Hi Guys I have a small Portulacaria Afra that I got from my boyfriend and I really love it. It is the first plant that managed to last this long with me. I keep it in my office (because there I spend most of my time). I have had it for 2 months now and it was doing very well and i was actually amazed by how fast it grew and how many leaves it had. And then, about 1 month ago, I left on a trip to Paris and nobody watered it for about 10 days, I think. Also, it has gotten quite cold in my country lately. Since I came back from Paris, it seems to not be able to find its balance, health looking leaves are falling and the ones that remain look yellow and very sick. It lost almost all its leaves and I really dont know how to deal with it... i know it should not be watered to much, as it is a succulent plant. I also notices that the crust of the plant is kinda loose from the branch and found very small white insects like fleas. Today, before I found out what species it was(i only found out today), i put water in abbundancy for it:(. Can you please tell me what I can do to revive it? How should I take care of it? And also what fertilizer should I use, when, how much? Thank you sooo much Corina
You still have some healthy leaves -propagate some as a back up plan. (will cc a previous post here about propagation for you) Tackle one problem at a time - get rid of the bugs, and do not water again for a couple of weeks at least. take a look here re propagation: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=59343 it will be the same for your plant as for the jade.
Hey Susan Thank so much. Currently, my plant does not have the white small bugs anymore (or at least i dont see them)...but it is not doing any better ;( i dont think the are more than 10 leaves left in it and all the branches that dont have leaves(almost all) are drying up and looking really bad... the leaves are not dark green and shiny anymore(like in the pictures that i posted), the are a light green and very soft, like they lack water... i water it 1 or twice a week, is that too much? now we are having a cold autumn here, i dont know if im doing the right thing... i can see it dye before my eyes and i dont knpw how the stop it. ! Thank you so much for your help and advice Corina
stop watering. the softness is generally a sign of rot - too much water, and or too cold. they will tolerate low temperatures, but not for prolonged periods, and will tolerate very few frost events. PROPAGATE SOME LEAVES that are not soggy. AND do let it dry out, but, sorry to say, but it may be too late for the parent plant. Learn from this - buy another one. Kill it too, possibly, and buy another one. Please do whatever it takes to nurture your affection for plants. They are very forgiving.
