Grafting a Spekboom (Portulacaria Afra)

[Séan Warnick]

Has anyone ever had any success in grafting a Spekboom (Portulacaria Afra)? I'm wondering if, because of the trees amazing ability to heal it's even possible. May experience so far is that the stock material keeps calousing over and the scion just develops roots as spekboom cuttings easily do creating a mess of the graft.

 

[R0b]

I expect it to be challenging but possible. Remember a graft does not rebuild the cut tissue but only new growth. So use a fairly thin scion on a same diameter rootstock and graft with a flat or probably better V graft. Support it and allow vigorous growth to thicken. Not 100% sure on English language grafting vocabulary.

However as cuttings root so easily why would you want to graft?

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

If you Google on this subject you will find some Youtube videos and this recent step by step guide.

Link: https://thenextgardener.com/blogs/news/grafting-succulents-and-cactus-full-guide

 

[R0b]

If you Google on this subject you will find some Youtube videos and this recent step by step guide.

Link: https://thenextgardener.com/blogs/news/grafting-succulents-and-cactus-full-guide

I am curious about the long term succes.

 

[Séan Warnick]

I expect it to be challenging but possible. Remember a graft does not rebuild the cut tissue but only new growth. So use a fairly thin scion on a same diameter rootstock and graft with a flat or probably better V graft. Support it and allow vigorous growth to thicken. Not 100% sure on English language grafting vocabulary.

However as cuttings root so easily why would you want to graft?

 

[Séan Warnick]

I have a tree that's about 20 years old. It's base is around 14cm in diameter, a beautiful specimen. I need to position a branch in a specific location for the balance to look right. So the problem is I need to graft a small scion onto very large and much older stock.

 

[R0b]

I have a tree that's about 20 years old. It's base is around 14cm in diameter, a beautiful specimen. I need to position a branch in a specific location for the balance to look right. So the problem is I need to graft a small scion onto very large and much older stock.

That brings an additional risk. A failed graft would for a scar that might never disappear. Is there a node at this location so you could hope for backbudding? Also how good would a graft look on a plant that doesn’t form bark? I wouldn’t go for it. Not familiar enough to know if it is possible to promote backbudding.

If you want to continue first practice your skill on inferior material.

 

[Séan Warnick]

Fortunately scars heal very well on spekboom. They do backbud very vigorously also, I'm just too impatient. Besides, I want it on a very precise location. But I have no idea what it would look like if it does work, if it doesn't look natural it won't be worth it. It will potentially need to become one of the main branches of the tree.

 

[Séan Warnick]

If you Google on this subject you will find some Youtube videos and this recent step by step guide.

Link: https://thenextgardener.com/blogs/news/grafting-succulents-and-cactus-full-guide

What you're looking at are Crassulas, they behave entirely differently to Portulacaria, which is more of a semi-succulent. Crassula graft incredibly easily. Spekboom root incredible easily.
Portulacaria Afra has evolved this amazing ability to survive almost any circumstance. It makes up 80% of elephant diet in Eastern Cape, SA where I live. Elephant's demolish the trees however the stumps survive and simply sprout new shoots, the small branches that fall to the ground from the elephants mouth root as they lie and develop into new trees. It's exactly this ability to calous large wounds and sprout roots from shoots that makes it so difficult to graft I think. So I'm curious to know if anyone has ever had any success in it. If already read all the online literature.

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

Have you read the article? Because Portulacaria is also mentioned in the text.

Copy of a part of the text:

How to Graft Succulents – Step-by-step​

Before directly going to grafting, you must arrange grafting supplies such as a sharp knife or scalpel, grafting tape, and grafting wax for large succulents. Though these are simple tools, a sharp knife is a key to cutting the plant without crushing it nicely. Plus, you should also have denatured alcohol to sterilize the knife. So, after managing these things, follow this grafting method:

• 1. Selecting the scion is the first and most important step in grafting, as every plant cannot grow on any type of stock plant or rootstock. You need to check their compatibility and then work on the next steps.
• 2. Choose a potted stock plant from the same genus as the scion to prevent rejection of the scion. For example, succulents belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae can be grafted to plants of the Ceropegia genus. Similarly, plants in the family Portulacaceae can be grafted to Portulacaria afra, the dwarf jade plant.
• 3. When you have selected scion and stock plant, sterilize a sharp knife by dipping it in denatured alcohol. This is necessary because the knife can transfer the infection to the plants.
• 4. Let the potted plant in soil and make a straight cut through the stem of a stock plant that should be 1 and 3 inches above the soil level. Similarly, make a straight cut in the scion, and at this step, both joining sections are ready to be grafted.

 

[Séan Warnick]

Have you read the article? Because Portulacaria is also mentioned in the text.

Copy of a part of the text:

How to Graft Succulents – Step-by-step​

Before directly going to grafting, you must arrange grafting supplies such as a sharp knife or scalpel, grafting tape, and grafting wax for large succulents. Though these are simple tools, a sharp knife is a key to cutting the plant without crushing it nicely. Plus, you should also have denatured alcohol to sterilize the knife. So, after managing these things, follow this grafting method:

• 1. Selecting the scion is the first and most important step in grafting, as every plant cannot grow on any type of stock plant or rootstock. You need to check their compatibility and then work on the next steps.
• 2. Choose a potted stock plant from the same genus as the scion to prevent rejection of the scion. For example, succulents belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae can be grafted to plants of the Ceropegia genus. Similarly, plants in the family Portulacaceae can be grafted to Portulacaria afra, the dwarf jade plant.
• 3. When you have selected scion and stock plant, sterilize a sharp knife by dipping it in denatured alcohol. This is necessary because the knife can transfer the infection to the plants.
• 4. Let the potted plant in soil and make a straight cut through the stem of a stock plant that should be 1 and 3 inches above the soil level. Similarly, make a straight cut in the scion, and at this step, both joining sections are ready to be grafted.

What they are saying is that plants

Have you read the article? Because Portulacaria is also mentioned in the text.

Copy of a part of the text:

How to Graft Succulents – Step-by-step​

Before directly going to grafting, you must arrange grafting supplies such as a sharp knife or scalpel, grafting tape, and grafting wax for large succulents. Though these are simple tools, a sharp knife is a key to cutting the plant without crushing it nicely. Plus, you should also have denatured alcohol to sterilize the knife. So, after managing these things, follow this grafting method:

• 1. Selecting the scion is the first and most important step in grafting, as every plant cannot grow on any type of stock plant or rootstock. You need to check their compatibility and then work on the next steps.
• 2. Choose a potted stock plant from the same genus as the scion to prevent rejection of the scion. For example, succulents belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae can be grafted to plants of the Ceropegia genus. Similarly, plants in the family Portulacaceae can be grafted to Portulacaria afra, the dwarf jade plant.
• 3. When you have selected scion and stock plant, sterilize a sharp knife by dipping it in denatured alcohol. This is necessary because the knife can transfer the infection to the plants.
• 4. Let the potted plant in soil and make a straight cut through the stem of a stock plant that should be 1 and 3 inches above the soil level. Similarly, make a straight cut in the scion, and at this step, both joining sections are ready to be grafted.

What they are saying is that plants in the family Portulacaceae can be grafted to Portulacaria afra. That's easy. My problem is grafting Portulacaria Afra to Portulacaria Afra. The aforementioned problem is the scion develops roots rather than adhering to the graft. Do you see my problem?

 

[MarinheiroQ]

Hi, new here...

I might have some good news

I have sucessfuly grafted a portulacaria root stock with the trunk of another portulacaria.

The root base was nice but i didnt like the trunk so i choped it low near the base and then with a drill i opened a hole on the root base. Then with a grafting knife i carved the trunk of another cut of portulacaria to fit snugly into the root base. I pushed it in snug and didnt need anything else... I did this last year on july and it is alive and vigorous, tomorow i will post pictures here

Since this was sucessfull im probably testing this year on older trunks to drill a hole and place a cuting inside snugly like i did last year and i'm hoping the it works... If it works it will be great to make amazing bonsai with portulacaria in no time!

Edit: i think mine worked because of the "snugness" in which i placed the trunk in the hole, that way there is probably fluid transfering and it doesn't send portulacaria into "panic mode" sending roots to survive... I will drill a hole and scrape the bark off of the section of the cuting that will fit in that hole so the tissue is the same. Hope you understand what im saying

 

[MarinheiroQ]

Hello again, here are the pictures of what i did last summer in july, it isn't even noticeable

 

[Séan Warnick]

Hi, new here...

I might have some good news

I have sucessfuly grafted a portulacaria root stock with the trunk of another portulacaria.

The root base was nice but i didnt like the trunk so i choped it low near the base and then with a drill i opened a hole on the root base. Then with a grafting knife i carved the trunk of another cut of portulacaria to fit snugly into the root base. I pushed it in snug and didnt need anything else... I did this last year on july and it is alive and vigorous, tomorow i will post pictures here

Since this was sucessfull im probably testing this year on older trunks to drill a hole and place a cuting inside snugly like i did last year and i'm hoping the it works... If it works it will be great to make amazing bonsai with portulacaria in no time!

Edit: i think mine worked because of the "snugness" in which i placed the trunk in the hole, that way there is probably fluid transfering and it doesn't send portulacaria into "panic mode" sending roots to survive... I will drill a hole and scrape the bark off of the section of the cuting that will fit in that hole so the tissue is the same. Hope you understand what im saying

I'm glad you had some success. Good luck with attempting older stock. I'll be keen to hear if you've had any success with that.

 

[Ruddigger]

Afras are so cheap and propagate so easily, it’s perfect to experiment with.

I’ve cut off all the roots on one to regrow a better base from nothing. I’ve hollowed one to do a drastic trunk bend, they’re unkillable. Grafting a branch might be worth trying.

 

[dbonsaiw]

they’re unkillable

True that. I just cut off half a port I was working on and just stuck the cut off top piece into soil. It is about 1/2 inch thick and over a foot tall and seems to have rooted. These guys are stubborn.

I'll sometimes use the ports to simply visualize better how trunk development unfolds. The ports grow so fast that I can shape a basic tree and see if that's a style I want to pursue on one of my trees. Otherwise, tree trunks tend to look wonky in development for a while, especially with no branches and/or wonky branches, and I have a hard time determining which way I am going with the tree.

 

[Ruddigger]

True that. I just cut off half a port I was working on and just stuck the cut off top piece into soil. It is about 1/2 inch thick and over a foot tall and seems to have rooted. These guys are stubborn.

Exactly. This one was the top off another tree. I just plunked it into some garden soil and left it alone. It has a great nebari forming now.

 

[Carol 83]

View attachment 478003

Exactly. This one was the top off another tree. I just plunked it into some garden soil and left it alone. It has a great nebari forming now.

Very nice!

 

[MaciekA]

@MarinheiroQ damn, really impressive first post

I am impressed this is possible with p. afra. This definitely opens up some new possibilities

 

[August]

I know this is off topic but; really bugs me when people blow off P. afra as not suitable for bonsai. Heres a picture of myself next to a gorgeous specimen grown in Colorado of all places:
Look at that tree and tell me it's not suitable to be judged alongside maples and pines...

I personally only have a few in development but they are tough as nails, have only ever killed one from overwatering. I have no doubt you could graft them, even if it goes against their "primary genetic coding"