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Elephant Bush Care

Portulacaria afra · Didiereaceae

🐾 Pet-safe 🎯 Easy ☀️ Full sun 💧 Every 10–16 days

🕮 8 min read 🕓 Last reviewed: 2026-08-23

Care at a glance

Watering

Every 10–16 days

Light

Full sun

Temperature

10–32 °C (50–90 °F)

Humidity

Low

Soil

gritty, fast-draining cactus/succulent mix

Difficulty

Easy

Mature size

30–120 cm (12–47 in)

Pet safety

Pet-safe

Care effort Medium

The short version

Beginner-friendly and forgiving.
Give it Full sun.
Water every 10–16 days.
Safe around cats and dogs.

The Elephant Bush (Portulacaria afra) is a popular houseplant from the Didiereaceae family, native to South Africa. It is rated Easy to grow and typically reaches 30–120 cm indoors. Here is everything you need to keep it healthy — watering, light, humidity, feeding, propagation, and pet safety. It is a Fast grower, putting on most of its growth in the warm, bright months of spring and summer.

Also known asPortulacaria afra銀杏木金枝玉叶Arbusto Elefante (Portulacaria afra)Arbre à éléphant (Portulacaria afra)

📋Quick facts

Growth rate	Fast
Mature size	30–120 cm (12–47 in)
Native region	South Africa
Plant family	Didiereaceae
Toxicity	Non-toxic
Air-purifying	No
Ideal for	beginners, homes with pets, frequent travellers

⚖️Pros & cons

Pros

Non-toxic to cats and dogs
Hard to kill; great for beginners
Fast, rewarding growth

Cons

Needs a bright, sunny spot

💧Watering

Water your Elephant Bush roughly every 10–16 days, letting the top few centimetres of soil dry out between waterings. Always empty the saucer so the roots never sit in water — overwatering is the most common way this plant is lost.

Not sure when to water? Push a finger 2–3 cm into the soil and water only when it feels dry at that depth — a cheap moisture meter or the weight of the pot works too. Water thoroughly until it runs from the drainage holes, then tip away anything left in the saucer. Soft, yellowing lower leaves usually mean too much water; crispy, curling leaves usually mean too little. Always ease off in the darker months, when the plant drinks far less.

Never forget to water

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☀️Light & placement

The Elephant Bush thrives in full sun and needs as much direct light as you can give it indoors.

Give it your sunniest south-facing sill — the more direct light indoors, the better the colour and shape. Too little light makes it stretch and lose its compact form. Move plants outside for summer only after hardening them off gradually.

🌡️Temperature & humidity

Keep it between 10–32 °C and away from cold draughts and heating vents. It prefers Low humidity; if your air is dry, group it with other plants or use a humidifier.

🪴Soil & feeding

Plant it in gritty, fast-draining cactus/succulent mix. Feed with a light succulent feed once or twice in the growing season, and stop feeding in autumn and winter when growth slows.

🗓️Season-by-season care

Season	Watering	What to do
Spring (Mar–May)	Resume regular watering as growth restarts.	The main growing season begins — start feeding again, repot if it is pot-bound, and take cuttings now for the best success.
Summer (Jun–Aug)	This is the thirstiest season; check the soil more often.	Keep feeding on schedule, watch for pests in the warmth, and shield the leaves from scorching midday glass. Higher humidity is welcome.
Autumn (Sep–Nov)	Let the soil dry a little longer between waterings.	Taper off feeding as growth slows, and move the plant away from cold windows and doorways before the first chills.
Winter (Dec–Feb)	Water sparingly — overwatering now is the number-one killer.	Stop feeding, give it the brightest spot you have, and keep it away from radiators, heat vents, and cold draughts.

🪟Repotting

Repot roughly every 1–2 years, ideally in spring as growth picks up. Move up just one pot size (2–3 cm wider) with drainage holes — too big a pot holds water and invites root rot. Signs it is time: roots creeping from the drainage holes or circling the surface, water running straight through, or growth that has stalled. In the years you do not repot, scrape off and replace the top few centimetres of soil.

✂️How to propagate, step by step

Spring and early summer, during active growth, give the best success. Here is how to do it, step by step:

stem cuttings in soil

Cut a 10–15 cm stem just below a node and remove the lower leaves.
Dip the cut end in rooting hormone if you have it (optional).
Push it into moist, well-draining mix and firm the soil around it.
Cover loosely with a clear bag to hold humidity, and keep in bright, indirect light.
After a few weeks, a gentle tug that meets resistance means roots have formed — remove the bag and grow on.

stem cuttings in water

Choose a healthy stem and cut a 10–15 cm piece just below a leaf node with clean, sharp scissors.
Strip the leaves off the lower third so no foliage will sit under water.
Stand the cutting in a glass of room-temperature water with at least one node submerged.
Keep it in bright, indirect light and refresh the water every few days.
When the roots are 3–5 cm long (usually 2–4 weeks), pot it into moist mix and keep it a little humid while it settles in.

🔬Classification

Plant type	Succulent
Genus	Portulacaria
Family	Didiereaceae · Didiereaceae
Native to	South Africa

🩺Common problems

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Dropping leaves	A sudden change in light, temperature, or watering	Keep conditions stable and avoid moving it often.
Soft, mushy base (root rot)	Waterlogged soil	Repot into fresh dry mix, trim rotten roots, and water less.
Pests (mites, mealybugs)	Dry conditions or a new infected plant	Wipe the leaves, rinse, and treat with insecticidal soap or neem.

🩺 Plant Doctor →

🐛Pests & prevention

The usual indoor pests are spider mites (fine webbing, speckled leaves), mealybugs (white cotton-wool tufts), scale (small brown bumps), and fungus gnats (tiny flies from soggy soil). Inspect any new plant before it joins the others, wipe the leaves now and then, and let the topsoil dry to keep gnats away. At the first sign, isolate the plant, wipe or rinse off what you can, and treat with insecticidal soap or neem oil every week until it is clear.

🐾Is it safe for pets?

Good news for pet owners: the Elephant Bush is considered non-toxic to both cats and dogs by the ASPCA. It is one of the safer choices for homes with animals, though eating any plant can still cause mild stomach upset.

Toxicity information is a general guide based on ASPCA data. If your pet or child may have eaten any part of a plant, contact a vet or poison control right away.