search very few other posts here, or show in person! Biggest trick for wiring is easy - let it dry a week then wire it. Plenty of other tricks.

 

[just.wing.it]

You can wire it, just be very, extra, super careful.
Also I use guy wires on mine, with success, so far.

And I agree with @bonsai-ben about wiring when dry.
When the branches are plump with water, they snap easier.

 

[willhopper]

"Central Florida" my ass. Tips are in quantity on the Portulacaria Afra Facebook group, but I'd hate to divert traffic to another site. I just dont have time to type em again, head there, search very few other posts here, or show in person! Biggest trick for wiring is easy - let it dry a week then wire it. Plenty of other tricks.

Thanks! And do you think I should say West Central Florida? LOL!!

 

[bonsai-ben]

Thanks! And do you think I should say West Central Florida? LOL!!

Central West Florida.

 

[willhopper]

Central West Florida.

Florida via Central West region?

 

[pweifan]

Maybe just keep it simple and just say "St. Petersburg, FL"? the beauty of that is when you click on a location it will actually pull up properly in Google Maps. I'm actually in a suburb of Cleveland, but it's close enough for government work

 

[willhopper]

Maybe just keep it simple and just say "St. Petersburg, FL"? the beauty of that is when you click on a location it will actually pull up properly in Google Maps. I'm actually in a suburb of Cleveland, but it's close enough for government work

Done!