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coir & P.afra

hookilau
9 years ago

So I bought a beautiful variegated P.afra a couple of years ago & it just hated me, promptly shattered & died -__-

I saw another pretty one at the garden center & in hopes of redemption, I dished out the $$

This time, I paid attention to the greenhouse conditions, dry, and very bright diffused light. My new P.afra is now just shy of a week in it's new home front & center of sunny patio sliders that yield afternoon sun from about 2pm till sundown (currently about 7pm).

So far, a gentle pet & slightly rougher brushing of the branches have yielded no leaf drop (yay!) his previous ill fated brethren immediately lost it's mind & was bare within days, so I'm feeling encouraged.

Repotting....should I manage not to kill it, recommendations please? I see there seems to be a good deal of coir in the current pot. I'm a gritty mix failure, just can't seem to make it work for me. Also, apparently we're clumsy oxen around here and kept bumping into the pots & spilling the stuff *everywhere*. Which isn't a problem but OUCH does it freekin' hurt when you step on a stray pebble or so =P

Is coir meant to be used without amendment? I'm currently using stupid MG cactus X but still feel like it needs lightening up. When it's time to re-pot my collection, I plan to add more pearlite and grani-grit.

Any tips, anyone can offer about the habits of my graceful friend would be greatly appreciated. Trying to crack the code, I sooo want to be able to make this one happy =)

Comments (7)

  • Calzoner
    9 years ago

    Hi there, glad you didnt give up on the variegated p. afra!

    I have several myself (some in gritty mix, some in homemade mix i use for my succulents that do not like the gritty). Coir has definite benefits over peat based soils as its much more fast draining and less moisture retentive. The stuff i use is coir based with added perlite and stalite (slightly porous, grey rock that looks like granite)

    I would think a 3:2:1 ratio would work well for you. I wait until my mix is boderline bone dry before watering again. Please give this guy as much sun as possible. Southern window would be best if growing indoors. I sometimes wait until a very slight wrinkling in the bottom leaves before watering. Not the best practice to stress out the plants like that but its better than over watering. I also can tell by the weight of the pot when dry vs. wet and if you very slightly squeeze a leaf, you will feel a slight "give" when the plant is thirsty as compared to a very "firm" feeling when its still adequately watered. Also, keep the pot as small as possible. These plants hate large pots that don't dry out quickly enough. I prefer my succulents in general to be slightly rootbound as the mix dries out much quicker.

    Good luck, send us some pics of your finished product!

  • oldstumpy1 Long Island ny
    9 years ago

    Hi Antoinette
    It's nice to see you back, cant help with the coir as I found it difficult to locate on long island and don't use it.
    I found my one P.afra does require twice as much water
    than my jades.

    Richard

  • nomen_nudum
    9 years ago

    A family of oxen LOL..
    Even the wind can easily empty a good size pot of grits

    Full sun brightness most of the year & with low UV sun during summer I keep mine in a cooler north west sun set side during summers hottest days untill mid August to bring back after a second short transition to the cooler full sun south.

    Watering suggestion if some of the leaves are wrinkling dont be afraid to give it some You can always add more water later but cant take it out
    Duely noted but it doesn't need to go dry. as branches may harden if they are allowed to stay to dry for to long, they would also harden in higher UV sun.

    Tips: Water it to help it grow not water to make it grow You'll keep foliage tight by brightness, trim back if over frequently watered granted with some loss

  • hookilau
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    @ Old Stumpy: it's nice to be back, this plant in particular makes me happy =D

    Thanks for your input everyone ;) It's currently stitting in Western exposure, I haven't watered yet, but I think my past sins were to treat it like a c.ovata, I found it far less forgiving too.

    I pet the branches yesterday, as I can't seem to keep my hands out of it, and a few puckered up leaves dropped. I'll water today as the pot is very light & insert a chopstick.

    Coir always looks the same to me whether wet or dry -__-

    I was wondering about the processed coir (looks powdered like peat) sold in bricks at the petsore, meant for reptile keeping. I don't recall if it was expensive or not, but I haven't the heart right now for experimenting.

    Anyhow, thanks again folks =) As always, your support is encouraging.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    9 years ago

    Coir is not very good for these plants.
    It has roughly the same moisture retention curve as peat, but actually has *less* loft...so it compacts sooner. Also known to be higher in salts, particularly Potassium, if I remember rightly.

    Variegated and green Portulacaria afras do require much more regularly water than Jades.

    Josh

  • hookilau
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hey Josh,

    Thanks for weighing in. So coir is out.
    Not surprised come to think of it, it looks peat-y. =P

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    9 years ago

    As a small fraction of the mix, I'm sure it would be fine.
    But as the entire media, I wouldn't risk it with a plant that can be prone to root-rot.

    Port. afras will tolerate fairly heavy, poor mixes, but they won't perform their best.

    Josh