Euphorbia Tirucalli Growing and Care

Pencil Cactus (aka Euphorbia tirucalli or ET) will not be a cactus. It’s a rugged succulent plant that may develop to over 30’ ft excessive within the wild.

Nevertheless, it may also be stored to a extra average peak of 6′ to eight′ ft when stored as a houseplant.

These enticing, fascinating, and delightful hearth stick succulent crops tackle quite a lot of character as they age, and older crops develop thick interior branches with tough, grey, extremely textured bark.

The foliage is a beautiful shade of inexperienced all through many of the yr and transitions to yellow, orange, or crimson throughout the cooler months.

On this article, we’ll share data on rising, caring for, and appreciating this fascinating plant. Learn on to study extra.

Firestick Plant Fast Rising Information:

Household: Euphorbiaceae

Origin: South Africa, the Arabian peninsula, and India

Frequent Names: Rubber-hedge euphorbia (Eng.), Kraalmelkbos (Africa.), Indian tree spurge, Firestick Cactus, Pencil Cactus, Sticks on hearth, Pencil plant, Finger Tree, Bare girl, Purple Pencil tree, Milk bush, ET

Peak: 6’ when stored indoors or in a container outside, 15′-30’ when grown as a panorama plant beneath ideally suited circumstances.

USDA Hardiness Zones: 9A – 10A Within the nice outside, the plant is hardy to 25° levels Fahrenheit. It does very effectively in common family temperatures and thrives in low humidity.

Flowers: Euphorbia tirucalli produces small yellowish flowers that appeal to butterflies, bees, and different bugs. Firestick flowers develop in clusters on the apex or angle of the branches throughout the cooler months of the yr.

Fruits: The fuzzy, pinkish fruits develop on quick stalks in three-part clusters about 3/4″ of an inch in diameter.

Foliage: This plant’s leaves are tiny and skinny, and you might miss them altogether as they fall off very quickly after showing. When the small leaves fall, they depart scars on the limbs which add to the visible curiosity of this plant.

Makes use of: These versatile crops have many makes use of. They’re typically stored indoors as a houseplant in modern inside designs, together with the prickly pear Opuntia cactus.

They’re used as panorama crops in scorching, dry climates.

When rising a pencil tree plant outside, the small flowers present pollen for bees, and birds can safely eat the plant’s seeds.

In South Africa, a “rubber hedge” is commonly planted round livestock pens and different areas for privateness and to maintain intruders out. 

In African folks medication, the sap could also be used to deal with sexual impotence and snakebite; nevertheless, this isn’t really useful because the sap is kind of poisonous, and additionally it is used to poison fish.

When grown within the wild, giant, mature pencil timber yield very exhausting lumber used to make roof struts. [source]

Miscellaneous: In Venezuela and Columbia, ET is an important biofuel crop. This video reveals how it’s grown and harvested. The video additionally offers good views of the plant in a really perfect outside atmosphere and good data on tips on how to finest look after and propagate it.

Pencil Fireplace Stick Plant Care Ideas

Care varies considerably relying on whether or not you need to maintain your pencil plant indoors or outside.

Euphorbia Tirucalli Cactus Indoor Care

Mild: This plant enjoys the total solar making it a wonderful selection for a really sunny window setting. Rotate the plant periodically for balanced development and even coloration growth throughout the cooler months.

Water: The home plant needs to be watered weekly throughout the rising season. Take care to offer well-drained soil and loads of drainage holes within the container to keep away from root rot. In the reduction of to month-to-month watering throughout the cooler months.

Temperature: Though this plant can tolerate temperatures from 25º-100º levels Fahrenheit, it prefers temperatures starting from 50º – 70º levels Fahrenheit. The best firesticks plant temperature vary is 65º – 70º levels Fahrenheit, so it does effectively year-round indoors at regular family temperatures.

Soil: Use high-quality, well-drained cactus or succulent potting soil with a pH of about 6.0.

Fertilizer: You might feed your finger plant seasonally with a controlled-release fertilizer or use a weak liquid houseplant meals each week. 

Mature crops do effectively with a 20-20-20 fertilizer. Youthful crops do higher with a decrease nitrogen score. Some individuals don’t fertilize the pencil plant in any respect.

Tirucalli Sticks On Fireplace Cactus Out of doors Care

Mild: Open air, the firestick plant does effectively with both partial or direct solar. It’s finest to position this succulent shrub the place it will get shiny solar publicity on all sides for balanced development and coloration.

Attempt to present not less than 5-6 hours of daylight per day indoors so the plant receives sufficient gentle.

Steer clear of direct daylight whereas rooting to stop burns. Water the soil each few days or when it feels dry.

Water: It’s higher to present too little water than an excessive amount of. Open air water this drought-tolerant pencil tree deeply about as soon as a month throughout the rising season and as soon as each couple of months throughout cool climate. 

These drought-tolerant crops might do effectively with solely rainwater. In the reduction of on watering and permit the plant to dry out and get better from an excessive amount of water.

Soil: When planting outside, it’s a good suggestion so as to add some gentle, completed compost and/or some loam to your soil to enhance its aeration and draining capabilities.

Fertilizer: If you happen to maintain a worm composting bin, you will discover {that a} layer of worm compost or worm castings unfold excessive of the soil yearly offers all of the nourishment your ET wants.

Pests and Illnesses: With their poisonous sap, these crops are pretty pest resistant.

Frequent succulent pests, reminiscent of plant mites, colonies of mealybugs, cactus scale, and aphids bugs on crops, could also be an issue for over-watered and weakened crops, however for essentially the most half, Euphorbia tirucalli is pest free. [source]

Pencil Cactus Propagation, Transplanting, & Repotting

If you happen to plan on transplanting a milk bush, do it whereas the plant remains to be small. Transferring a tall Firestick pencil cactus is tough resulting from its weight and breaking branches.

Bear in mind, you need to restrict publicity to the poisonous, irritating milky sap. The most typical cause for mushy is overwatering. 

If you wish to relocate an out of doors crimson pencil tree, put on goggles, gloves, lengthy pants, and a long-sleeved shirt.

Change garments and wash up as quickly as you’re accomplished.

NOTE: Some people might expertise an allergic response to the poisonous white sap, and a few even have extreme reactions. Don’t maintain the plant in a location the place babies will are available contact with the plant.

Tirucalli Euphorbia Wants Repotting Steadily

These crops produce new development quickly, and you might must repot yearly or not less than each couple of years. It’s finest to permit the soil surrounding any succulent to dry earlier than repotting.

Take away the plant from its pot and knock away or shake off all of the dry potting soil. If the roots develop into broken, deal with affected areas with a fungicide to stop root rot.

Put the plant into a brand new container and add a lightweight, well-draining soil combination. Customary cactus or a succulent combine works effectively. You might want to add some gentle, completed compost to offer nourishment and relieve you of the duty of fertilizing.

Don’t water the newly potted succulent for a couple of week. It will encourage root development and discourage root rot.

Pencil Plant Propagation Is Simple

There’s not a lot must relocate these crops as a result of these cactus crops are really easy to propagate from cuttings. 

Bear in mind to guard your self from the sap when taking cuttings. Dip the minimize finish in chilly, recent water to cease the sap from flowing.

Go away stem cuttings within the open air for per week or so to type a callous. Pop it right into a pot of moist sand, succulent combine, or cactus combine. You’ll most likely see development inside per week to 10 days.

Is The Firestick Succulent Toxic?

Whenever you image the Pencil Cactus in your thoughts’s eye, you’re unlikely to comprehend that it’s carefully associated to such numerous crops as:

One factor these crops all have in frequent is irritating/poisonous white sap.  Regardless of precautions concerning the toxicity of the firestick plant, the sizeable shrubby succulent can create a shocking colourful panorama function in a yard.

All members of the Euphorbia household comprise this toxic, irritating sap. Euphorbia tirucalli is essentially the most highly effective of all of them. That’s why it’s so vital to guard your eyes, fingers, and pores and skin when pruning.

Keep away from informal contact with the plant. Place your “sticks on hearth” plant fastidiously so individuals are not continuously brushing up towards it and breaking its branches.

It’s best to particularly maintain youngsters and pets away.

Associated: Is The Firestick Plant Poisonous Or Toxic?

What You Want To Know About Pruning Fireplace Stick Crops

Euphorbia is used as a hedge plant in Africa resulting from its dense rising behavior. Indoor crops may have trimming and tidying as much as management dimension and enhance look.

Out of doors crops capable of develop freely won’t want as a lot pruning. It’s a good suggestion to skinny the stems occasionally to permit gentle and air circulation. 

Indoors or outside, be sure you prune in a balanced approach so the plant doesn’t develop into top-heavy, inflicting landscaping crops to interrupt and fall and potted crops to tumble over.

At all times prune stems again to the primary trunk. Don’t chop them off within the center, as this produces an unpleasant look and causes the plant to department out.

Drop minimize branches into a bath of chilly water to regulate the sap spillage. Wipe sap off the primary trunk with a cool, damp fabric to assist cease its move and to stop by accident coming involved with it as you’re employed.

When pruning, take nice care to not get the sap in your eyes or in your face. Topical publicity to the diterpene esters discovered within the sap may cause numbness, tingling, and burning sensations.

Getting the sap in your eyes may cause corneal injury and should end in short-term blindness.

If you happen to get sap in your pores and skin or in your eyes, flush with copious quantities of recent water instantly.

When washing milk bush sap from the pores and skin, wash gently with clear, working water. Don’t scrub or rub.

When flushing the attention, use clear, working water and proceed flushing for about twenty minutes to make sure each hint is eliminated.

In both case, if this doesn’t relieve your signs utterly, search medical help.

What To Do In Case Of Unintentional Ingestion

You probably have youngsters or pets, concentrate on the signs to observe for within the occasion of unintended ingestion.

• Burning in and across the mouth
• Irregular heartbeat
• Abdomen cramps
• Pores and skin Rashes
• Vomiting
• Seizures
• Bronchial asthma

The kind of signs current and their severity depend on the quantity of the plant that’s ingested. In case of ingestion, take away any remnants of the plant from the kid or pet’s mouth and rinse with clear water.

If the sufferer is a baby, comply with up by calling your pediatrician or the Poison Management Middle at 1-800-222-1222 instantly. 

Comply with directions fastidiously, and bear in mind to take a pattern of the plant together with you in case you are instructed to go to the emergency room.

In case your youngster is experiencing excessive temperature, shortness of breath, seizures and/or unconsciousness, don’t waste time. Name 911. [source]

The latex sap present in Euphorbia can also be poisonous to cats, canines, and equines (horses, donkeys, and mules). [source]

If you happen to discover your cat or canine is vomiting and/or experiencing irritation in and across the mouth, you might suspect pencil cactus poisoning.

With equines, you’ll see oral irritation, bother swallowing, and signs of ache within the abdomen and scour, however these animals can not regurgitate.

If you happen to assume your pet has consumed Euphorbia tirucalli, name your veterinarian or the ASPCA poison hotline (888-426-4435) for recommendation. In case you are instructed to convey your pet into your vet’s workplace or to an emergency clinic, be sure you take alongside a pattern of the plant. [source]

Is It Secure To Preserve The Euphorbia Firestick Cactus At All?

Dire as all this sounds, you needn’t go overboard with alarm.

There are many doubtlessly toxic crops, however fortunately most of them style horrible and unintended ingestion is uncommon.

If you happen to place your pencil tree plant sensibly so individuals and pets will not be continuously knocking up towards it, you’re unlikely to have issues with unintended pores and skin contact publicity.

Simply bear in mind to be very cautious when pruning, put on gloves, and put on eye safety. Pencil tree cactus doesn’t simply drip sap. It has been recognized to squirt or spray it! [source]

Even The Worst Gardener Can Develop Joyful, Wholesome Pencil Plant Cactus

You probably have a brightly lit, heat, dry area, you’ll be able to count on your Pencil Tree to shortly and simply develop. 

These unique-looking crops make enticing and weird specimen crops within the backyard, solarium, or greenhouse. They pair effectively with a wonderful container to decorate issues up.

It’s potential to regulate your plant’s dimension with common pruning, however be sure you comply with all the security precautions we outlined right here. Bear in mind to position your plant the place it may be seen however not bumped!

In case you are a forgetful gardener or one who tends to be absent steadily, this drought-loving plant could also be simply the precise selection on your sunny window, deck, or rock backyard. 

Pencil crops are simple to look after and demand so little. You probably have a lot of gentle and somewhat water, you and your pencil cactus will get alongside simply advantageous.

Beneficial Studying: