Portulacaria afra 'Decumbent'

Highlights

Portulacaria afra 'Decumbent' (Miniature Jade, Elephant Bush, Spekboom): Small, round, apple green leaves stand out against flexible red stems. This easy to grow cultivar branches freely and spills nicely from pots. In frost-free climates, it can also be planted outdoors in full to partial sun as a spreading ground cover. Portulacaria tend to be reluctant to bloom in cultivation, but they can produce clusters of small purple flowers in midsummer.

Soft succulents will not survive a hard frost, but if there is a risk of freezing temperatures they can be brought indoors to grow on a sunny window sill or under a grow light. They need ample sunlight, great drainage, and infrequent water to prevent rot. Pick containers with drainage holes and use well-draining cactus and succulent soil with 50% to 70% mineral grit such as coarse sand, pumice, or perlite. Water deeply enough for water to run out the drainage hole, then wait for the soil to fully dry before watering again.

Full Portulacaria Guide

Product Size

2.0" Pot

Current Primary Color

Green

All Seasonal Colors

Red

Bloom Color

Purple Bloom

Grow Zone (Hardiness)

Zone 10 (30F)

Recommended Light Conditions

Bright Indoor Light, Filtered / Partial Sun

Maximum Height

6"-8"

Growth Habit / Shape

Hanging / Trailing, Low Growing / Creeping

Special Characteristic

Easy to Propagate, Hard to Kill, Fast Grower, Pet Safe

THIS PLANT IS HARDY IN ZONES 10+

10

WHAT IS MY HARDINESS ZONE?

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Popular Questions

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2 years ago

How to kill in grass areas? See answer

I have them growing in my fiscue grass See more »

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2 years ago  •  Staff Answer

If hand pulling is not enough to remove the offending Portulacaria, a broad leaf herbicide should do the trick. See full answer »

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2 years ago

Can I use Bonsai Gritty Mix 111 to plant Portulacaria, in an indoor planter? See answer

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2 years ago  •  Staff Answer

You might find straight Bonsai Jack Gritty Mix too well-draining for Portulacaria afra. You could mix it with an equal volume of standard cactus & succulent soil and/or use the Gritty Mix on its own as a top dressing to prevent rot and fungus gnats at the soil surface. See full answer »

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2 years ago

My leaves/petals are falling off my portulacaria “Afra” at the slightest touch or bump pot! It is an indoor plant? See answer

Leaves dropping off at slightest touch! What do I do? See more »

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2 years ago  •  Staff Answer

Portulacaria afra is often grown indoors, but it also thrives outdoors in frost-free weather. There are a number of reasons why it might be dropping leaves including issues with water and light. If you purchased it from us, you can email a clear photo of the plant to info@mountaincrestgardens.com along with answers to the following questions:

1. Growing conditions (full sun, part sun, filtered sun, indoors, outdoors, etc.)
2. Soil used for planting
3. Watering schedule
4. Does the container have a hole for drainage?

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3 years ago

Is it edible? See answer

This looks like the edible Porulaca we used to grow. See more »

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3 years ago  •  Staff Answer

Although Portulacaria afra is edible and is commonly eaten in South Africa, I can't recommend you eat it because it's been treated with pesticides. We do sell a variegated variety and I bring that up because the variegated leaves just taste bitter. See full answer »

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2 years ago

I was given one of these portulacaria and I'm not sure how often to water it. See answer

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2 years ago  •  Staff Answer

They need deep but fairly infrequent water. Rather than watering on a regular schedule, you'll want to pay attention to the soil and the leaves. Drench deeply enough for water to run out the pot's drainage hole, but only when the soil is completely dry and the leaves start to feel less firm and begin to wrinkle. When in doubt, don't water yet. See full answer »

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1 year ago

How can I best propagate Portulacaria afta "Decumbent" cuttings? See answer

The plant is doing well, likes its location and is getting too long. See more »

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1 year ago  •  Staff Answer

Click the link below to read our guide on making and planting cuttings! These steps work very well for Portulacaria afra.
Source: https://mountaincrestgardens.com/faqs... See full answer »

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3 years ago

The low indoor light varieties I'm looking at say to plant in a deep pot. How many inches is that? See answer

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3 years ago  •  Staff Answer

If the plant comes in a 2" pot, I'd plant in a pot that's, at least 3.5" deep. However, I wouldn't plant it in a pot that's deeper than 5" to start. Haworthia like their roots to be a little tight so be sure not to over pot it at first. See full answer »

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1 year ago

Can you recommend indoor lighting? Full spectrum, grow spectrum? Any preferred brand? See answer

Zone 4/5 here. My succulents live indoors in the winter and need supplementary light to avoid stretching. Would love to know what artificial lights you use/recommend. Full spectrum (white), grow spectrum (blue/purple), other? Do you have a preferred brand of lighting? How many hours extra are needed for soft, hard, other, succulents? See more »

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1 year ago  •  Staff Answer

Yes! You can find grow light specs and recommended types here on our Guide to Grow Lights for Succulents.
Source: https://mountaincrestgardens.com/blog... See full answer »

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2 years ago

We keep our home at 65° year round. The indoor succulents seem to struggle indoors but outside gets too hot See answer

We live in north central Arkansas. It gets brutally humid and hot during the late spring, summer, and early fall months. I have all my succulents on my west facing porch because the backyard belongs to our Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
Would getting a porch shade be a good idea for the summer in late afternoon? All my succulents get the mid afternoon sun and I know it's too much for some of them but bringing them inside our too cool temp home doesn't help either. Even when I put them in an East facing window they still don't seem to do so well because of the indoor temp. See more »

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2 years ago  •  Staff Answer

The only issue with porch shades is that they're frequently too shady. If you erected some kind of shade using shade cloth designed for plants, that could help. You wouldn't need it to be too shady, roughly 30%-40% would do the trick.

However, 65°F isn't too cold for many succulents. Especially once the radiant heat from direct sunlight in an south facing window is factored in, that you wouldn't feel in the air. The issue may have more to do with humidity than temperature. Looking at the relative humidity predictions for Stone County (just as an example) it's suppose to get over 70% in the near future! This makes watering more tricky as plants don't dry out nearly as quickly as they should and rot can set in as a result.

If your house is less humid than it is outdoors, then moving them inside may do them more good than shade cloth outside. In fact, shade cloth may only further prolong drying and exacerbate the problem. See full answer »

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3 years ago

Which type of succulents will grow best in an east facing window in an all white room? See answer

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3 years ago  •  Staff Answer

Your best bet are low light succulents. They'll get some morning sun but no more. Click the link below to see all our low light succulents.
Source: https://mountaincrestgardens.com/expl... See full answer »

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