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Care and Growth of
Portulacaria
Afra Succulent Plants
 This succulent
plant is sometimes called Baby Jade
or Elephant Food.
Portulacaria Afra has small round leaves and thin branches like a
miniature jade plant. They are drought tolerant and make good
addition to any low water succulent gardens.
The bright green leaves make a nice
contrast to the dark brown stems.
In container gardens
these plants will stay much smaller and are often used in bonsai to
look like trees.
In
the ground Elephant Food will quickly grow
to 4 – 5 feet tall and they make nice
informal screens or hedges. These fleshy plants can be lightly
trimmed to keep their shape. Try planting them in the back of a
succulent garden; they add height and the small leaves add visual
interest and contrast well with the larger leaves on Crassula ovata.
 Some portulacaria varieties are
variegated, meaning they may have green and white leaves, some special
varieties are green and red with red stripes on the edges of the
leaves.
Like most succulent plants Portulacaria is sensitive to frost and will
die below temperatures of 25 degrees. If you are expecting a
frost in your area, cover your plants with a sheet or frost blanket to
protect them.
Baby Jade is easy to root! For tips on how to expand your
collection of plants with
stem or leaf cuttings, visit my Succulent Plant
Propagation Page...
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