Portulacaria Afra
4.6 out of 5 (194 experiences)
Survivor
Fast grower
Also known as
Elephant Bush, Elephant Bush, Elephant Food, Dwarf Jade Plant, Porkbush, Spekboom and Little Jade
Taxonomy
Portulacaria afra
Portulacaria
Didiereaceae
Caryophyllales
How to care for Portulacaria Afra
How often to water your Portulacaria Afra
every 12
Portulacaria Afra needs 0.5 cups of water every 12 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.
Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
Water 0.5 cups every
12
Finding light for Elephant Bush in your home
a window
Portulacaria Afra love being close to bright, sunny windows 😎.
Place it less than 1ft from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.
Portulacaria Afra does not tolerate low-light 🚫.
Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Portulacaria Afra in your home 🏡.
How to fertilize Portulacaria Afra
Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.
By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.
To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Portulacaria Afra after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.
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The leaves are falling off. #ElephantBush the plant leaves are falling off I do not over water what’s the issue?
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This dosebt seem to me to be an elephant bush. Any ideas? #ElephantBush
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New Babies #succulentlove I just got some Babies through Amazon. The first 4 pictures were delivered on 8/28, and my dwarf jade bonsai was delivered yesterday. All came in earlier than expected. They all seem to be doing very well under my grow lights. Fingers crossed 🤞
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My plant is losing its leaves, any ideas? Photo here and on my profile are just a couple weeks apart. The app says its in a good location and I've been following Greg's watering instructions. #ElephantBush #leafloss
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Dropping leaves My plant has been dropping all of its leaves and I don’t know why.
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My jade plant is dying. Like it's leaves have been turning black after I came back from a trip does anyone have any solutions? Pls help me #ElephantBush
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HELP. When I bought it about a months ago, the leaves were nice and pluma. But now they are wrinkly like a raisin. I water it once a week and I move it daily a few feet so it gets about 6 hours of direct light daily. How can I help her? #ElephantBush
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HELP. When I bought it about a months ago, the leaves were nice and pluma. But now they are wrinkly like a raisin. I water it once a week and I move it daily a few feet so it gets about 6 hours of direct light daily. How can I help her? #ElephantBush
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When you get caught having a mealy bug party in your pot and get banished to under the front yard tree all alone for treatment🤣🤣 I’ve been treating with straight 70% alcohol sprayed all over but still don’t want her hanging out with the rest of the family until she’s been checked and clear for at least a week. #PestControl #WhatsThisBug #OutdoorGrowing
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How days do I have to water in a week
Care Summary for Portulacaria Afra
Portulacaria Afra
Greg recommends:
Water
0.5 cups every 12 days
Placement
< 1ft from a window
Nutrients
Repot after 2x growth
Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.
What other plant parents say
Survivor 123
Fast grower 89
Easy to propagate 42
Browns easily 18
Blooms easily 17
Large, lush leaves 10
Pest magnet 5
11/23/2022
I love my little Elephant Bush! For someone who wants to brighten up their space but has a very poor record keeping plants alive, this plant is perfect! I’ve had my bush since it was only a couple inches tall and within a month or so both of the sprigs have nearly tripled in height
Survivor
Fast grower
03/15/2022
As a succulent, it doesn’t require much water, making it perfect for the summertime on my patio table here in Phoenix AZ! Puffy little jade shaped leaves. Love how this little fella trails down over the pot!!
Survivor
02/11/2022
It takes a while for leaves to grow but when they do they tell you exactly when it needs water :)
Survivor
02/03/2022
Needs more water than a traditional succulent. Don’t let it fool you!!
Browns easily
01/30/2022
low maintenance:)
Survivor
01/27/2022
Very delicate. if you don’t maintain hood conditions they will drop all their leaves :(
Pest magnet
01/10/2022
Oops. Forgot about this guy in the window and did usual watering but it doesn’t seem to like the spot it was in.
11/11/2021
Can be a little finicky but a very cute plant
Fast grower
11/03/2021
Always looks full and healthy
Survivor
10/28/2021
The need a lot of water and for this plant I notice it’s better to put water in a bowl and place the plant in and let it absorb what it needs
Fast grower
Survivor
10/18/2021
This guy almost died after being left out in a hale storm this summer. He has doubled in size since July. 🤯
Fast grower
Survivor
10/15/2021
Easily over watered.
10/08/2021
I’m hoping to try bonsai with babies from this plant. It never dies
Survivor
10/06/2021
Super cute and havent run into problems yet. Will let you know if it needs water when its leaves shrivel a bit.
Fast grower
10/06/2021
It got sick I think a couple months ago and it was pretty easy to fix. It’s a pretty harsh plant
Survivor
10/05/2021
Super cute and small. Needs a bit more sunlight than most succulents but still very manageable!
Easy to propagate
Survivor
Browns easily
10/03/2021
It’s a very cute succulent and it flourishes into a beautiful bush, hence its name. It also makes a great filler for succulent arrangements. I love that this guy is sooo easy to propagate!
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Survivor
10/02/2021
This is a good luck plant. They call it a money tree in Chinese feng sue
Survivor
Large, lush leaves
08/22/2021
I don’t water it often and it seems to do alright so far.
Survivor
08/07/2021
So cute, lots of growth and doesn’t need watering a lot, My personal favourite
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