Re: Euphorbia tirucali 'Sticks on Fire'
- Subject: Re: Euphorbia tirucali 'Sticks on Fire'
- From: John MacGregor j*@earthlink.net
- Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2003 11:59:38 -0700
on 9/9/03 3:25 PM, Catherine Ratner at catherineratner@earthlink.net wrote:
> Can anyone tell me what are the conditions that promote red coloration in
> Euphorbia tirucalli "Sticks on Fire"? Mine is a small plant in a brown
> bonsai pot, never fed, watered infrequently. It is healthy and growing
> slowly, but has never been as red as when I bought it about two and a half
> years ago. It was suggested that heat brings out the redness, but I think
> that can't be true as it has just experienced over two months of unremitting
> heat. My hunch is that it is full sun and some degree of cold, but I bought
> it in San Diego, so how cold could it have been?!
> Cathy Ratner, Sunset Zone 23 (Is that the problem?)
Cathy,
The plant in the Hall garden in Sunset Zone 21/22 is in a large concrete pot
set on a very reflective concrete driveway in full sun all day long. In
summer the color bleaches out to a pale green, with deeper green new growth
and tiny coral-colored new leaves. As soon as the nights go down into the
forties, most of the leaves drop off and the stems turn bright coral.
John MacGregor
South Pasadena, CA 91030
USDA zone 9 Sunset zones 21/23
