Content
- Cut Euphorbia tirucalli correctly
- Do not worry about "bald" copies
- Properly cut for care and propagation
- Precautions when pruning Euphorbia tirucalli
- Tips
If the pencil shrub is too big, it can be cut back
Cut Euphorbia tirucalli correctly
The so-called pencil shrub (Euphorbia tirucalli) is very often cultivated as a houseplant with its exotic appearance and the relatively easy-care properties of a succulent plant. Basically, a pencil bush does not necessarily have to be cut, but in certain cases a cut can still make sense.
Do not worry about "bald" copies
If you've just come into possession of a pencil bush for the first time and it suddenly loses more and more of its relatively tiny leaves, then you should not let this circumstance panic. The discarding of the already small and small sized leaves of the pencil bush is quite normal and the actual optical charm of this popular houseplant lies in the uniformly thick, thickened branches. These usually branch out naturally to a very compact and dense growth habit. However, if your pencil shrub grows very tight and rather slender, it may reach for the light. An Euphorbia tirucalli, which is at least one year old, prefers a sunny spot with direct sunlight for several hours every day. Shorten the plant by about one-third from the top during the low-seasons wintertime and then, in time for spring, place it in a sunnier location.
Properly cut for care and propagation
For a mere care cut, the winter months are a good time, as sometimes comes out of the interfaces of the plant sometimes slightly less toxic white milk juice. These bleedings of the pencil bush can also be coagulated more quickly and stopped when cloths soaked in hot water are applied. It is not necessary to clear out the typical "confused" pencil shrub, since no leaves disturb the ventilation and exposure, as would be the case with fruit trees with dense treetops. Material for the cuttings propagation is ideally obtained in spring or early summer. Please note the following notes:
Precautions when pruning Euphorbia tirucalli
Since the mere skin or mucous membrane contact with the white milk juice of the milkweed family can lead to serious health impairments, when pruning a pencil shred neither children nor pets should be nearby. Wearing gloves and immediately washing off milky sap from hands or other parts of the body is strongly advised. The cuttings which dry before further processing should accordingly also be stored in a safe place, where unkempt third parties can not come into contact with them.
Tips
If a densely branched pencil shrub is cut back, then not infrequently remains a plant with an extremely large number of cuts. In order for the lactic acid that enters the airways to evaporate to have a negative effect on your health, a room with a freshly cut pencil bush should be specially ventilated in the first few days after the cut.