Euphorbia Trigona (African Milk Tree) Care Guide and Growing Tips
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- Growing guide for the Euphorbia Trigona (African Milk Tree).
The Euphorbia Trigona is a great plant with a highly architectural look that's different from so many other indoor plants. It's a super fast grower in the right settings.
I own two and have propagated them for friends and family.
In this video, I share what I've learned and what works well for me.
If you still want more, then the full care guide can be found on my blog - www.ourhouseplants.com/plants...
I bought this plant at a grocery store because I wanted a plant for my desk in the office my new job was at. I didn't know what it was, I just assumed it was a cactus and I got it because I thought it would be an easy plant to take care of and be great for an office plant. After a while and closer inspection I started suspecting that it wasn't a cactus because it didn't look like any cactus I'd seen before, so i started googling. I was surprised that it wasn't a cactus, but it has done great as an office plant! My desk is right by a huge north facing window. It doesn't get direct sunlight at all but it doesn't seem to mind. I water it once a week and it has grown so much. I named it Audrey ll from Little Shop of Horrors because as I was researching what this thing was I learned about its slight toxicity and it has thorns so I was kinda like "what kind of monstrosity is this thing?" Haha. Truly a great plant for someone who isn't experienced like myself!
I thought for years mine was a cactus untili googled it. Now I'm a Euohorbia enthusiast. They really can't get too much light or sun since they natively grow in South Africa. The more light, the better. There's somuch euphorbia's and they're all beautiful. If you wanna see a monstrosity google Euphorbia Horrida Monstruosa, one of my favorites!
I got this at uni from IKEA and it was about 30cm high. I treated it like a cactus (didn’t know it was a succulent!) but 15 years later it’s about as tall as me! 170cm-ish. It’s my favourite plant, it’s a real show stopper at that size!
I agree, green, purple, euphoria laceta or ghost. I love them all ❤️❤️❤️❤️
WOW. How big is your pot? Do you need to stake it or is it strong enough to support itself (pardon the naive question).
My Euphorbia Trigona sits in a South facing window. I usually wait for a yellow leaf before I water it. It loves the sunshine 🌞
Great video!
You have amazing exemples just at the side.
Thank you! Very informative and helpful.
Thank you for this video. I love these African Milk Trees and have several growing outside in south Texas. Very hot and quite sunny over here. Thanks for talking about corking; the leaves dropping off and their sap! My goal is to keep them growing, happy and thriving.
Hey, I'm in South Texas also, near Fort Davis and the McDonald Observatory at about 6300 feet. My euphorbia turned red when I put it outside so I thought I "sunburned" it. Are yours red or green?
@@user-th1ne8zm7l Hey there, we took a special trip to the Observatory in 2017 for one of their Star parties. It was awesome to see the humongous telescope and so many others. We stayed the night in Alpine. I have 5 types of them. They have mostly stayed their original. They get direct morning light but never the worst rays. One that I have is. Deep purple color and has kept it’s color. Another is reddish green, and the rest are all various shades of green. One of mine puts out long, curved, sharp thorns in a couple of sections, not all over.
@@TheQueensWish TY for your helpful comments! And for visiting the Observatory, which is 3 miles E of us!
Very beautiful, I love this plant! 💚😃
Great video, I'm looking to add one of these to my collection. I have my eye on a variegated one, but wondering if they need high light.
I got one of these at my local farmers market, thinking it was a cactus. My fault, I didn’t ask I just saw it and the purple on it, I figured I’d look up care on them. They almost are like a cactus, very little care, tough. I have other things growing this year, sunflowers, habaneros, tomatoes, but I’ve always wanted a cactus.
The plant chooses the grower, Harry.
I may go back and get an actual cactus soon lol, so it can have a friend. Thank you though for the tips, very helpful
Yes, they're very similar in care and looks. The Trigona will grow faster and needs more water than most cacti. They may struggle with intense sun too. But they're more closely related than many other houseplants. Enjoy your new friend!
It needs as much sun as possible but don't let it be in the sun all day. It needs a lot of water but not too much water. Thanks for the specific advice 😊
I understand what you are saying as a plant person lol but find it ironic that both those statements are contradicting lol 😂
Def want a propagation video. How did you get yours to look like they are growing out as one? Mine are like single stalks, which made repotting hard because they kept falling.
I'll look into doing one 😁. If you cut the stems it's usual for several new stems to grow from near the cut edge. Keep doing this over time and you end up with a full plant like mine.
Nice
Yes i have a plant like this thought it was cactus but little green leaves so what is it and how do i take care of it ..
My cutting looks like it may be dying from the bottom up-same substrate and conditions as the parent plant. Any suggestions
Thanks for the video, mine has some white powder layer on all of it, any thoughts if this os bad?
I don't think that sounds right and the plant shouldn't have that. Almost like powdery mildew perhaps? If you Google/Bing "powdery mildew" see if it looks similar. It could also be the latex sap, but as you've written that this layer is over the entire plant I think that's less likely.
They hate the cold, mine was thriving in the heat and sun planted outside but once the winter have it started drying so I had to uproot it and move it inside
Doing better now but the crispy leaves remain
Help! I put mine outside, in direct sunlight, and in only one day the Texas sun burned several of the branches. What do I do to save it? 🥺
I just got a white euphoria in. And the roots seem to be at the very bottom and soil seems to be piled around the trunk of it. 2 or 3 inches. Is this how they grow? Or do I need to repote it and put the roots at the top of the pot? And it also seems like it would be very wobbly. And I would need to support it.
I've never seen a white one of these, so not sure if you have something else? Speaking generally, if the stem is buried and it seems healthy, I do uncover it a little. However, the more you uncover, the more unstable it will become. In time the roots should anchor it in place though, but you need to be careful until that happens.
Your comments about the roots have confused me I'm afraid. I wouldn't move them from the bottom of the pot to the top though. Fine to move them a little to fit into a new container, but I don't recommend repositioning them too far from where they're already growing.
I have tiny light brown almost white spots on top of stems. I have the red leave one. Full sun window area can get cool it's Nov in NY. Any idea
Maybe the tops have been damaged and the white marks could be the dried sap? Wipe them with a damp cloth and see if it comes off. If not, head over to my website and "contact us" to send over a photo and I'll take a look.
TY for this informative video.
1) Is this a Rubio variety? We inherited a euphorbia which was about 3 feet tall about 12 yrs ago in our vacation home. I thought it was a green variety but one summer I put it outside (morning sun, shade in afternoon) and the leaves turned red so I thought it was a "sunburn" reaction so I moved it back inside. From your video, it sounds as though this is the Rubio variety.
2) Too tall -- now about 5'6". Without knowing what you said about "leave it alone", we were too busy and infrequently visited our vacation home, so it forgave us the lack of attention and intermittent watering (house sitter checked weekly). But now it is tall and leaning so that I have had to put a down rod to hold it up. I saw your comments about pruning but I thought I heard you say that 2 new branches will sprout from the pruned site. If this is what occurs, then that will only exacerbate the top heavy issue. Or did I misunderstand.
3) How to repot as the soil seems to have disappeared over past 4 years when I initially repotted it in a heavy 18 x 18" ceramic pot. Do I need to lift it out of the pot or can I simply add to the top of the plant.
4) Should I mix po tting soil with cactus soil. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but last time I repotted I was told to use cactus soil. Since you note this is a SUCCULENT, not a cactus, then the regular potting soil should be adequate...or would it prevent compaction if I mixed it with cactus soil.
TY for your insight.
Hi,
The all-green and Rubra variety are pretty distinctive plants. I have them both in the video but also some photos of them in my written article that I linked to in the comments. The colors can change a little depending on the light. If you're still not sure, you can send me a photo and I'll take a look.
You can absolutely prune these plants if you think they're too tall. And yes, it might generate additional/ extra arms where you make the cut. But you can prune it back HARD. Like you can chop down large amounts so it takes years to grow back to the tall height you're trying to reduce.
As for the potting soil, it's normal for it to reduce over time (for any houseplant really) as it gets more compacted, and if it had a lot of organic material, this will eventually rot down. You can top dress an inch or so, but too much will mean the stems at the base will have a possibility of rotting. I'd personally think about removing it from the pot, putting fresh potting mix at the base and putting the plant back. But it's going to depend on what you can physically do, whether you have help, or if the plant's too big to handle etc.
Most succulents are fine in "cactus soil" (if that's what you have around and don't want to buy new stuff). The idea is that they don't need constant water around the roots and too much can introduce or encourage rot. Cactus soil tends to have inorganic materials to encourage drainage. For me PERSONALLY I just use standard houseplant potting soil and my plants are fine. But if you want to be extra safe, then a cactus or succulent potting mix is the way to go.
Any tips for scale bugs?
What do I do if mine is super tall and top heavy, the plant itself tends to lean and it won't stand up on it's own unless it's leaning on something.
There isn't much you can do at that point. But here are a few ideas.
You could remove / cut back the tallest branches (the tops can be propagated. Check out my recent video to see how ruclips.net/video/kM2rEgTy9jE/видео.html ).
If you dont actually want to lose any of the height, then you can create your own DIY supports with bamboo and string/wire. One of mine is very wobbly too, so it's up against a wall for support which works, if that's an option for you.
The only other thing to check is that it's not actually loose in the planter as it may be rocking around because of that. But a too tall plant it is a good thing! You've grown something massive that people would love to have!
I have one of these and it has grown quite tall and his tipped over. I would love to share a photo and get some advice.
Feel free to head over to my article (link in description) and you can upload a photo / comments in the comments at the bottom. :-)
My plant is getting very thick can I separate a clump at once and replant the whole clump
I'm not sure if I'm following. But if you mean you have multiple plants / stems coming from the soil, then yes you can separate them into individual plants.
Quite helpful and informative. One question, does it need any fertiliser?
Yes, use a cacti or succulent feed (or a general one for houseplants). Feed once every few months.
Great, thanks
How high of heat can this tolerate? My balcony faces West, and I’m on the top floor completely open to the sky. It gets 120 degrees out there (and I live in North Dakota). Or do you know anything that could tolerate heat like that?
Wow, that's super hot! I've never grown my plants in that kind of heat so I don't know. They're super tough plants though and might be okay. You could trial it and look for signs of heat stress. In regard to what houseplants could cope with that heat, I'd recommend most true desert cacti. Perhaps some other viewers might comment with some ideas in the future. If you do give it a go with the Trigona, let me know how you get on!
Are you growing these indoors? I just bought one and wanted to keep it indoors but I only have a big west facing widow. Would that lighting do? Great video, very to the point. ADHD friendly 😂 Subscribed 👍🏼
Yes, growing mine indoors. If it's in the West window and getting direct sunlight for a hour or two then it should be perfectly fine in a place like that.
@@ourhouseplants Great thanks so much for replying!
It never occurred to me the plant wants heat , I moved her outside , love my a. Milk tree
My Euphorbia Trigona is over a metre tall with no extra growths on the stem. Should I cut off the top and plant that way?
If you'd rather it have a bushy look, then yes that should encourage side shoots. Some people like the single tall stem look tho, so it's what you prefer.
It takes them a few (2) years though or that was my experience here in NC
I want to see what the healed part of the main body looks like when healed and if it grows back please. I vacuum my leaves off.
Thanks. I'll do a prop video soon. Will film it over several weeks / months and I'll be sure to show the healed parent plant parts too.
Can this plant be trimmed or cut back at the top? I have one the is over 6 ft tall, and is showing its age.
Yes! You can totally cut it back. I personally would be anxious about cutting down into any brown corking that might exist. But if you can cut lower down where the growth is green it should be fine with at least a 90%+ chance of replacement growth sprouting. You can use the bits you move to propagate replacement plants too.
@@ourhouseplants Thanks!! Your website is outstanding.
I bought mine as a single cute stalk about 25 years ago. It's still in the same tiny glass pot and has grown so large it needs propped up lol. I want to replant it but am scared. Do I use regular fertilized bagged potting soil, or does it do better with zero nutrient soil? I'm doing everything wrong it seems compared to this video but it's HUGE lol. I flood water it maybe once a month and it explodes in growth. Help me repot her safely 🙏
That's so good, well done! When I talk about care, I can only talk about my experiences, but plants will still grow for other people in different ways too. They're not true cacti and do need nutrients to grow, so I'd avoid zero nutrient soil. When you repot I find it gets a bit wobbly so try and provide a little support for the first month or two until it establishes. Best of luck!
Mine is so tall and healthy (thankfully) that it's tipping (sections are too heavy, so I want to 'prune' it down. Is this possible?
Hullo, yes it's totally something you can do. Just watch out for the white sap as it can be irritating. You can pretty much just cut the stems down leaving at least a few inches at the bottom, and that's it. But if you want some more guidance, check out my article over on Ourhouseplants.com (I might do a video to demonstrate doing it too if people would like to see it being done?).
Do you think that the light green at the top of a Rubra is a lack of sunlight ?
New growth is always lighter green. Once it settles in, it will darken up and look like the rest of the stems lower down. I suppose if the plant was growing and then you moved it to a low light area it might never darken. But I've never done that / tested.
@@ourhouseplants thank you
Hello! are you still monitoring this post?
I just got one, all alone... pretty nice. I just wonder... a East widow... would be OK for it????
The all green variety will be fine. The Rubra variety will lose some of the red hue in the stems and leaves, but it will still grow and have the markings, just less vivid, if that makes sense.
@@ourhouseplants Thank you 💞🌹
Thank you! Tell us please, does this euphorbia, ever flowers?
Hi! Nope no flowers on this one. It's one of the few plants in the world which will never produce them.
Thamks a lot for your answer
I've noticed mine turning yellow. The only thing I could figure out is spider mites infestation. Have you noticed any of this on your plants?
Hi. That's never happened to any of my plants, however I've never had Spider Mites on them either. At the end of the day, I would say the two go together. You've spotted yellowing and also Spider Mites at the same time. So it's a good chance that's the cause. Hope you get it sorted. They're robust plants so it's worth trying to resolve the issue and they should hopefully grow back.
@ourhouseplants I've had one to grow over 9 foot tall. It was gorgeous and then the soil gave away when I tried to move it and it fell over.
Mine attracts little flies and I’m scared to water her as I’m trying to try the flies out
We have a Fungus Gnat article if it helps. Perhaps I'll do a video on them at some point! They will go eventually! www.ourhouseplants.com/questions/how-to-get-rid-of-fungus-gnats
Sir , can you share some knowledge with us on how to grow a branch on Euphorbia Trigona Green and Red(Rubra)?
For example on any Ficus variety we give a slight cut on the stem just above or below the leaf on a medium size plant potted in 12 inches round pot and from there new branches start to appear.
But how to do it for these Euphorbia plants? I have no idea and I have not tried anything fearing the plant might attract fungus infection if I give cuts at the side.
I have 2 no.s Euphorbia Green and Red each. None of them have branch out yet and they look ugly compared to the others which have branches. Fortunately , they're growing but straight up.
My friend has one with branches but they appeared on their own. I think he's lucky. 😁
So Kindly give some suggestions if possible.
If they're growing well, then natural branching is possible (perhaps like what happened with your friend).
You can also cut off the upper branch(es) and new growth will almost always form near where you have cut. Very healthy plants at this stage will often push out one or even two new growth points.
The key I suppose is to grow them well. I give you the growing needs in the video, but you can also read about it in more detail on my blog post (link in the summary above). Hope that helps! 🙂
@@ourhouseplants OK. Thanks. I'll try the suggestion. And will update you here about the same. 🙂
Mine isnt growing...idk.. Maybe its still adjusting to my south window.
Don't worry too much. I find some of these plants tend to push out loads of new growth towards the end of June (which is summer in the Northern Hemisphere). They can seem dormant otherwise. Check back in once we get to July / August and hopefully you'll have something going on by then.
Mine is growing straight up with nothing growing off it. It’s getting way too tall. What is the reason for this
It's just the way they grow sometimes. If you want branching cut the main stem at the desired height. As long as you're providing at least semi decent care it will branch at the cut. You can use the bit you remove to propagate a second plant.
@@ourhouseplants there is only one very tall stem. I would just be cutting the same ones smaller and starting over.
@@user-gb7px8co1h yes that's right. It should branch, but any stem is going to grow upwards eventually. So when one gets too tall you'll need to cut it back.
Did he just say no bark
I have mine in fine bark pieces do I need to put in succulent cactus soil?
I did yeah. The reason for that is because these plants can be seriously loose in the pots, so easy to knock out. They need a little compacting around the roots to anchor them in.
I wouldn't recommend it as standard, but if you've been doing it for a while, no accidents and it's growing well.... Leave it alone.
@@ourhouseplants it’s not idk
See I have it under two t5 barrina grow lights
And idk if that is ok 12 hours about that because where I live in new Hampshire it’s cold
Outside now being fall time … so u know those leafs that are on the side with the needles I only have one
And they were on top but it seem like
My
Light burned them idk
What kind of soil I have cactus and succulents soil
Perlite so is it ok under a grow light
Also Thier is like a split on one of them it’s like a ring around it that spirit and is brown is that normal
It looks like new growth
@@luckycarebear9406 it's hard to know what's happening without photos. In the description, I've linked to my extensive blog post. At the bottom, you can post photos if you want to share something, or reach out to me on my other socials with a photo. The brown could be corking, again a few photos on the article on the blog for you to compare to.
They can cope with some intense full sun, so I'm dubious a grow light would burn off the leaves unless the bulbs were too close / very hot. The leaves don't usually last for long periods, so might not be a problem.
A cactus and succulent potting mix is probably fine, (they tend to be heavy as they contain small stones normally, so it could help prevent your plant tipping over too). In my experience, I've found most Euphorbia houseplants to do well in normal potting compost too.
@@ourhouseplants sent u a request on instagram
@@ourhouseplants I can’t send pictures till u accept
Question the stem looks a little faded on the top
Upload a photo in the comment section on my website or send me a photo and I can take a look - www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/euphorbia-trigona-african-milk-tree
My Euphorbia Trigona Rabra is about 4 feet tall and leaning. How do I support it or should I cut it back. (if that is such a thing)?
You could stake it or if it is leaning, I cut off the high branching arms that are making it lean. Then just stick those in a new pot and give it to your friend!
@@sherylcosing5983 Thank you sheryl
I suspected this wasnt a cactus, ours is outside the house and producing countless babies. Its nearly 3metres high !!!
It's a great plant isn't it!
The red one in your background has a scar on the bottom, I got gifted with an arm that has frostbite and has that bark-ish scar on the bottom 3 inches of a 2.5 foot tall arm. What I was given doesn't have any roots. Is it wise to chop off the scarred area and let it scab over or is it ok for me to just plant the thing?
If I've understood correctly (scar / damage is right at the bottom of the cutting / "arm" and there are no roots). Then I'd consider cutting off the damage section.
You could just try it as is too. There is a good chance both options will work, but I. Thinking long term. You're right that mine does have damage right at the bottom and that's always annoyed me a little. However on the plus it's made it extra strong / reinforced and I'm not worried about "arms" in that area breaking off easily.
it is similar in appearance to what is on your plant, that bark looking brown scab. I am told mine developed that after the cold snap we recently had. What I did was just repot the thing halfway up the mark (down about 3 inches deep,) so i can still see some of it to check for worsening later on. there is the tiniest little nub of a root at the bottom most beneath the scab/bark section. hopefully it roots up well and doesn't just give up on me. Thank you for responding.@@ourhouseplants
6:22 "sensitivity" maybe?
😂 that works, yes! Thank you
I had a mouse that burrowed underneath mine and dug out half of the soil
Omg. Rather you than me 🤣
So how much water should I put in? Like a cup or what? I don't know how much water I should put in it
water it thoroughly so all of the soil is saturated with water
It’s less about the amount of water, and more about how well the water drains. Pot it in a container with drainage holes using potting soil for succulents.
I water most of my succulents every 3-4 weeks and I water until it comes out the bottom. I throw away the excess water and my plants seem pretty happy.
A LITTLE OFF THE SUBJECT BUT, YOU ARE AS HOT AS YOUR PLANTS ! I HAVE ONE OF THESE PLANTS , ITS OVER 25 YEARS OLD AND ABOUT 13 FOOT HIGH. I HAVE ALWAYS ONLY WATERED IT ONCE A MONTH AND IT HAS HAD ZERO PROBLEMS. HOPE YOU ARE NOT OFFENDED BY MY COMMENTS ABOUT YOU, I TELL IT AS I SEE IT ! THANKS FOR YOUR VIDEO . 😂
Thanks very much for the compliment, George. Yes, the Trigona can be a very longed lived plant, here's to another 25 years!
George, is this plant growing outside in your garden? Do you stake it up to prevent it from falling over? Mine is inside and about 5'6" and I'm not sure how to address this aside from getting a larger pot with stakes.
It's a spurge! Not a succulent. A third thing with many different varieties.
Hi, Euphorbia / spurge is a diverse genus of flowering plants, including some succulents. The Euphorbia trigona meets pretty much every definition of a succulent, so I don't see anything wrong with people using that term to describe these plants. I'm not sure what you mean by your second comment, could you explain further?
Es una Euphorbia trigona rubra (hoja color café rojiza)
Play this at 1.25 speed and you won't get bored.