She has an Associate of Arts from Rogue Community College with a certificate in computer information systems. Spekboom can be propagated from cuttings, which must be kept dry to prevent rotting. If the plant is young, then a piece less than 2 inches wide will work. Ensure you plant plants with similar water requirements in the same beds – roses for example or other thirsty plants are not good companions of Spekboom. Planted in the ground and allowed to grow to its full height, Portulacaria will tower up to 15 feet high. Let the soil around the base of the plant dry out. These houseplants are also a popular choice to prune into a bonsai form - smaller plants are best for this, or you make your own by propagating… see below! If you decide to trim roots, trim the air roots. Allow the cleanly cut edges of the cuttings to dry out for a few days before planting it in well-drained river sand. Learn more... Bonsai is the Japanese practice of growing miniature trees in small containers. Easily explained. The ancient practice of bonsai lifts pruning to an art form. References The above ground and underground portions of your bonsai tree will need to be kept in relative proportion. These would include branches that cross each other, those that grow at very sharp angles, and those that grow across the trunk and interrupt its continuous line. Juniper and ficus are 2 of the most popular types of trees for use in bonsai, but there are dozens more that can be adapted as well. Dwarf jade cuttings root quickly without callusing or using root hormone. Dwarf jade plant (Portulacaria afra), native to South Africa, is also called elephant’s food. Pruning: It’s really easy to prune your Spekboom when the stems get particularly long to keep it looking neat. The elephant bush is a bush-like succulent plant that grows in a variety of sizes depending on its environment. For aesthetic reasons, you will want to remove any branches that will clutter and cloud the tree's artistic line. Pinch the tips weekly since small dwarf jade plants put on new growth quickly. For structural reasons, you want to leave branches intact that will increase growth in weak areas. It’s water wise. Remove large leaves to open the plant and allow light to reach inner stems where you want new, smaller leaves to grow. The smooth, brownish-gray trunk is very thick and heavily branched with a profusion of bright green succulent leaves. Let the cutting dry out and callous for a couple of days and then plant the cutting in damp gritty soil in a small pot. If the trunk leans heavily in one direction, remove branches in that direction while preserving those in the opposite direction. To … We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. However, you do need to prune it from time to time. Portulacaria afra – the name might sound like a mouthful, so it might be easier to refer to this plant by another name. Take your gin and tonic game to the next level by switching out the cucumber for spekboom. Your site informed me that, "It does help. No time to water your garden? Even leaves that are knocked off while pruning or doing other activities may root on their own. Do not make a concave cut, but keep the cut flush with the branch surface. You did a great job taking pics to show it's progresion. I didn't know that! If you want to infuse the spekboom taste into the mix, pick some leaves and cut them in half before dropping into your glass. Trim the bonsai tree's roots accordingly. The steps below will help you to understanding the process of trimming and shaping your bonsai into a beautiful work of art. When grown in containers, they stay much smaller. I received a p. Afra from a older guy that passed. Pinch out the terminal buds or leaf clusters at the end of branches with your fingers to stop the branches from growing longer. Help! They may also root in water. Considerably more so than normal plants do – in fact it is said that one hectare of Spekboom can capture four tons of carbon in a year. Keep reading to learn about creating a cascade bonsai. Thanks. Don't cut the lower branches or clear leaves from the ground beneath: this hinders successful … wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 92% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Insert the cutting into a box or container, filled with about 3 inches (8 cm) of moistened pure builder's sand, vermiculite, or perlite. Just want to clarify that ''Spekboom'' is not used by the native africans and is actually an Afrikaans word . Simply twist the stem to remove it from the main branch or cut it with a very sharp, sanitized blade. The goal of maintenance pruning is to maintain and refine the shape of a tree. I cut it back and now am working on branch structure. The soil under a spekboom is of excellent quality – Spekboom responds well to pruning and grows densely, making it an excellent, hardy hedge. How to Propagate Plants from Cuttings Cut a 4- to 5-inch-long (10 to 12 cm) stem (or side shoot) just below a leaf, and remove all but two or three leaves at the top. Thank you for the information! Pruning and wiring: Because the Jade tree is a succulent, it retains water in its trunk and branches. I water my bonsai every two days. Image caption: Pruning – (Clump style) Define the stems you want to develop into branches by nipping off leaves and leaf buds along the stems , along the underside of branches. If you want it to trail, start by prune … Spekboom can tolerate cold temperatures as well as extreme heat. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c2\/Trim-a-Bonsai-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Trim-a-Bonsai-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c2\/Trim-a-Bonsai-Step-1.jpg\/aid1914258-v4-728px-Trim-a-Bonsai-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"