Two Little Spekbooms

cishepard

Shohin
Messages
341
Reaction score
693
Location
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
USDA Zone
8
I have a new grandson - my first - and when they thought he might be born on Halloween, I just started thinking of him as Spooky Spekboom for some reason ... : )
He wound up being a bit later than that, but the nickname “little Spekboom“ stuck (the poor kid with a weird grandmother). So, of course, I used the opportunity to acquire another bonsai, a Porticularia afra or corkbark dwarf jade, aka Spekboom.
The tree will live with me, and as the grandbaby grows, so shall the tree, and I will teach him about it’s care and when he visits we will trim it and put the edible leaves in our salads! Maybe, someday, he will care enough to take possession and cherish it himself.

I bought the tree from Housguy on this forum, They provided great photos and it was packed and shipped very well, with not even a single leaf drop.

Introducing the two little Spekbooms and their progression thread!B76CCB12-98D7-4FC7-A2ED-23F6237A9BD8.jpeg5D8D341B-5850-4E75-B3A1-3B76C8BA9769.jpeg
 

cishepard

Shohin
Messages
341
Reaction score
693
Location
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
USDA Zone
8
I am keeping the tree in a coolish basement (60F) under flourecent lights for the winter and it will go outside in the full sun with my other cactus and succulents when the weather warms up. The tree is in potting soil and I’m thinking that I will let it rest for a couple weeks , then repot it into a shallow pot with my bonsai mix (pumice, bark and granite).
This is my first tropical bonsai - can I repot this time of year and should I be fertilizing? Any tips or links on developing spekbooms are welcome!
View from the other side. Not much in the way of nebari, but I haven’t dug down too deep, yet. Some inverse taper on the trunk - if it spouts down near the roots, I might leave them there to try and thicken the bottom.
C6C739CB-A33C-42C8-9296-EDD9E6C143F9.jpeg
 

cishepard

Shohin
Messages
341
Reaction score
693
Location
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
USDA Zone
8
A year and 8 months later. The Spekboom (tree) is thriving, but has not changed much. The shoots lengthen, and I cut them back, etc. etc. so it looks a little fuller, but I don’t know if I really understand how to get ramification on these p. Afra’s. (or if it is even possible). Fun to play with, though and I have some corky cuttings going to experiment with.

20210818_121128_Original.jpeg
20210818_121244_Original.jpeg


The other little spekboom is thriving as well : )

20210614_113201_Original.jpeg
 

Housguy

Chumono
Messages
744
Reaction score
2,268
Location
Chino Hills, CA
USDA Zone
10a
A year and 8 months later. The Spekboom (tree) is thriving, but has not changed much. The shoots lengthen, and I cut them back, etc. etc. so it looks a little fuller, but I don’t know if I really understand how to get ramification on these p. Afra’s. (or if it is even possible). Fun to play with, though and I have some corky cuttings going to experiment with.

View attachment 392394



The other little spekboom is thriving as well : )
Tree is looking great! They are growing up together beautifully and I love your cuttings!
 
Top Bottom