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Should I water?

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 2:18 pm
by Cactus Kid
I have a Euphorbis stellaespina that has suddenly produced a ring of flowers.

It has not been watered since the end of September and the greenhouse is heated with the temp around 5c most nights.

It has not shown any sign of shrivelling, so should I just leave it or does it require a dribble of water at this point?

Thanks you for your help (tu)

Re: Should I water?

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 2:40 pm
by Peter B
I would say no or only a tiny moistening in a period when you can be sure of sunny days and the ability to keep temperatures no lower than 5 Celsius. Most cacti and succulents need temperatures of 10 Celsius or more in the daytime to achieve growth. I have always tried to keep my Euphorbias dry through the colder, short daylight months, even if in flower. They have plenty of stored moisture.

Re: Should I water?

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 3:54 pm
by RICHAUD
I saw Euphorbia stellaespine in nature near Graaf Reinet :they were in flowers and in the morning the temperature was -2-3°
So you can water your plants :the best way is to put some water in a cup and then put your pot in the cup for 5mn :only the bottom will be watered and your plant will found the water

Re: Should I water?

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 5:42 pm
by McFarland
My E. stellaespina are developing flower buds at the mo, generally coldest the greenhouse gets overnight is 10c or so and I give them a bit of a dribble of water when the compost is dry, otherwise not alot. (Not worth the risk!)

Re: Should I water?

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 6:56 pm
by iann
Are there no winter-growing Euphorbias at all? I haven't grown any, but then I've only owned about 5 in my entire life.

Re: Should I water?

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 7:27 pm
by ralphrmartin
iann wrote:Are there no winter-growing Euphorbias at all? I haven't grown any, but then I've only owned about 5 in my entire life.
Most plants from the Canaries are best treated as winter growers, including the Euphorbias.

Re: Should I water?

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 9:40 pm
by Julie
Soo... stellaspina can cope with 5 C - I somewhere picked up the idea that E. obesa doesn't like to be below 10 C, and applied that to all Euphorbias. I have a max-min thermometer next to them on the sill, which has so far recorded a min of 8. They have not been watered since the Aug bank holiday, and are in plastic pots, top dressing, one third sand. I hope they are dry! There has been some shrivelling but not a lot. All flowers have long since died. I lost one small plant this year, which I wondered whether was due to the new older colder house last winter, as he had not been repotted for 4 years.

In the last snap I didn't manage to heat myself to able 10 C, let alone the plants.. :lol:

I am guessing that every species has its own minimim temperature...

I have obesa, an obesa-meloformis cross (this one comes off the sill when there's frost) - suzannae/bipleurifolia cross, small stellaspina, officcionado all the way from Madagascar. Are all of these okay down to 5 C?

Re: Should I water?

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 10:37 pm
by Aiko
Julie wrote:I have obesa, an obesa-meloformis cross (this one comes off the sill when there's frost) - suzannae/bipleurifolia cross, small stellaspina, officcionado all the way from Madagascar. Are all of these okay down to 5 C?
E. obesa, E. meloformis (and the cross too, probably), E. suzannae x bupleurifolia (but not E. bupleurifolia, that needs to be around 10C!) are safe to probably freezing temperatures even.

Re: Should I water?

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 3:07 pm
by ralphrmartin
Julie wrote:Soo... stellaspina can cope with 5 C - I somewhere picked up the idea that E. obesa doesn't like to be below 10 C
All of my S. African Euphorbias regularly go down to 5C, and probably lower, as they are next to the glass in many cases.

Re: Should I water?

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 5:33 pm
by Julie
Thanks, Aiko and Ralph. I feel better to know that! I was in the warmer pad for the two bad winters. Lucky last winter was not too bad, in fact I am sure I was colder last week than at any point last winter in this house! Some of the forbies have been with me since childhood... so I need not fear for their little lives so much. :grin: