I can't say I'm a fan of houseplants, but I decided to revive a cactus. It wasn't my plant, but my neighbor's, which hadn't been cared for in a year. I asked the community about it and received a completely satisfactory answer, so I decided to try to revive the nearly dead plant.
This is the cactus, or rather, that's what my neighbor calls it. It's actually a triangular euphorbia, although like a cactus, it's a succulent. Photo:
I'll digress again and tell you about the plant itself. Honestly, I've fallen in love with this plant and will definitely take a cutting from my neighbor (I'll grow it). So, the Euphorbia triangularis is native to... Africa, South Africa, in fact, so it loves warmth.
There are other interesting characteristics:
- the stem is very fleshy;
- the length of the thorns reaches up to 4-5 cm (they are really very prickly, even on the dried part - it’s strange, the stem has dried out, but the thorns haven’t even fallen off);
- where there are thorns, the leaves are elongated (on my specimen they have long been gone, which is a pity... because this milkweed with leaves looks simply magnificent);
- and the most interesting thing is the height of the plant - mine is about 1.20-1.30, but in general it can be up to 2 m.
I found out that this plant needs a lot of light, but my neighbor's plant was on a tall stand and far from the window... Apparently, the owner followed the rules of feng shui, because according to this teaching, the triangular milkweed should be placed near the front door. Supposedly, the plant fills people with energetic force. Oh, and the plant hasn't been watered for a whole year. I'm amazed at the milkweed's resilience. Any other flower would have died long ago!
So, I was advised to cut off the green part and let it take root. That's what I did:
- I cut off the live part with a sharp knife. It immediately started releasing a white juice—like cream, and just as thick. This is what it looks like, that part:
- Then I cut it into three pieces. You can see in the photo how the same white Molochaev "drink" drips out:
- Next, I put all these pieces away for 3 days to dry:
- Once the tips had dried slightly, I placed them in water to germinate. The photo clearly shows the milky sap oozing into the water:
Honestly, I was surprised because I thought the juice would be gone after it dried. But no such luck... Yes, I added one tablet of regular activated charcoal to the water. It's essential because, firstly, it disinfects the water (and you know what kind of water we have in our taps). Secondly, it significantly reduces the risk of putrefactive processes.
In general, when the triangular euphorbia takes root, I will transplant it into a permanent pot, be sure to take a photo and tell you about the result.
To be continued…