Pencil shrub ∗ The 10 best planting and care tips

Characteristics

• Scientific name: Euphorbia tirucalli
• Family: Spurge family (Euphorbiaceae)
• Genus: spurge (Euphorbia)
• Origin: Madagascar, East and South Africa
• Growth type: succulent shrub
• Growth form: bizarre, bushy-upright
• Growth height: 5 m to 7 m (in the habitat)
• Leaf: tiny, linear
• Flower: inconspicuous
• Toxicity: highly toxic
• Hardiness: not hardy
• Use: houseplant

growth

Of the pencil bush is a subtropical plant species from the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). Euphorbia tirucalli originally comes from Madagascar, East and South Africa. For many years, the exotic succulent has been popular as an original houseplant in this country. The trade name pencil shrub is an apt allusion to this extravagant growth:

• growth type: evergreen shrub or small tree with succulent branches, tiny leaves and inconspicuous flowers.
• growth habit: upright, bushy and bizarrely branched with shoots as thick as pencils.
• growth height in the habitat: 500cm to 700cm.
• growth height in the bucket: 60 cm to 80 cm, rarely up to 100 cm.
• Growth width in the bucket: 30 cm to 40 cm, rarely up to 50 cm.
• Horticulturally interesting properties: easy to care for, sensitive to frost, loves sun, poisonous, beautiful houseplant all year round.

Sheet

A pencil bush's foliage makes no appreciable contribution to its whimsically decorative appearance, as a look at these leaf traits reveals:

• leaf shape: elongated linear
• sheet length: 1cm to 2.5cm.
• sheet width: 3mm to 4mm.
• arrangement: alternate

Good to know: Don't worry if the leaves are about to fall off.

blossom

In the subtropical home regions, a pencil bush develops small, yellow-green individual flowers from June to August. As a houseplant, the exotic spurge usually keeps its flowers under lock and key.

toxicity

The pencil bush is highly poisonous. As a typical plant species of the genus spurge all parts of the plant are permeated by a toxic milky sap (Latin euphorbium) with these serious effects:

• Contact poison: corrosive substance causes excruciating skin irritation and painful sores in the eyes, mouth and nose. – Consumable poison: Even small amounts trigger severe symptoms of poisoning, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and even circulatory collapse.
• Irritant effect: up to 100,000 times stronger irritant effect compared to the capsaicin content of the hottest chili varieties.

Plant pencil bush

You can buy a ready-to-plant Euphorbia tirucalli in specialist shops at any time of the year. Prices range from 4.99 euros for a 15-20 cm specimen to 99.90 euros for a fully grown pencil plant. Hobby gardeners can easily and cheaply propagate a pencil bush by cuttings. Important details determine a perfect substrate quality, the optimal site conditions and competent planting technique. How to plant a pencil bush correctly, read here:

substrate

The right pencil shrub substrate is low in nutrients and loose and permeable with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0. You can high quality succulent soil buy or mix yourself:

• 60 percent cactus soil
• 20 percent expanded clay(€19.00 at Amazon*) or Seramis
• 20 percent quartz sand

Hobby gardeners with their own compost heap choose this succulent soil:

• 30 percent leaf compost (sieved and disinfected in the oven before use)
• 30 percent coconut soil (as an environmentally friendly peat substitute)
• 20 percent lava granules
• 20 percent pumice or sand

multiply

Head cuttings of a succulent Euphorbia tirucalli root very easily. The following brief instructions explain the correct procedure:

1. The best time to propagate cuttings is in spring.
2. Put on gloves to protect yourself from the poisonous milky juice.
3. cut cuttings with a length of 10 cm to 15 cm.
4. Allow interfaces to dry for two days.
5. Fill 10 cm pots with the recommended succulent substrate.
6. Put the cuttings half to two thirds of their height into the ground and water them.

The first roots form within three to four weeks on a bright to partially shaded, warm window seat. The successful rooting can be recognized by a fresh shoot.

planting tips

Skillful planting is based on the right combination of species-appropriate succulent soil, the right pot size and conscientious planting technique. Read the best planting tips for a pencil bush in top form here:

• The bucket is the right size when there is two fingers of space between the root ball and the edge of the container.
• A finger-thick drainage expanded clay on the bucket bottom prevents waterlogging.
• The planting depth in the tub corresponds to the planting depth in the propagation pot and purchase container.
• No earlier than two months after planting, the pencil plant is fertilized for the first time.

Location

These are the most important location preferences for a magnificent pencil shrub with a WOW effect:

• Full sun to sunny position, preferably on a south-facing window.
• During the summer from temperatures of 16° Celsius on the rain-protected place on the balcony in the full sun.
• Extra tip: a 14-day acclimatization phase in a partially shaded location effectively prevents sunburn.

digression

The five best houseplants for beginners

Maintain pencil bush

In the right location, a pencil bush is easy to care for. Gloves are mandatory for all maintenance work. What is also important is summed up in these care tips:

Pour

• Water the pencil bush evenly from spring through fall.
• Moisten noticeably dried substrate, but do not soak.
• Ideally water with rainwater or stagnant tap water.
• Moisture meter in the substrate prevents waterlogging and ball dryness.

Fertilize

• Pencil shrub sparingly from March to September fertilize.
• Add liquid succulent fertilizer to the irrigation water every 8 to 12 weeks

To cut

• Pruning pencil plants only when necessary.
• The best appointment is during the juice rest.
• Cut off overly long, kinked or unfavorably growing shoots with sharp, disinfected bypass scissors.
• Scissor blades just above a leaf or one Eye start.
• Stop the milky sap with a cotton swab.

hibernate

• Give Euphorbia tirucalli a winter quarters from October to February.
• Very bright and cool-tempered over the winter at at least 2,000 lux and 14° to 20° Celsius.
• Water more sparingly without the root ball drying out.
• Do not fertilize pencil bushes in winter quarters.

repot

• Repot the pencil bush every three to four years.
• The best time is in spring.
• Cut off visibly diseased or dead roots on the potted, substrate-free root ball.

Diseases, pests, care errors

A well-tended pencil bush is immune to all kinds of pathogens thanks to its poisonous milky sap. If the African spurge is weakened by care mistakes, cunning pests take advantage of the moment. The following table draws attention to common types of damage, their causes and effective countermeasures:

Popular Varieties

Color comes into play with these beautiful pencil shrub varieties:

• Sticks on Fire: blazes with a play of colors from reddish-yellowish twigs.
• rosea: inspires with fiery red shoots with a unique long-distance effect.
• Colorful pencil bush (Euphorbia tirucalli stramineus): A rarity whose strong green shoots have bright orange and red tips.

FAQ

How to propagate a pencil bush?

The easiest way to propagate a pencil bush is by cuttings. In early spring, with gloved hands, take 15 cm head cuttings. On the mother plant, stop the milky sap from flowing with cotton pads. Leave the cuts of the cuttings to dry for two days. Now plant each cutting in a pot with nutrient-poor cactus soil. In a half-shady, warm location, new roots will form within a few weeks.

Is the pencil bush poisonous?

The pencil bush is a highly poisonous spurge plant. A caustic milky sap in all parts of the plant is responsible for its status as a poisonous plant. Unprotected contact with skin or mucous membranes causes painful irritation. After the intentional or unintentional consumption of small amounts, there is a risk of serious symptoms of poisoning, such as nausea, vomiting and cramps. Euphorbia tirucalli should always be kept out of the reach of children and pets. Wearing gloves is obligatory for planting and care work.

Does a pencil bush thrive hanging?

The real pencil bush is an African spurge plant with the botanical name Euphorbia tirucalli. The hallmark of the extravagant houseplant is upright growth with bizarrely branched, pencil-thick shoots. The coral cactus (Rhipsalis cashero) from the cactus family (Cactaceae). Its pencil-shaped shoots dangle casually from the hanging pot up to 150 cm long.

What is important in pencil shrub care?

A high water permeability of the potting soil is crucial in the pencil shrub care. Aggregates such as expanded clay, lava granules(€14.00 at Amazon*) or quartz sand(€14.00 at Amazon*) contribute significantly to the fact that excess irrigation water can drain off quickly. Waterlogging in the substrate inevitably leads to the formation of rot on the roots.