Hi all

[mostly]

Thanks! I spent longer than anticipated at the garden center this morning... (!) I was quite intrigued by (and bought) the attached. Can any knowledgeable & kind soul possibly identify this for me? It had lost it's identifying tag. Overall height of the cactus is 7.5 inches. Curiously, I discovered that the gravel on the top of the pot has been glued(?) together - I'm guessing to help provide some sort of support to the Cacti's base?

Unknown_C.jpg

[matchat]

Hi Chris, your new plant is a Euphorbia although I have no idea which species. The spikes are actually thorns on the stem as opposed to cacti spines that are really modified leaves.

Can I ask how you take your photos, you don't use one of those white pop up tent surround things do you? (If you understand what I mean).

[Phil Hocking]

Hi Chris

I would advise repotting the plant into John Innes soil, preferably with about one third grit added to it. You might well find it is growing in pure peat and you need to get as much of that off as you can. You might need to soak the root ball to get it off because it is remarkably tenacious when it dries out. A soaking might also loosen the glued together grit, which would also be a good idea to remove. Allow the roots to dry off in an airy place (for as long as it takes) before repotting, then water after about a week. Always allow to dry out completely before watering again and you should be OK. The plant is a succulent but not a cactus. All cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti. If the spines emerge from a woolly cushion (called an areole) it's a cactus. Your Euphorbia has spines but no areoles. Some cacti have no spines but they always have areoles.

Somerset Phil

[mostly]

Thanks Mathew for identifying it! Do you mean how I took the Euphorbia picture? and yes I do know what you mean about the tent. They're very suited for really shiny stuff i.e anything highly reflective which can 'see' the whole studio. I didn't use one here. I put the Euphorbia on a white background with a rectangle of black card off to the right (to darken the rhs) then tidied up to white (any shadows etc.,) in Photoshop afterwards.

Phil, many thanks for the repotting advice. The glued together gravel wasn't as bad to remove as I thought it might be. It crumbled apart fairly readily which was a bit of a relief. I've repotted the plant in a mixture of indoor plant compost (which boasted it was ideal for Cacti) and about 30% John Innes mixed in for good measure! I read somewhere (forget where) about opening up the root ball to help the roots spread out & into the new compost - but I'd already potted the plant before I read that. Do you think it will be ok to just leave it as it is?

[Acid John]

Hello Chris I think this is Euphorbia trigona it does get very large and with branching becomes very wide.There is a red version as well.

[mostly]

Hi John, yes you're right, I googled for Euphorbia Trigona and it's definitely the same plant - the label's now written! thanks.

[Phil Hocking]

I'm never quite sure what to do if the rootball is solid with peat. Sometimes it is impossible to break it up without doing excessive damage to the roots, so I leave it as it is. However, you might find that the roots are reluctant to grow out from the peat and into the new compost. That can lead to a situation where you think you're watering the plant adequately but only the outer compost is wet. As for compost that claims it is ideal for cacti, that might also be peat based (I've been had on that one in the past). It is not that it doesn't work, because obviously most of the commercial nurseries use it to good effect. I just find it difficult to manage with my watering method, i.e. watering from the top. Water just flows straight through and out the bottom without wetting the compost if it is peat or coir based and dry.There are some Euphorbia experts here who could advise you on this particular plant. As you have only just repotted it I don't think it would hurt to tip it out and tease out the roots a bit more.

Somerset Phil

[iann]

This spring I decided to repot an old Cleistocactus clump, probably came from B&Q at some point in the past. I found a soggy central core of peat surrounded by my standard mix bone dry. A few roots had spread but three out of four stems/plants had lost their roots completely. My advice, do what it takes to get it right now because if you don't then you'll come to regret it.

[Ray_M]

Hiya Chris,welcome to the forum,lots of advice from knowledgeable people.Good luck,Ray.