How to care for Euphorbia trigona
Today's mini experience sharing: introduction to the succulent plant Euphorbia trigona, how to care for Euphorbia trigona, let's learn about it together.
Euphorbia trigona is a relatively common type of cactus, and some people also call it a grass ball, evergreen ball, etc. How to care for Euphorbia trigona is the first thing for new Euphorbia trigona enthusiasts to understand. relatively speaking, the maintenance difficulty of Euphorbia trigona is still easy, but it will also often have the situation of excessive growth.
For enthusiasts who want to care for Euphorbia trigona well, there is one thing that must be known, which is that grafted Euphorbia trigona often looks like a very large ball, but it has no roots, and it looks perfectly flawless and strong. However, it will rot even without watering in winter. No matter how large or beautiful it is, the ball does not tolerate frost in winter. Once winter comes, or if it is watered a bit more, the whole plant will rot. Therefore, it is better to choose a ball that is grown from seed when buying.
Euphorbia trigona can be watered fully during the growing period, but it should be kept dry and wet alternately. Each watering must wait until the potting soil is completely dry before watering. Be careful not to wet the ball when watering. In the midsummer, it is necessary to provide appropriate shade and sufficient water and fertilizer during the growing period. The view that cacti do not need much water and fertilizer at any time is one-sided and not conducive to their growth.
Euphorbia trigona requires loose, moderately fertile, neutral or slightly acidic pH, and rich in organic matter. There are bagged soil available in the market, or you can make your own:
① 3 parts loam, 2 parts decomposed leaf soil or peat soil, 1 part sieved bone meal, 4 parts coarse sand;
② 3 parts coarse sand, 3 parts garden soil, 2 parts decomposed leaf soil, 1 part calcareous material, 1 part broken bricks or tiles, with a little superphosphate, charcoal granules, or bone meal added.
When the diameter of the Euphorbia trigona ball reaches 20 centimeters, it is necessary to change the pot and soil once a year. For those with a diameter of less than 20 centimeters, it can be changed every 2-3 years, while cutting off the withered and overly long old roots. When changing pots, the diameter of the pot should be slightly larger than the ball. It is best to replace the old soil, but if conditions do not allow, the old soil can be turned over, dried in the sun, sieved, and mixed with base fertilizer and an appropriate amount of calcareous material to supplement nutrients and increase soil alkalinity.
Because cacti prefer to grow in neutral or slightly alkaline soil. After long-term cultivation, not only does the plant need a larger pot due to its increasing size, but also because the roots often secrete an organic acid that causes the potting soil to acidify, so pots and soil should be changed every spring. When changing pots, first loosen the soil around the base of the roots, take a soft绵 of appropriate thickness to make a bottleneck tie, place it on the lower middle part of the ball, tighten the bottleneck tie, lift the tied Euphorbia trigona, remove the old soil, and trim the withered and overly long old roots. Wait for the roots to dry before moving them to another pot, fill the surrounding new soil, shake it several times until the potting soil is full and the ball does not shake. First, place it in a shaded and ventilated area that is not exposed to frost, then gradually move it to sunlight.
Temperature plays an important role in the growth cycle of Euphorbia trigona. Euphorbia trigona is in a dormant state in winter. It wakes up and starts growing in April. In May and June, when the temperature reaches the optimal growth temperature of 25-30°C, Euphorbia trigona enters the peak growing period. In July and August, when the temperature exceeds 35°C, Euphorbia trigona enters summer dormancy. In September, when the temperature drops to 30°C, Euphorbia trigona wakes up again and starts growing. Good management in autumn may result in faster growth than in spring. In mid-to-late November, when the temperature drops, Euphorbia trigona gradually enters the dormant period. At this point, the annual growth cycle of Euphorbia trigona is over. If the room temperature is too low or the ball is exposed to cold, it may develop yellow spots. The overwintering temperature should be above 5°C, keeping the potting soil dry, and below 5°C it is prone to brown rot. If the ball is grafted on a triangular column, the overwintering room temperature needs to be above 10 degrees Celsius, otherwise, the triangular column is easily frozen, which directly affects the growth of the ball. This is a common occurrence among current plant caregivers.
The propagation of Euphorbia trigona usually adopts the following methods:
1. Sowing: It takes a mother ball of 30 years to produce seeds, which are not easy to obtain, but the germination rate of seeds is high, and they can germinate in 20-25 days. In spring or autumn, choose plump Euphorbia seed (black); Soak the seeds for two days to promote germination, then sow them in the potting soil. They will germinate in about 7-10 days. When the seedlings grow to 1 centimeter, thin them to a spacing of 5x5 centimeters. When they grow to 4 centimeters, they can be transplanted, with one in each small pot.
2. Cutting the top: You can cut the top of the Euphorbia trigona ball from top to bottom at 1/3, and many seedlings will grow at the edge of the cut. You can graft seedlings of 2-4 centimeters onto the three-angled arrow (also known as Hylocereus undatus, triangle column,霸王鞭, or sword flower). After a year, the diameter of the seedlings can reach 8-10 centimeters, then cut the three-angled arrow from the base of the ball, place the ball in a dry, ventilated, and shaded place for 3-5 days, and then plant the ball in the pot. After 30-50 days, the ball will take root and grow stronger.
I hope you have learned the detailed introduction of how to care for Euphorbia trigona shared in this article.