Portulacaria afra pruning

the Elephant's Food or Spekboom

Portulacaria afra in need of pruning

Prune by cutting above a pair of leaf pads., a new bud will grow from the base of each of the pads

New growth can be expected to be seen within a week during warm weather, from the base of removed leaves.

Leaves of plants grown in full sun are smaller than those of the same variety grown in partial shade.  Full sun is also known to bleach the leaves to a pale yellowish color. Here outdoors with overhead protection is full sun in more northern locations. We use a 40-60 % shade fabric! 

Wherever a bud or branch has been removed along a branch or the trunk a new bud could sprout.

P. afra pruned

The non-budding stump of a cut-off large branch will eventually dry up and fall off by itself.  Branch stubs dry out and eventually will fall off.  A bud may arise at the base of this at any time before or after separation. Larger stubs should not be directly watered until the wound has been scabbed  over and the injury was well on its way to healing.

Water thoroughly, and then let the soil dry out completely.  Chronic over-watering can kill the plant. P. afra does not do well in continually humid locations.

Portulacaria afra Soju Style (double trunk)
 Approximate Age: 10 Years in Training: 5
 Exhibited by M. Limburg
Yama Ki Bonsai Society

New branches sprout from
the base of the leaves

Remove large leaves once the
new branch is established

Portulacaria afra- re-pot

• Spekboom (lit., "fat pork tree")
• Elephant's Food
• Elephant Bush
• Elephant Grass
• Elephant-Plant
• Olifantskos
• Purslane Tree
• Dwarf Jade 
• Tiny Leaf Jade
• Baby Jade 

Portulacaria afra to be re-potted

Re-pot a Baby Jade P. afra  bonsai every few years in the late spring when the daily low temps are above 50º F and high temps are above 90º F. 

remove any circling roots and
slice the bottom portion
of the dry root ball

P. afra needs to have a dry callous form
 over the cut root ends 

I use a soil-less compost with 40% red lava rock
and coarse, gritty sand.

Use a very well draining soil. Before re-potting, dry the soil out thoroughly.

Wires placed through holes

Bottom view

wire and screen attached to bottom of pot

Wires to stabilize the tree in the pot

fin

After re-potting, keep a Baby Jade's soil dry for a few days then resume to water as needed

Sometimes I wind the wire around the trunk
if there are not enough of a root-ball to support the tree

Buddhist Pine- a lucky charm

Podocarpus macrophyllus

The ripe cone arils are edible and sweet,
BUT the seed should not be eaten.

• Yew Pine
• Southern Yew
• Buddhist Pine
• Kasamaki
• Inumaki
• Luo Han Song
• Good Luck pines
•  Fern Pine

USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 to 10

The oval seed sits on ripened fleshy receptacle

The mature seeds and attached "false fruit cones" look like meditating disciples of the Buddha . It is a popular large shrub or small tree in China, Japan and the southeastern United States. The ripe cone arils are edible and sweet, BUT the seed should not be eaten.

The Buddhist Pine is viewed as a lucky charm, and are often used in the life improvement system of feng shui and are often planted on temple grounds.

Podocarpus macrophyllus
Hyougo-ken Japan

The Buddhist Pine is thought to be the harbinger of good fortune. Along with the Bodhi Tree, the Buddhist Pine plays at important inspirational role in Buddhism.

Good Luck pines
Many believe that the podocarpus attracts good health and that wealth is a by-product of being healthy.

Podocarpus macrophyllus as penjing, penjing garden,
 Shanghai Botanical Garden

When grown outdoors, the evergreen podocarpus can grow to thirty feet with a spread of about twenty feet or can easily be pruned into a nice hedge.

• Evergreen tree with no showy fall color
• Drought Tolerant
• Needs a well-drained soil.
• Best growth and form in full sun, but will tolerate shade. 

Hong Kong Central Library

Good Luck pines
Yew Pine
Southern Yew
Buddhist Pine is highly regarded as a feng shui tree



Good Luck pines
Yew Pine,

Podocarpus macrophyllus at the main gate of Rinzai Buddhist temple.

Podocarpus works well in both informal and sheared hedges
This is planted in the median of Victory Drive...