Grand Daddy Portulacaria Bonsai from 2007

 earliest photo I could find

Portulcaria Bonsai

End of summer photo

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Repotted portulacaria bonsai

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Portulacaria Bonsai

My twenty year old bonsai is looking a little sad. I had it outside for the summer where it got full sunlight. It has been indoors for about 8 weeks now. Most of the old leaves fell off. The bonsai looks a little naked, now that those "summertime" leaves have come off.
However, as they say "Don't get your panties in a knot!" Because the portulacaria is sprouting a whole new set of "wintertime-indoor" leaves. It is shedding its nude look for a greener, lusher covering.

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Care of Portulacaria Bonsai

A- Indoors

Light- as much light as possible. Sunny window is best. Turn every few weeks so plant does not grow one way.

Temperature- will tolerate temperatures as low as 50 degress F. (10 C)

Watering- allow to dry between watering. Can be neglected. Suggest watering every 2 weeks with a good soaking. Water stress will show if the leaves start to wrinkle. Underwatering better than overwatering.

Pruning- Generally pinch off the new growth to control the plant’s shape. Don’t want to get long stems between the leaves. The plant grows with opposite leaves. As a branch grows, pinch off the end whenever there are one or two leaves. This way the plant will stay bushy.

Fertilizing- shouldn’t be needed until about April. Then feed with a water soluble fertilizer such as miracle grow or 20-20-20. 1 teaspoon to 2 litres. Use the liquid fertilizer about once a month.

Future pruning- right now the plant is sort of a bush. As the height increases, you could consider removing the lower branches and leaves to make it more like a tree.

Repotting- Next summer, once acclimatized to outdoors, suggest lifting out of pot, putting half to ¾ inch of potting soil in the bottom and re-planting. Then remove a half inch of the soil on top to expose the roots.

B- Outdoors

In summer, it is good to put outside when danger of frost is past (after June 1^st through to early October in Southern Ontario.) Acclimatize to outdoor sun by placing in an area with no direct sunlight for 10 days. Then move gradually to full sun.

Plant will grow quicker as the weather gets warmer. Trim regularly. Any trimmings can be stuck in a pot and they will root quite easily.

Watering in the heat of the summer when outside can be as often as every other day.

Fertilize once a month- when outdoors.

See these plants earlier in the summer.

A. http://kingofgreen.blogspot.com/2007/05/portulacaria-bonsai-too.html

B. http://kingofgreen.blogspot.com/2007/05/portulacaria-bonsai.html

Care of Bonsai Plants

Portulacaria Bonsai Too

This is a second one I just made into a bonsai type a couple of years ago. The plant to the right I planted at a steep angle and propped it up with a stick. When shaping, observe the plant from the front – which is your presentation view, but also look at the back and the side views. This pot is still more than adequate for this plant. I plan to let this one get taller and wider. The pot should enhance the overall look of the bonsai. This pot and plant, as it is, are not in proportion. This plant would look better in a smaller pot.

Portulacaria Bonsai

Seth was asking about pruning and pinching his portulacaria plants. Seems that Justin has become a purveyor of these plants and Seth was a recipient. Here is a picture of one I have had in a pot for at least 18 years. In the last 10 I have taken to keeping it trimmed à la bonsai.

I just finished shaking off all the yellowing leaves and giving it a good watering. The last few summers I have put it outside. Make sure to slo-owly acclimatize your plant to the sun as they can sunburn easily until the leaves have become hardened to the sun. I haven’t tried sunblock(?) Indoors the light intensity can be 100-200 foot candles in bright light. Outdoors in the shade it’s probably 1000 foot candles. Give it some time in shade and then slowly move it into the full sun.

In training for a bonsai, the look you are seeking is to have the plant look like it is old. It’s a matter of training the branches to go where you want. This can be done by removing some branches, by pinching the new leaves at various stages of growth, and by (at least when the branches are soft enough) propping them up or weighting them down. To get an idea of form, study the shape of a sapling- mostly upright growth. A mature tree the branches fan out and even start to hang downwards as the twigs reach out to maximize the sun catching-photosynthesizing capabilities.

At times I have repotted the plant and tipped it forward or tipped it back so the new growth comes at a different angle. In this plant I have removed the top layer soil from the pot to expose some roots.

 Bonsai Mastery Secrets