In the meantime, can I ask you a question... and I'm asking because my plant has not been producing any new leaves for a good while and I know it should be...

How often do you water?

Hi,

Yes, it does look like its in need of repotting. Id go up to a 4-5 inch pot. Looks like roots are coming out the top? And leaves growing out the bottom means its looking for any available space to grow. This type could have large roots. Good luck,

Jen

Thanks, guys.

I am just not familiar with what this plant's habits are yet. It's going into a new pot in a few days, I guess.

vvdo: This one just recently went into active growth, and I have been waiting until it dries completely, then giving it 2 EXTRA days dry, then watering. In its teensy little 2" pot, that's watering about every 5-6 days, but once it's in a bigger pot, I can see that time frame lengthening considerably. www.euphorbia.de (Frank) says it has quite a long growing period, which is nice...less chance of watering it too early in the season, or too late! Good luck with yours, too! I'd love to see pictures of it!

Kate

Kate,

Euphorbias decaryi var. spirosticha spreads by rhizomes and hence is best placed in a wide flat bowl. Your plant urgently needs a repotting.

Frank
www.euphorbia.de

Frank!

I have this plant, too. It had 3 stems in one pot. I don't really know what are the best circumstences for this Euphorbia, and there is only one stem now. I don't know what was wrong for it. I heard it needs a shady place, and less watering in summer. I tried to keep it, but my plant has only a few leaves what not wide enough like on pictures in the internet.

Robi

It's really not doing so well, it has about 2 leaves, they are dark purple, no new growth since before november I think. If it ever shows signs of life I will put it in a bonsai-type pot (shallow and wide as Frank suggest) then maybe I'll snap a shot of it. It's too shy right now.

Robi,
the best conditions for E. decaryi var. spirosticha are
- a wide flat bowl,
- a very loose compost,
- semi-shade,
- warmth,
- watering in the wet / almost dry rhythm.

In the heat of summer the plant needs a good amount of water. Even in winter it's soil should never completely dry out. Though it tolerates a dry overwintering it then gets in trouble in sping when it has to produce new roots.
The ideal temperature in summer is about 25°C, in winter above 15°C.

Frank
www.euphorbia.de

Vvdo,
if your plants remains dormant after repotting you can rouse with a shock. (First of all you have to wait about two weeks after repotting to let all wounds heal.) Water it with hot water of 40 to 50°C (104 to 122°F). Healthy plants usually react within 2 to 7 days.

Frank
www.euphorbia.de

Thanks, Frank.

Okay, all.

I have repotted this guy, and I am now questioning whether this is too big a pot for it. It certainly had a lot of rhizomes (roots?) in that little pot, so I'm glad I did change pots, but now it looks lost in that vast expanse of dirt! Hope I did okay for it.

Kate

{{gwi:466973}}

Kate,
your plant is placed too high. Either add some more soil or simply bury the plant deeper. If everything is below soil level that belongs there your plant will develop much better and soon fill the pot.

Frank
www.euphorbia.de

{{gwi:466970}}

Good thing you're out there, Frank. Here it is, all fixed. Thanks for the great advice!

Kate

{{gwi:466974}}

Yes I'd repot it, after all I have a nice pot that would suit it......;)

Nice (rare?) plant!

Great montage Frank and another nice job Kate!

Frank,

I know what happened with my plant before, why do not grows nice/big new leaves. It hasn't got any root. It is a cutting! When I repotted the plant, I've seen some new root-like something. It was white and thinner than my hair. Unfortunately I touched it, and I think it has broken. What can I do? Do I have any chance to reroot this plant.

The watering method was - I thing wrong - underwatering so long (all winter), and after I read your posting I gave a less water it. I Don't really know if it was the case of the start of rooting.

What do you think?

Robi

Kate,
that's well done now!

Robi,
it must be disappointing to you that you've caught an unrooted cutting. Though you interrupted the plant while rooting I'm certain you have a second chance. Place the plant warm, bright (w/o direct sun) and slightly humid to increase the building of new roots.

E. decaryi is one of those plants that turn out to be difficult if treated as a difficult plant and kept too dry. If sufficient watered and not too little fertilised it's easy grown.

Frank
www.euphorbia.de

Danke, Frank.

I am disappointed to know the fact, that there is a tradesman between us (in Hungary) who sales unrooted plant. But I ain't so disappointed of this case now, because I think I knew that it's unrooted (I bought it two or three years ago), but forgot it. Probably the above mentioned other two stems (cuttings) have died because of this. Once again, I can't understand these people business philosophy. If you could see his camp and his plants, you'd have never thought this. (it was on 20th of August, the most popular celebration day of our country in a famous holiday resort where used to be cca 200.000 people this time)
:-(

Robi,
nurserymen simply don't have the time to care much about single plants as we do in our collections. They live on producing hundreds of plants of each sort. When a batch of cuttings basically looks rooted it gets sold and there is nobody checking each single plant. It's just bad luck that you've caught one of the probably only few still unrooted ones.

Now head up and try your best to let your plant thrive and prosper!

Frank
www.euphorbia.de

Ok Frank. Thanks for your encouragement! But I am not agree with you in the nursery-business theme. Don't forget, there was three stems.

I've never said I love your homepage and how you do it. How long do you have Euphorbias? And what about cacti?

Robi