Indoor Euphorbia is an unusual plant that has a huge number of species and they are not similar to each other, therefore it is difficult to give any one definition. In nature it grows on the territory of Africa, Asia and America, therefore it is classified as tropical plants.
Euphorbia - description
All species can be divided into annual and perennial. In most cases, the stem is straight and grows in height, but there are variants that do not have a stem at all. All the milkweed are combined by the presence of milky juice, which is released in the notch, and it is painted white. This is what caused the name. It is worth paying attention to the medicinal properties of milkweed:
- It is a natural aphrodisiac and tonic, which increases immunity, exhibits antiseptic and antibacterial properties.
- Drugs containing spurge are used to quickly and efficiently heal wounds.
- They use herbs to treat cystitis and diarrhea.
- Room jelly has a laxative, anthelmintic and diuretic effect.
What is dangerous indoor jelly?
Buying such a plant for your home, do not forget that it is dangerous. In the white juice are saponins, alkaloids, glycosides, toxic compounds and toxic resins. It is located in all parts of the room's milkweed, circulating under pressure, so a large portion is released at the crack. It is important to gently carry out a transplant, using gloves and keep it in the house out of the reach of children.
Burns that may remain after contact with milky juice heal for a long time. If the liquid enters the body, then digestive disorders can not be avoided. If juice gets into your eyes, an inflammatory process occurs, so you should rinse them as quickly as possible in a lot of running water. There are cases when, due to the flower of the milkweed, a person has had temporary blindness. Medicinal products containing the plant are prohibited during pregnancy and lactation. Do not apply them to open wounds.
Species of milkweed
This plant stands out among others by the number of known species, and many of them are completely different from each other, for example, some specimens are similar to a palm tree, and others to a cactus. On the ground, there are about 200 kinds of milkweed. In our latitudes there are annual and perennial shrubs that have a poisonous milky juice, which is in stems and roots. There are many decorative varieties known that can be grown outdoors and at home. There is spurge spiny with red flowers, no thorns, no flowers, in general, lots of options.
Milch Milla
This species is also called "shiny" and it is one of the decorative options that blossom. Among the people, the flower of the spurge is called the "thorn crown". It is a small shrub with spines, which has a large stem of gray color and bright green leaves of oblong form. Small flowers are colored yellow. This species is distinguished by a high life expectancy, and it also grows well. For indoor flowers in summer, good lighting and abundant watering are necessary, and in winter the temperature should not be above 13 ° C.
Euphorbia of Pallas
This perennial plant, which in the people is still called "peasant-root", and all because of its medicinal properties. The experiments showed that it contains lactones with antibacterial and antitumor activity. In this species, the root is similar to a human figure. The spurge grows to a height of approximately 0.4 m. The stalk is bare or has a light margin. If it is broken, the juice will start to stand out, which quickly freezes in the air. Blossoms a house plant in May, and then, fruits are formed.
White-chelated spurge
This species is considered the most common for domestic farming. It has a ribbed trunk and an attractive armful of green foliage, which is at the top. Many people, growing white-beetle spurge at home, consider it a cactus due to external similarity, but it is not. The plant, with proper care, blooms and even gives plenty of self-seeding. If the seeds fall into a favorable environment, then they germinate after 2-3 weeks.
Euphorbace bordered
This unpretentious annual plant, which in its homeland in North America is called "snow in the mountains." The name is due to the fact that when it blooms, it resembles snow on mountain slopes. In the form of a room flower, the spurge fungus is practically not used. If the sanctification and watering is sufficient, then a magnificent rounded course is formed, which can reach in diameter and in height 60-100 cm. Euphorbia with white flowers will be an excellent single decoration, and it can also make up a composition with other colors.
Euphorbia Triangular
This plant is large and grows a bush, reaching a height of 2-3 m. Fleshy stems have pronounced ribs, on which are located small spines. Above are leaves of oblong form. Externally, the flower is like a candelabrum with candles. Triangular spurge is unpretentious in care, for example, it can be placed both in the shade and under direct sunlight. It grows quickly, but at home it does not bloom. Propagate the room spurge with cuttings.
Spurge cypress
This strongly branched bush, which does not grow above 15-30 cm at home. The branches are erect and they are completely covered with narrow leaves that look like needles. From above there are Ciantii (flowers of milkweed) on long stalks. This kind of indoor flower milkweed can also be grown on the street, but in winter it must be sheltered. It has many fragrant flowers of a yellow-green color, but there is a purple-lilac shade. Flowering is observed in spring and lasts a month.
Euphorbia Tirucalli
The presented species consists of a large number of fleshy stems, the thickness of which is similar to a pencil. It has no leaves and spines, but at the same time, under the right conditions, the spurge is covered with beautiful small yellow flowers. It is important to remember that the milky juice of this plant is very poisonous and when burned on the skin, burns occur. This room kind of milkweed loves light, but it tolerates penumbra well.
Euphorbia cristate
It is an evergreen shrub that has a ribbed trunk reaching up to 120 cm in height. It can be upright and rarely twisted. On the surface of the trunk there are thorns 3 cm long. Comparing the room varieties of the milkweed and the comb variety, it is worth noting that it has flowers of yellow-green color that are on the reddish peduncle. Skin leaves have an oval and elongated shape with a glossy surface. They grow only at the top. Such room spurge with yellow flowers is easy to grow at home.
Flower spurge - care
No special conditions for growing are required, most importantly, consider the basic rules:
- The soil. For indoor milkweed, the loose and water-permeable land is best. You can choose the soil for cactus plants. Another option - to prepare the mixture yourself: mix the leaf earth, humus and sand in a proportion of 2: 3: 2. At the bottom it is necessary to put drainage .
- Additional fertilizer and fertilizer. For care, spurge should be fed during the growing season: in spring and summer once a month after watering. If the variety is blooming, then use potassium fertilizers .
- Temperature. A suitable temperature for many species of this houseplant is + 18-25 ° C. In the warm season, the pot is recommended for outdoor use. There are varieties that perfectly survive at a low temperature.
- Lighting. Most of the existing varieties are lovers of the sun, so they are not afraid of direct sunlight. There are plants that like diffuse light. When the spurge for a long time is in the shadows, the leaves lose their brightness.
- Watering. In summer, indoor spurge should be watered once a week, and in winter the amount should be reduced to once a month. If the temperature falls below + 12 ° C, then watering should be stopped altogether. When the earth is strongly overdried, it should be moistened gradually and in small portions. If very hot, then spray.
- Pruning. For rejuvenation, the plant should be pruned in mid-summer after flowering. It is necessary to remove dried stems, and shortened shoots. If the species are blossoming, then young shoots should be left, and they will blossom next year. If you want to get a dense bush at the end of winter, you need to remove all the shoots.
- Diseases. Room jelly is susceptible to a different fungal disease. The reason for their occurrence is too frequent watering or stagnation of fluid due to lack of drainage. The presence of fungus is indicated by fallen leaves and the appearance of dark spots on the stems. To cope with the problem, spraying with fungicidal agents. Rarely in a flower, a spider mite , a scutellum and a mealy worm are planted. You need to fight them with insecticides.
- Problems. If the flower does not have enough nutrition, then it will begin to lose the leaves. To correct the problem, use phosphorus-containing fertilizers, and in the spring, transplant. When only the leaves fall from below or the stem frowns, this means that the soil is dry for a long time. If the room's milk is not enough light, then the stem is stretched out strongly, and the young leaves darken.
How to propagate spurge?
To get "offspring" from an adult houseplant, you can use three variants of reproduction:
- Cuttings. The most popular method of reproduction, for which stems or leaf cuttings of house milkweed are used. Be sure to wear gloves. It is necessary to cut off the upper part of the shoot about 12 cm long. Put it into warm water, this will stop the allocation of juice. After that place the cut with charcoal and leave the plant until the film forms. At the next stage cuttings should be treated with "Kornevin" and planted in a land that consists of sand and peat. Be sure to pour the cutting and close the film. It is important that the ambient air temperature is at least 20 ° C. It takes several weeks to take root.
- Seeds. First, stratification of seeds is carried out. To grow the milkweed from the seeds, it is necessary to sow it in a light soil to a depth of 2.5 cm. Top with a film and sprout at a temperature of 20-23 ° C. Seedlings should appear after 2-3 months. It is important to regularly ventilate and make sure that the soil is slightly moistened. When 2-3 leaves appear, it is possible to transplant into a separate pot.
- Fission by bushes. This option can only be used in early spring or autumn. You can make different number of parts, the main thing is to have at least one kidney. When the juice drains, you need to sprinkle the cut points with a wooden angle. All the parts are planted in separate pots.