Euphorbia

Family. Euphorbiaceae.

Homeland. Euphorbia was widespread in the subtropical regions of America and Africa; plants were also found in Madagascar.

Description. The genus "Euphorbia" is so vast and diverse that it makes sense to describe several of the most common species.

The plants can include both shrubs and trees and herbaceous specimens.

Perhaps the only feature that unites these succulents is the presence of jelly - a white juice that is released from the stems and leaves when damaged. Milky juice of the spurge is poisonous.

Representatives of the genus are successfully grown both indoors and outdoors, using them in flower beds and flower gardens.

Height. Depends on the species and can range from a few centimeters to several meters.

Growing in open ground

Planting milkweed in open ground should be done with caution - over time, some of its varieties easily multiply and fill all the free space in the garden. Getting rid of such specimens will not be easy, because they often recover even from a small piece left in the ground after weeding.

For growing, choose a plot of land open to sunlight. Do not plant the bush in flooded lowlands - the roots will rot if there is excess moisture in the soil.

Depending on the planting pattern and the height of the plants, prepare planting holes, the depth and width of which are approximately 1.5-2 times greater than the root ball.

A drainage layer in the form of broken brick or river pebbles is placed at the bottom of the holes, and then a nutrient layer with a high organic content in the form of humus, well-rotted cow or horse manure.

Flowers are transplanted using the transshipment method, keeping the earthen lump at the base intact. After planting, the substrate is slightly compacted and then watered with warm water.

The base of the plants can be sprinkled with a small layer of mulch - mown grass, straw or rotted sawdust. Mulch will delay the development of weeds.

Further care will consist of timely weeding, loosening the soil and applying fertilizers.

Adult specimens will rarely need watering - only when the weather is dry and hot for a long period of time.

The bushes are fed with mineral fertilizers 2-3 times per season. Young seedlings will need nitrogen fertilizers, and flowering individuals will prefer fertilizers rich in potassium and phosphorus.

Large species grown outdoors in harsh climates need shelter before the onset of winter.

In mid-autumn, when night frosts are not uncommon, the bushes are hilled, sprinkled with earth up to the root system and covered with dry fallen leaves and spruce branches on top.

Herbaceous euphorbias are usually not covered - their entire above-ground part can die off with the onset of winter, but in the spring the first shoots will appear from the root again.

Care at home

How to grow and prune 

Most species do not require special care and are suitable for growing by novice gardeners. Euphorbia is unpretentious and often forgives many mistakes of inexperienced gardeners.

In the fall, plants can shed some of their leaves - this is normal.

Timely remove flower stalks with wilting buds and old, wilted leaves. Some species are cut with a sharp sterile tool to give them a compact shape.

During sanitary pruning, it is worth removing all weak and old, diseased shoots.

Tall specimens may need support for growth.

In the warm season, take the flower out into the fresh air, covering it there from strong wind and rain, and also protecting it from the scorching sun during the day.

From time to time, old leaf blades turn yellow - such leaves fall off themselves or are separated by hand.

When it blooms 

Spring Summer. It is difficult to indicate the specific date for the onset of flowering, since it varies greatly among different species of euphorbia.

How to replant

Replant in the spring and only if necessary - when it is necessary to change the substrate or the plant becomes cramped in the pot. 

Each time, young bushes are transplanted into containers whose diameter exceeds the previous pot by 2 cm in diameter.

You should not immediately offer a container that is too spacious - in a large amount of soil, their roots will rot.

Euphorbia does not like frequent transplants without special need - try using transshipment. Strong specimens that do not have external signs of disease are suitable for transshipment.

When transshipping, flowers are transferred to a new pot along with the old lump of earth.

If there are signs of rot, then the bush is transplanted with a complete replacement of the soil - when transplanting, carefully inspect the root system and, if necessary, cut off old and rotten roots with a sharp knife.

Such specimens are planted only in fresh soil, since pathogens can persist in old soil.

1. To grow select pots with large drainage holes at the bottom.
2. Depending on the method of transplantation, the bushes are placed in the center of a new pot with straightened roots or together with the root ball.
3. The root system is covered with new soil.
4. When replanting, it is worth observing the depth and placing the plants in the same way as they were in the old soil.
5. After planting, the soil is lightly compacted.
6. For several days, the flowers are left without watering in a place protected from direct sun.

It is advisable to start fertilizing 3-4 weeks after transplanting - until this point, the bushes will have enough of the nutrients that are already present in the fresh soil.

When transplanting many varieties, you should be careful, because their stems are covered with sharp thorns.

How to propagate 

Methods of propagation include cuttings, dividing large plants, and growing milkweed from seeds.

Cactus-like species often produce small daughter shoots at the base, which are separated and planted when each of them develops its own root system.

Some species can be propagated by grafting.

Seeds from your own collection can be used for propagation - milkweed blooms and often forms seeds indoors.

It is interesting that representatives of the genus reproduce by seeds so successfully that when grown both in open ground and indoors, self-seeding can often be found under bushes.

Seeds do not require pre-sowing preparation, sometimes short-term stratification is carried out in cool conditions for 1.5 - 2 months.

Stratification is often carried out for plants successfully grown in open ground.

• For sowing, prepare a transparent plastic container with a lid and soil consisting of humus, peat, leaf and turf soil and sand mixed in equal quantities.
• If necessary, make drainage holes at the bottom of the container and add a drainage layer.
• Fill the container with substrate and thoroughly moisten the soil using a spray bottle with warm water.
• The seeds are sown in the ground, covered with a layer of earth no more than 2 - 5 mm thick, depending on the size of the seeds. Also, instead of soil, you can sprinkle the planting material with a thin layer of river sand.
• The crops are placed in a warm place - with a temperature of about 20 - 22 ° C, well lit, but protected from direct sun.
• The seedlings are covered with a lid on top to create a greenhouse effect and maintain high air humidity.
• Every day the cover is removed and the seedlings are ventilated, gradually increasing the ventilation time.

If you follow these simple agricultural techniques, the first shoots will appear within 10 - 15 days - at this time the lid can be completely removed.

With the growth of true 2 - 3 leaves, the bushes are planted in small individual cups.

After diving, 7 - 10 days later, the plants are fed for the first time with a weak solution of mineral fertilizers. 

You can sow directly into separate cups. 

Propagation by stem cuttings is possible - in this case, the cut site should be thoroughly dried for several days.

The milky juice that appears on the cut surface is removed with paper towels or the cuttings are thoroughly washed with running water.

Separate the cuttings from the mother plants with a sharp pruner or knife, previously sterilized. The cut site can also be sprinkled with growth hormones.

Rooting is carried out mainly in the warm season - in spring and summer.

The fact that the seedlings have successfully adapted and rooted in the substrate can only be judged by the appearance of new shoots - young leaves.

Usually, about 4 weeks pass from the moment of cutting to the formation of roots.

Rooting occurs most successfully in a warm place with a temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius.

From above, the cuttings can be covered with a transparent plastic bag or glass to maintain a high level of air humidity.

Some varieties that form large multi-stemmed bushes can be divided when replanting in the spring.

1. The division is carried out manually, and if the plant does not yield, then use a sharpened sterile pruner. Make sure that each division has its own root system with 2 buds and a sufficiently developed green above-ground part.
2. The plant juice is washed off with running water and the cuttings are slightly dried.
3. The cut areas are treated with crushed charcoal or ash for drying and disinfection.
4. The cuttings are planted in separate containers and placed in a place protected from direct sunlight.
5. It is not worth watering such specimens for several days - you need to give the root system time to heal the wound surface formed as a result of division.

White-veined and triangular euphorbias can be propagated using leaf cuttings.

1. Pinch off the leaves with your fingertips, and remove the milky juice from them with paper towels or running water.
2. For rooting, leaf cuttings are placed in damp sand, perlite or vermiculite.
3. The top of the seedlings is covered with a transparent plastic bag, making sure that it does not come into direct contact with the surface of the leaf.
4. The cuttings are ventilated daily and any condensation that appears on the film is removed.

After a month, the first roots will appear at the base of the cutting.

Soil

For growing in a pot, ready-made soil for succulent plants and cacti with an acidic or neutral pH and excellent drainage is suitable. 

Euphorbia does not like excess moisture in the soil, so the growing substrate should easily allow moisture to pass through and allow the root system to breathe.

Representatives of the genus do not have any special requirements for the content of nutrients in the soil and are often successfully grown on poor substrates.

The substrate can consist of such components as peat, humus, leaf and turf soil.

Adding small pieces of charcoal will make the soil loose and enrich it with minerals. You can also add a little pine bark to the substrate.

To improve drainage, a sufficient amount of coarse river sand and perlite or vermiculite is mixed into the soil. You can also add small polystyrene foam balls to the soil.

Watering 

Between waterings, allow the soil to dry out to a depth of 5-7 cm.

Even in spring and summer, it is worth slightly drying the surface of the substrate - most spurges have sufficient moisture reserves stored in thick trunks and leaves, and this allows succulents to tolerate drought well.

Abundantly foliated species will need regular watering - after all, they evaporate a lot of moisture, but bushes with thick and juicy trunks should be watered less often.

In autumn, reduce the frequency of watering a little - succulents do not like waterlogged soil. In general, most bushes tolerate drought better than abundant regular watering.

In the winter months, if the plants are in a cool room, the frequency of watering should be reduced to a minimum, simply protecting the soil from drying out completely.

For watering, use well-settled water at room temperature for 24 hours.

Excess moisture that appears in the tray after watering must be drained.

Euphorbia Milii does not like drought - when the substrate dries out, the plant begins to shed leaves and buds.

Diseases and pests 

• Rot occurs due to insufficient drainage.
• Plants shed leaves and flowers when the substrate overdries for a long time.
• When grown in partial shade, flowering will be sparse or not occur at all.
• If the leaves have turned yellow, it may be due to exposure to a cold draft.
• Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight during the daytime in spring and summer is fraught with the appearance of sunburn, which looks like large brown spots on the leaves.
• Some species have difficulty withstanding a lack of nutrients in the soil - their leaves fall off and turn yellow. 

Euphorbia is very rarely attacked by pests; sometimes it is attacked by mealybugs, spider mites, sciarids, thrips, scale insects, whiteflies and aphids.

Temperature

Most species like good light and room temperatures ranging from 20 to 25 °C throughout the year.

Do not expose plants of African origin to temperatures below 15°C during the winter months.

Euphorbia varieties that have beautiful flowers will need a cool dormant period of about 8 to 10 weeks. At this time, the plants are placed in a room with a temperature of about 12 - 14  ° C.

Keeping it cool helps set flower buds and inhibits the development of new shoots, which can become elongated and weak in conditions of lack of light.

Bushes of Mediterranean origin can withstand temperatures up to 6 °C.

Lighting

Shoots and leaves can take sun baths in the morning and evening hours - 3-4 hours a day. On hot summer days, shading from the scorching rays of the sun is necessary.

In autumn, in cloudy weather and in the winter months, the flower can be placed in the most illuminated place.

Rotate the pots by ¼ turn every week so that the bushes develop symmetrically and do not lean towards the sun.

South-east and south-west windows are good for growing. When kept on the north side, the leaves should be provided with sufficient artificial lighting.

Phytolamps or fluorescent lamps are used as artificial lighting.

When growing on southern windows, flower pots are placed in the back of the room or covered with a light tulle curtain.

Some milkweeds, in conditions of insufficient nutrition, not only stretch out and weaken, but can even die.

In general, in order for bushes to look healthy and grow strong, they need 10-12 hours of daylight.

Fertilizer

To obtain strong and healthy specimens, it is enough to feed them monthly with fertilizers for succulents.

Feeding is carried out in spring and summer, once a month or twice a month if the fertilizer is diluted to half the dose recommended on the package.

In autumn, the frequency of feeding and the content of nutrients in them are reduced.

During the dormant period - in winter - the plants are not fed, but feeding is resumed in the spring, when the first signs of new growth appear.

Fertilizers are applied only after abundant watering in moist soil, since the contact of a too concentrated solution with the root system in a dry environment can cause a chemical burn.

Spraying 

Euphorbia tolerates fairly dry air and does not require spraying.

To prevent the invasion of pests such as spider mites, it is enough to place a small container of water next to the pot. Evaporating from such a container, the water will naturally humidify the atmosphere for a long period of time.

The succulent loves ventilated rooms with sufficient air movement, but does not tolerate cold drafts, so when airing in the winter months, the plants should be moved to other rooms.

Purpose

Extreme unpretentiousness and diverse appearance allowed this flower to become a real find for gardeners.

Many species are successfully grown indoors as flowering or decorative foliage plants, while other varieties and species can be used in open ground when decorating garden plots.

Note

All parts of the plant are very poisonous - do not keep milkweeds in places where children or animals can reach. After work, wash your hands thoroughly and use gloves when in contact with shoots and leaves.

The bush is able to clean the air in the room from harmful impurities.

Despite the presence of harmful substances, the flower is often used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic.

It is believed that the juice of the plant helps to get rid of age spots and parasites in the body, and also has emetic and laxative properties.

The toxic properties were used to their advantage by the Bushmen, the indigenous people of Africa, they soaked arrowheads in it.

Hydroponics

Some species grow well in hydroponics.

Types:

Euphorbia Akalifa

Semi-lignified shrub with a height of 50 cm to 3 m. There are ampelous species. The colors of the leaves are very varied, and the long fluffy inflorescences are decorative. Needs moderate watering. Very photophilous. The color of the leaves varies greatly among different varieties of this plant - from copper-red to green with veins bordered with pink, red, bronze, and purple. These bright, hairy leaves can grow up to 13 cm in length, often with a finely toothed edge. The plant develops quickly and will grow into a large bush without proper pruning. drooping spike-shaped inflorescence up to 50 cm bears very small flowers. Flowering is almost continuous. The fruit is a capsule. 

Euphorbia trigona

A rather large, evergreen plant with vertical, green, profusely branching stems at the base, triangular or square in cross-section with a diameter of 4 - 6 cm. At the tops of the edges of the stem, small, flat oval leaves of green, red or purple color grow in even rows, and there are also short and very sharp spines. Leaves sometimes fall off in the fall.

Euphorbia virgata

A large succulent, in natural conditions reaches 2.5 m in height and is an abundantly branching tree or shrub. Thin shoots are abundantly covered with alternate thin and long dark green leaves with a single central vein. During the flowering period, it produces inflorescences - umbrellas, consisting of yellowish-green small flowers with large rounded bracts. 

Euphorbia obesa

A small, very impressive, succulent plant with a spherical stem with a diameter of about 9 cm. The stem has 8 lobes, separated by low ribs. Young plants sometimes have leaves, but they soon die. The shades of the plant vary from green to blue, purple, gray with all kinds of stripes. During the flowering period, many small male flowers or one female flower of green, yellow or pink appears at the top of the stem. 

Euphorbia grandicornis

Vertically growing, multi-stemmed, tall shrub. The stems are up to 10 cm in diameter, branch at the base, and consist of flat segments about 15 cm long, growing at different angles. At the edges of the segments, very long and strong, light-colored spines are located in pairs. At the tops of the segments, right between the spines, tiny, inconspicuous, yellow flowers appear in spring and summer. 

Euphorbia milii

A small shrub with long and thin gray or brown stems with a diameter of about 1.5 cm and a height of up to 9 cm. The stems are ribbed, branching, at the tops of the ribs there are short, straight spines up to 2 cm long. At the tops of the stems there are oblong-elliptical green leaves up to 6 cm long. Leaves fall off in autumn. thick cover at short intervals, sharp spines about 2 cm long. 

In spring and summer, the plant produces leafless peduncles with several flowers. The main attractiveness of this plant is given by the bright bracts of cream, orange, pink or red color, which remain on the bush for a long time. Periodically, flowers can appear on the plant at any time of the year. With age, the plant often exposes the lower part of the stems, losing the lower leaves, but this only gives the bush additional charm. 

Euphorbia tirucalii

A low plant of a very unusual appearance. The stems are multi-branched, often green, thin - about 6 mm in diameter, round in cross-section, reaching a length of 3 - 5 m. Young plants have small leaves, but they fall off with age. In spring and summer, yellow, inconspicuous flowers appear on the tops of the stems. There are species with two-colored stems - their lower part remains green, while the tops are bright red, or plants with completely red stems. 

Euphorbia lophogona

A shrub with erect, strong, weakly branching stems, in nature reaching 1.2 m in height. The stems are covered with twisted or vertical ribs and bear traces of dead leaves; with age, they become woody at the base and are covered with brown bark. At the tops of the stems a crown of dark green, oblong-oval, glossy leaves is formed. During the flowering period, the plant forms low, strong peduncles at the tops of the stems, on top of which there are yellowish-green flowers with bright pink, large bracts. 

Euphorbia resinifera

A small succulent with stems up to 60 cm high that branch abundantly at the base. The stems are thick, resemble a cactus, have 4 vertical, deep ribs, are almost square in cross-section, and are light green in color. There are plants with bluish stems - this shade is given to them by a waxy coating on the surface. The ribs bear sparsely spaced, thick, straight spines - spines. The flowers are small, golden yellow, appearing at the tops of shoots from the center of the bush. Young plants of this species are practically indistinguishable from cacti. 

Euphorbia myrsinites

A very attractive appearance with twisting, weakly branched shoots covered with small bluish-gray or light green leaves. The leaves are sessile, pointed, tightly cover the stems in a spiral, often covered with a waxy coating, giving the plant its main attractiveness. The flowers are collected in few-flowered inflorescences at the tops of the shoots and have large, rounded light green, yellow or pinkish bracts. 

Euphorbia pulcherrima

In its natural habitat, poinsettia is a small tree or shrub up to 4 m tall with several stems. The leaves are thin, from 12 to 20 cm long, often jagged along the edge, dark green, with sharp ends, located on long, thin petioles. Large, bright bracts that are orange, pale green, cream, pink, white, or marbled give this plant special beauty. They are often mistaken for flower petals. The bracts usually remain on the plant for about 2 to 6 months after purchase. Poinsettia flowers are actually small and inconspicuous, grouped in small inflorescences. When purchasing a plant, it is advisable that the small yellow flowers are not yet open - in this case, you are guaranteed a longer flowering period. The seeds are ovoid, smooth, light gray.

Euphorbia leuconeura

A small potted palm with a thick trunk and a crown of attractive succulent leaves. The leaves are green with white veins, oblong-oval, collected in rosettes at the tops of the stems. Flowering is not of particular interest. Can reach 1.8 m in height over time. 

Euphorbia candelabrum

Quite a variable species, reminiscent of very large candelabra cacti. It is a large succulent bush with abundantly branching, vertical, green stems at the base. In its natural environment it reaches a height of 4.5 m. The stems are segmented, have vertical, deep ribs with short thick thorns. Young shoots may retain oblong-oval leaves, which fall off with age. The flowers are solitary or collected in few-flowered inflorescences at the tops of the shoots, yellow. This subspecies is very reminiscent of the Canary euphorbia. 

Euphorbia lactea

A shrub with erect large stems that are repeatedly branched along the entire length, reminiscent of cacti. The stems are light green or bluish due to the waxy coating covering them, have 3 - 4 deep ribs with short straight light spines. There is often a lighter stripe in the center of the stems. There are variegated varieties with yellowish branches and cristate monstrous forms of the plant. Young shoots often have small, rudimentary leaves. When damaged, the plant releases white sap; this feature apparently gave the name to the subspecies.