Astounding growth on a Euphorbia ammak

[WayneByerly]

I had two stalks of Euphorbia ammak growing in the same pot, and taking advice from this forum (greenknight specifically), elected to separate them and plant them in separate containers. In the process, while the largest of the two stalks was lying on the ground, I accidentally dropped the hose, with a heavy brass nozzle, on the top four inches of it. It crushed an area about an inch wide at the top. Within a day it was already shriveling and turning brown. I HAD to trim it. But the squared-off top was in no wise attractive, so I took a razorblade and 'rounded' the top of the plant and then painted it with a shade of acrylic paint named "foliage" (which was close, close, close to being IDENTICAL to the color of the plant).

When this spring started, the plant looked like a finger sticking up in the air. One day I noticed a couple of bumps at the top. It was starting to grow arms. And not just one or two. It was growing an arm on each and every single rib. This started somewhere between Apr and May ... I can't remember exactly when, and I don't have a supporting picture to give me exact dates.

But in the 6 or 7 months it has grown five arms ... the smallest of which is six inches long and the largest of which is eight inches long.

Here's a picture of this wonderfully, astounding plant:

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Pardon the pile of boxes ... I've been cutting up cardboard for recycling the last few days.

[Shane]

That's a nice looking plant

[greenknight]

That's fantastic! Freeing the roots up really gave it a boost.

[WayneByerly]

That's fantastic! Freeing the roots up really gave it a boost.

that's amazing Spence! do you actually remember my original post about this pair of E. ammak? or do you just get the "freeing up the roots" from my post at the top of this page?

And a couple of weeks ago, I cut the top off of the other specimen, hoping to get the same kind of response, and it is already growing arms. The first took a year. I've gone to a high percentage inorganic mix (between 85 and 100%) for my cacti ... along with careful adjustment of the pH of their water, and fertilize every time I water.

But I understand that Euphorbia are not near so pick about their pH and that as long as their potting mix has some organic content, there's not much point in fertilizing. So for my Euphorbia I'm using about a 70%(inorg)/30%(org) mix. I wonder how much of an effect that THAT has had?

[greenknight]

Certainly I remember! The roots were all wrapped around and tangled up, no way you could tease them apart without tearing them up badly. I told you to take a serrated edge knife and just saw through that mess. Really gratifying to see it worked so well!

[WayneByerly]

... Really gratifying to see it worked so well!

Ah ... so it was YOU that advised me to separate them ... I am EXTRAVAGANTLY GRATEFUL that you advised me to do so. They BOTH are doing very well. I am more proud of these two Euphorbia than anything I've got ... except for some of my cacti! You should be gratified to see what YOUR advice had led to! Aren't these two specimens just magnificent?!?!?

I said that it took a year for the first stalk to start to grow arms ... my ORIGINAL "my euphorbia is turning yellow" post was in May of 2018 (I am AMAZED that you remember this so well). The stalk that has grown those fantastic arms took from May 2018 to the spring of 2019 (almost EXACTLY a year) to start to grow those arms.

And NOW, that other stalk, the one that I cut the top off (I can't remember exactly how long ago ... maybe 2 months) is growing arms. From the picture below you can see that one arm is well on it's way ... and there are a couple more places where arms are JUST starting. Hmmm ... I can see now, in 20/20 hindsight, that I SHOULD have rounded the top of this plant better than i did. Its top looks like the bottom of a beer can! Ha, ha, ha, ha!

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[WayneByerly]

deleted as a duplicate

[greenknight]

You're welcome, Wayne, Glad I could help.

I don't remember everything I posted that far back, but this was one of the most striking examples of circling roots strangling a plant that I've ever seen. Drastic root pruning was clearly needed, and with some trepidation I advised it. While plants usually respond well to root pruning, that first plant is just amazing. Gladdens my heart to see it.

[WayneByerly]

I don't remember everything I posted that far back ...

neither did I. i didn't even remember having made the "ammak turning yellow" posting THAT far back. Whoever called old age "the golden years" should have his butt kicked 20 times a day. What a LIE!!! My memory is SO bad that I can't ... uh ... I can't ... uhhhh, WHAT was the question?

Drastic root pruning was clearly needed ...

I've seen many a cactus just THRIVE!!! being rootbound. I don't understand why a Euphorbia should be different. But quite apparently it is. My knife actually hesitated and drew back from the roots about 3 times before I worked up the courage to separate the two plants, but I DID realize that teasing them apart would probably do even MORE damage to the roots than just cutting through them. And was it was a JOB!!! I almost went after the chainsaw because some of those roots were almost as big around as my little finger . But you've seen the result.

Oh!!! ... the hose falling on the top of the first E. ammak ... the one with the arms ... occurred WHILE I was rinsing the roots. After several days, I cut the top off, rounding the cut edge so that it didn't look "chopped" off, and painted it with the "foliage" color of an acrylic paint (water based) so that it would look closer to natural. A year and a half later ... here come the arms ... six months after THAT and i've got 6" and 8" arms ... one growing from EVERY rib.




So ... your advice turned out to be timely and it's quality was great! And I appreciate it more than I can even BEGIN to tell you. It helped bring about a Euphorbia with five arms and another stalk that currently has at least 3 and maybe as many as five arms growing on it!

So Thanks Again ... SO much ... you da' man!