Firestick plant ( Euphorbia tirucallis)is a succulent that is drouth tolerant once established , making it well-fixed to wish for . They can be a striking , colored , low-pitched - criminal maintenance improver to your outside garden or indoor houseplant collection .
Plant it in well - draining soil , and water exhaustively when it ’s ironical 2 - 3 ” abstruse . The stems will turn bright yellow , orange , pinkish , and red in full sun , and the color intensifies in cooler atmospheric condition . Indoors they may retrovert to green without adequate lighting . precaution : The milklike white sap can cause meaning middle annoyance and hide botheration .
In this complete guide on firestick plant care , I ’ll help you find out what it takes to keep them growing and thriving for decades to get .
Tiny leaves on a firestick plant
I ’ll give you item on all of the basics , like weewee , Dominicus , and stain . Plus my expert tip for how to propagate , prune , ascendancy pest , and so much more .
Table of Contents
Firestick Plant Quick Care Overview
Information About The Firestick Plant
Firestick plant , Euphorbia tirucalli ‘ Sticks of Fire ’ , is a type of succulent that requires minimal concern . Also commonly called a “ crimson pencil tree ” , this is a cultivar ofpencil cacti , and is aboriginal to Africa .
Firestick Plant Flowers
You may never see it find indoors , even with the good care , but believe it or not , a firestick industrial plant can flower .
clustering of tiny , yellow blossoms can come out on the branch tips and joints at any time during the yr , but they typically flower in the winter .
The bloom are undistinguished , but they ’re attractive to butterfly , bees , and other pollinator .
Toxicity
The firestick industrial plant is toxic to both humans and animals . It can cause stomach and digestive upset if ingested , and also has a milky white latex sap that can be a skin and eye irritant .
Always wearglovesandeye protectionwhen handling the plant , and be very heedful not to get the tomfool in your heart . You should exhaustively wash your manpower and any tools that come in link with the sap .
If you ’re concerned , then keep it out of reach of pets and children . For more selective information about the toxicity , check out theASPCA website .
Hardiness
Sticks of fire is not a frost hardy industrial plant . It can only exist outside year - troll in the warmest USDA hardiness zone of 10 + .
They can tolerate first gear of 30 ° F for forgetful menstruation , but will suffer and choke in prolonged frost or freezing atmospheric condition .
Where To Grow A Firestick Plant
The good location to grow a firestick industrial plant is somewhere very gay and teetotal . They do n’t do well with extra moisture , and ask stack of light source to get the promising color .
If it never drop below 30 ° fluorine where you live , you may grow it outdoors yr - round , and either found it in the ground or in a container . Any wad with drain is o.k. .
For stale areas , it ’s best to keep them indoors as houseplants . you could put it alfresco during the summer , but be sure to move it back inside when temperature drop below 60 ° F .
Firestick Plant Care Instructions
Now that you know the best location to get them , get ’s speak about firestick plant care . These tips will aid you learn what it take to keep them healthy and happy year after year .
Light
Give your Euphorbia tirucalli ‘ Sticks of Fire ’ full sun outdoors to help activate the vivacious red , orangish , and yellow coloring . Indoors , provide it with burnished brightness level for at least 8 hours a day .
A southward - confront window is full inside the house , but east or west can also work . Turn the plant life once a month to boost balanced color and development .
In shady or low - visible radiation precondition , the plant will lose its color and change over to green . If you have bother providing enough from a raw source , agrow lightis a nifty way to supplement .
Water
The best way to care for a firestick plant is to allow it to dry out completely between drinks . It does not do well with soggy soil or wet feet , and uniform overwatering will get tooth root bunkum .
So await until the culture medium is dry at least 2 ” down . Then water thoroughly until it drains out the bottom of the pot , and cast out all excess right away so it ’s never soak .
If you have problem , utilize amoisture meterto help you know exactly when it ’s meter to give it more .
Humidity
Since they fly high in dry , arid climates , they do not like a mickle of humidness . If you hold out in a property with higher humidity , you may irrigate less often .
Temperature
The idealistic temperature range for firestick plant is between 60 - 95 ° fluorine , making them well - situated for most indoor environment and hot outdoor climates .
They can suffer lows of 30 ° F for short periods of time , but prolonged freezing temps will cause legal injury to the leafage and leg , and eventually stamp out the works .
On the other hired hand , they can easily stick out high of 100 ° F or more , particularly when you keep them by rights hydrated .
Cool temps will make the colors even more vivid . When it drops to 60 - 70 ° F in the fall and wintertime outdoors , the crimson and orangish colors will become much more spectacular .
Fertilizer
Firestick plants do n’t need a bunch of fertiliser as part of their regular care , but the occasional feeding can help stimulate growth .
practice a general - purpose , organichouseplant food , or acompost teaonce a calendar month during the spring and summertime . If you prefer , you could mix ingranulesinstead of using a liquid state .
blockade feeding it completely during the fall and winter to let your plant rest , otherwise it can cause frail and leggy growth .
Soil
Use afast - draining , sandlike soilfor your firestick plant . A oecumenical - purpose mix can work out too , but you should amend it to make it more porous and game .
To integrate your own , combine 2 partspotting soilwith 1 partperliteorpumice , and 1 partcoarse guts .
Transplanting & Repotting
immature firestick plants tend to grow faster , peculiarly with the right care . So you may need to repot yours annually in the spring , or at least every 2 - 3 years .
When ontogenesis has dramatically slowed , or roots are poking through the bottom drain holes , it ’s time to size them up into a new pot .
Choose a container that ’s 2 - 3 ” broad and deeper than the current one , with good drainage , and repot it at the same profundity .
Pruning
You only require to worry about cut your firestick flora if you want to curb the size and shape , or to trim away numb branch .
The best time to harness it is in the summer or fall , when the plant is a niggling dryer . It can handle as much pruning as you care to manage the size of it , you could even top it to manage the height and kick upstairs shaggy-haired growth .
Use sharp , cleanpruners , to make the cuts . Once you ’re done , be certain to wash your mitt , puppet , and hands with soap and water right away to remove the toxic sap .
Caution : You should always weargloves , long sleeve , andsafety glassesto protect you from the sap .
Pest Control Tips
Healthy red pencil trees rarely have consequence with pests . However , sometimes spider mites , aphids , and mealybugs can become a problem , especially indoors .
Remove seeable bug with a blast of body of water from the hose , or dab them with a cotton wool swab dip inrubbing alcohol .
you may also treat plague withneem oilor an organicinsecticidal spray . I make my own by combining 1 teaspoonful ofmild liquid soapwith 1 cubic decimeter of water .
Firestick Plant Propagation Tips
Firestick plants are very quick and easy to propagate from stem cuttings . Take respectable branches , and dip the baseball swing remainder in water to stop the milky sap from flowing .
Leave them out to dry out and thickened over a few days . Then dust the cut end withrooting internal secretion , and plant in a soilless or well - draining culture medium .
Keep them scarce moist and in low-down light for 2 - 6 weeks , or until you start to see new increase on top .
Troubleshooting Firestick Plant Care Problems
Firestick industrial plant are ordinarily easy to care for , but over the years you may go into one of these common issues . Use my tips to serve get them back into well health .
Firestick Plant Reverted To Green
Your sticks of fervency plant life will revert to common if you do n’t give it enough sunlight . This can happen indoors during long , dark winter , or if it ’s spring up alfresco in the shade .
Ensure your plant life experience 6 or more time of day of bright light or lineal sun day by day . spring up lightscan be very helpful if you have trouble providing enough deep down .
Leggy Branches
Leggy branches are most normally get by lack of light , but it can also come about if you over - fertilize or feed them during the winter .
If fresh growth is lank and sparse , move your industrial plant to a bright location , or append agrow lightto help supplement . fertilise only during the spring and summer , and break off during the wintertime .
Firestick Plant Not Growing
There are many reasons why your firestick plant may not be rise . It could be a lack of scant , improper lacrimation ( either over or underwatering ) , or it ’s severely pot - bound .
Provide plenty of bright light daily , and only piddle when the soil has dry out 2″ deep or more .
If you see roots coming out of the bottom of the passel , it ’s time to move it into a larger container to reinvigorate development .
Plant Is Shriveling
Shriveling stems and leaves are most often a sign of under watering . In that case , the branches will appear droopy , dried , and deflated .
Give it a thoroughgoing deglutition to rehydrate it , then drain off the excess from the bottom of the pot .
Leaves / Stems Turning Brown
Browning can indicate a few different problems , like improper watering or erythema solare . However , it is normal for the root word of the primary stem to turn dark-brown with age .
While a firestick works flourish in full sun , take care not to move yours from growing indoors to the full sunshine photograph outdoors without indurate them , or it can cause erythema solare .
FAQs
Yes , you may touch a firestick plant . But if the milky sap comes into touch with your hide or optic , it can cause irritation or burning . Wear gloves and protective glasses when handling it to be safe .
Firestick plants grow rapidly with the proper guardianship , specially when they ’re immature , and tend to slow down as they mature . They can put on several inches of new growth per year .
Yes , you may grow firestick plant indoors . They ’ll do best when you give them good drainage and plenty of bright light . They will turn back to green if it ’s too moody .
Firestick plants can grow very tall , they can get up to 30 ’ in altitude . But they usually only get that tall in the ground outdoors . Indoors they mostly only reach a utmost of 6 - 8 ’ .
Now that you know the In and outs of firestick industrial plant care , you may be confident add one to your collecting – either indoors out outside in your garden . My tips will help you keep it boom , so you could revel it for many years to number .
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