Euphorbia- Care tips

Euphorbia

The botanical name Euphorbia is named after Euphorbos, a famous Greek physician. Euphorbos wrote that one of the cactus-like euphorbia (now called Euphorbia obtusifolia) was used as a powerful laxative. In 1753, the botanist Carl Linnaeus first described the entire genus and gave it the name Euphorbia. These beauties originally come from the deserts of Southern Africa or Madagascar. This is also where they have evolved new physical features that make them look like cacti.

For these special characteristics, they are often used as ornamental plants due to their super cool shapes or drought and heat tolerance. Plus there is a size for every taste, from tiny little plants to large and long-lived trees! In reality, they are counted as succulents for their similarities in maintenance and characteristics.

Euphorbia plant care tips

The Euphorbia Rubra, like his companions, will love a sunny spot. Coming from the desert of Southern Africa or Madagascar, this sturdy cowboy will know how to show you when we need something as he’s really using body language. You wanna know how to take good care of this beauty? Then…Let’s go!

Light and placement for Euphorbia

The Euphorbia Trigona ‘Rubra’ loves indirect but bright sunlight. Coming from the toughest environment of the world, he needs the sunlight, but no worries, if he lacks bright sunlight, this dramatic cowboy will tell you right away with body language! His beautiful red coloration will disappear to show you that he needs more light. For the placement, as long as you find a bright spot with indirect sunlight, everything is good. But be aware, if the temperature drops below 15°C during the day, remove him from around the windows to be sure that he’s not directly touched by the cold breeze.

Water

Same as all of the succulents, The Euphorbia is not a big drinker. This kind cacti-like plant is super forgiving and won’t be mad at you for irregular watering. She doesn't like soggy feet, you can let the soil dry entirely before watering her again. In winter, you notice that your beloved Euphorbia drops her leaves? Don’t worry! She goes dormant to focus on her alone time and will ‘bloom’ again in spring. Beside that, you can make sure to water even less in winter.

Nutrition

Same as most of the plants, your Euphorbia is not a hungry cowboy. Using only half a dose of our liquid biologic PLNTS Nutrition once a month in summer to help your beloved plant grow is sufficient.

Euphorbia plant

Propagating Euphorbia

You love your Euphorbia and you want more little babies from your plant? Be reassured, you can propagate your green friend. First thing first, we advise you to wear gloves, as the milky sap is quite irritating, and we don’t want our beloved PLNTSparent to be hurt during the process! For the best results, we also advise you to propagate this deciduous succulent in spring or summer, when it is is hot outside. Using clean cutting shears or a sharp knife, cut off a healthy stem end from the mother plant. About 12-17 centimeters long. After that, you can let the cutting callus for a few days. For better results, we can use perlite and bury the cutting 5 to 8 cm deep, depending on the size of it. You can also use a layer of lava rock to add support. The perlite will ensure that your baby is not over-watered. Put your pot in a spot with moderate light, keep it warm and now… Be patient!

Most common pests on Euphorbia

Most of the Euphorbia face pest problems while growing. The most common are spider mites, mealybugs and plant scale for the leafy varieties. To spot the pests quickly and prevent them from hurting your green friend, you can use a magnifying glass. If you spot little webs on your plant, the problem is surely spider mites. You are asking yourself what are these little fluffy white cotton balls on the leaves or stem of your Euphorbia? We can assure you that your plant is suffering from Mealy Bugs! The last possibility is plant scale. These pesky bugs can be brown, green, beige, reddish, light brown or dark brown. They are pretty easy to spot if you have good eyes. Check our PLNTSdoctor page to recognise and eliminate your plant pests!

Are Euphorbia poisonous for your pets or children?

As we already said before, the milky sap of Euphorbia is poisonous. It’s really irritating for eyes, mouth or skin. It’s necessary to wash off immediately if it’s in contact with the skin. According to that, it’s not suitable for children or for pets. If you have a four legged friend, make sure he cannot be in contact with the plant!

Euphorbia plant for sale

At PLNTS.com, we have the most stunning and striking beauty, the Euphorbia Trigona Rubra! We only have her in one size, but you can buy everything to make some cuttings and this way you'll still see her grow from baby to adult. Isn’t this super cool?! Whether you want your plants to be big right from the start or to grow from tiny baby PLNTS to full grown PLNTS - we've got you covered!