Your coral cactus might not be content in your home if it is treated just like the majority of cacti. So how do you take care of this peculiar hybrid plant? Of course, by treating it like the muddled Euphorbia specimen that it is!
Light and Temperature
Zones 10 and 11 allow for year-round outdoor cultivation of coral cacti, however in other areas cooler months should be spent indoors. This particular plant prefers a temperature range of 60 to 85 degrees for optimum growth.
Although it may be planted in full sun, hotter climates should choose partial shade during the hottest part of the day to prevent sunburning the plant. To give a new plant time to acclimate, it should be begun in conditions of partial shade and trained gradually to accept more and more sun.
If grown indoors, choose a window that receives adequate sunlight for at least three to five hours each day, and rotate it frequently to prevent your plant from growing unevenly.
The coral cactus is also not at all cold-hardy. It favors temperatures in the 60s and higher and dislikes any drops in temperature below the 50s. Bring it indoors to a warmer environment if the weather outside becomes too chilly.
Coral cactus is a succulent plant that is not at all tolerant of freezing temperatures; doing so will harm the plant’s delicate tissues and cause it to die.
Water and Humidity
When in doubt, don’t water is the cardinal rule for most cacti and succulents.
Coral cactus, on the other hand, presents a bit of a challenge because it doesn’t handle dehydration as well as a true cactus would. However, this plant despises being in damp environments. Your euphorbia may experience issues like root rot if your soil is extremely damp.
Check the soil moisture first. The plant is undoubtedly thirsty if the top two to four inches of your soil are dry. Water the soil, not the plant, until the water comes out of the bottom of the pot.
Your coral cactus is certainly under-watered if it appears droopy or wilted. When possible, try to prevent this situation because it can harm the crest and, if it persists for too long, develop fungal problems or rot.
As too-wet soil can lead to root rot and ultimately kill your plant, over-watering is another issue. Never irrigate the soil without first checking it!
In the spring and summer, when your coral cactus is actively growing, you will typically need to water it more frequently. The plant requires less water in the fall and winter, so the frequency of watering is reduced during those seasons.
Your coral cactus will appreciate humid conditions as long as they have excellent airflow, despite the fact that it can be a little picky about how frequently it needs to be watered. They are therefore a wonderful choice for growing in a greenhouse or inside, but keep an eye out for powdery mildew symptoms.
Soil
A cactus potting soil or other exceptionally well-draining, grittier soils are preferred by the typical euphorbia species. For added nourishment, they prefer a small amount of organic material placed into the planting hole, but regular cactus soil works just as well.
The pH of the soil makes no difference to the coral cactus, therefore it can be anywhere between slightly acidic and slightly alkaline without experiencing any significant alterations.
Store-bought grafted plants are frequently mulched with gravel, which is occasionally adhered together to reinforce the plant’s base during transportation. This won’t harm the plant, but it makes it challenging to tell whether it needs water.
It’s simpler to mulch if you remove any glued gravel from the area around your plant and replace it with loose gravel that can be moved out of the way. If it’s an outside plant, a gravel mulch can help prevent weeds and quick soil drying. Alternatively, you can remove the mulch entirely.
Fertilizer
Your coral cactus needs regular fertilization during the spring and summer when it is actively growing. Fertilize no more frequently than every two weeks using a 10-10-10 liquid fertilizer that has been diluted to 1/4 of its original strength (making it a 2.5-2.5-2.5). If your land is fertile, you might need even less.
The fall and winter seasons are not the best times to fertilize your plant because it doesn’t need the extra nutrients. Additionally, stay away from slow-release or granular fertilizers because they may rub up against your euphorbia’s rootstock and burn the plant.
Grafting A Coral Cactus
The majority of the time, cuttings that have been immersed in rooting hormone are used to grow euphorbias. However, because the coral cactus is a grafted plant, the only way to grow more of them is through the somewhat difficult process of grafting.
Choose two healthy specimens of Euphorbia neriifolia and Euphorbia lactea var. cristata to work with first. The grafting process is significantly easier on young plants than it is on mature ones.
Picking is made easier if you visualize the lactea’s crest on top of the neriifolia’s base. Find a pair that seems to be made for each other!
The neriifolia must be cut into a V shape, cutting the top of the plant but leaving enough of the sides to sustain the crown. To fit tightly into the neriifolia stem, the bottom of the euphorbia lactea crest will require an arrowhead-shaped cut that extends outward from the base of the crest.
Make sure your cuts result in a snug fit with no free spaces. Open spaces between the two plants will let sap escape and could result in the growth of fungal rots.
After inserting your crest into the neriifolia’s V, coat all of the joining surfaces with grafting wax to keep them sealed and spotless. To prevent getting the sap from either plant on your skin during this process, proceed with extreme caution. gloves are a must.
To keep the Franken-plant in place and secure the grafted connection, use string. The two plants will need at least two to three weeks to fully meld together, but it might take longer.
Remove the grafting wax carefully and examine the joint after three weeks. If it appears that it needs more time to heal together, apply fresh grafting wax, wait an additional three weeks, and then retie the twine to hold it in place. Watch out not to hurt your joint!
Repotting
In a pot, coral cactus rarely becomes root-bound. It’s a good idea to put on the gloves when you first bring a grafted plant home and carefully slip it out of the pot so you can inspect it. It ought should be able to survive in that pot for a good while as long as it is not rootbound.
If there are indications of root entanglement, you can choose a slightly larger pot and replant it there, supplementing the soil with additional cactus potting mix as necessary. Make sure your pot has effective drainage.
The majority of coral cactus plants are typically grown in “breathable” pots made of terracotta or another material that allows any excess water to evaporate. Unfortunately, this also implies that they might dry out more quickly in warmer weather. Although these are excellent containers for your plant, pay attention to the water level.
Pruning
Coral cacti typically don’t need to be pruned. This is only an exception if the cactus gets a fungal rot, by which time it might already be too late.
Roots or the plant’s crest can be affected by fungus rots. Your crest may start to darken or soften, which is typically an indication of decay. If you take care, you may be able to do surgery on the crest to remove any fungal-damaged fragments that are present near the crest’s borders.
Your plant should recover as long as you remove all of the damaged crest. Wear gloves and a sterilized razor blade to prevent touching your skin with any of the lethal latex. As the plant’s latex will form a scab as it dries, you don’t need to seal off the wounded surface.
A coral cactus can it grow?
Coral cactus only reach heights of 9 to 15 inches, therefore they are not particularly large. The good news is that coral cacti won’t outgrow their pots, so you won’t need to repot them very often.
Real coral cacti exist?
The succulent known as the coral cactus, or Euphorbia lactea Cristata, is highly distinctive. Its thick green stem and crinkled, cabbage-like leaves, which have margins that are either purple, green, ruby, white, or yellow, resemble a giant coral reef and can only grow up to 2 feet tall when planted in a container.
Additionally, this odd-looking plant is quite easy to maintain and can go a fair amount of time without water. Therefore, this is the ideal plant for anyone who has a busy office job and frequently forgets to water their plants or just enjoys taking week-long vacations. Additionally, Coral Cactus can be extraordinarily stunning with proper care, adding a “wow factor” to any garden.
Is Coral Cactus a cactus?
Coral Cactus, also known as Candelabra Plant, Crested Candelabra Plant, Crested Euphorbia, and Crested Elkhorn, is actually a combination of two succulent plants that resemble coral rather than a true cactus.
General Care for Rhipsalis cereuscula “Coral Cactus
It’s a good idea to add a Rhipsalis cereuscula “Coral Cactus” to your home. Additionally, it thrives in hanging baskets and container gardens. It grows naturally in Brazil under big trees. When choosing where to position your planter, keep in mind that it is accustomed to receiving filtered light in this manner.
Avoid placing plants near windows that receive a lot of direct sunlight while doing indoor gardening. Sunlight from the afternoon may enter through the window and burn your succulent.
Watering
Riparia cereuscula “A succulent’s typical watering requirements apply to coral cactus. You should utilize the “Use the “soak and dry” method, letting the soil to dry out in between waterings.
Where to Plant
Coral cactus is not cold hardy, so it’s best to grow this succulent in a container that can be moved indoors if you reside in a region that experiences temperatures below 30 F (-1.1 C). As opposed to most cactus, it prefers a more humid environment.
How to Propagate Rhipsalis cereuscula “Coral Cactus
Stem cuttings of the “Coral Cactus” Rhipsalis cereuscula can be used for propagation. Just cut a piece off the stem with a sharp, clean knife or pair of scissors. After letting it dry for a day or two, plant the cutting in a soil that drains properly. When the soil is entirely dry, water it.
The coral cactus needs watering, but how often?
Water the plant once a week or every two weeks from spring through summer, or whenever the soil is dry 1 inch down. As cacti can rot in the fall and winter if left too moist, reduce watering to once a month during those times, then start weekly or biweekly watering in the early spring.
Does the coral cactus poison dogs?
Is it a cactus? No, it is not a true cactus; it just shares the name due to similarities in the stem (main trunk) and how it is treated.
It’s actually an African succulent from the Euphorbiaceae family and genus that has undergone genetic modification to become one plant type from two.
Its appearance is remarkably similar to a coral reef, with strong green stems and crinkled leaves that are green, white, or yellow with pink, ruby, or purple margins.
Although the coral plant may not be everyone’s ideal plant, some growers enjoy the strange varieties, and this one is extremely distinctive.
Easy to grow: A lovely and simple plant for indoor growers that does not require frequent repotting or a lot of watering.
Harmful: The coral cactus is poisonous to both humans and animals and should not be consumed in any form. Additionally, it produces a sap that needs to be removed right once to avoid causing skin irritation. It’s a good idea to wash your hands or put on gloves after handling.
It is best to keep the plant out of the reach of children and animals (cats and dogs).
What is causing my coral cactus to rot?
A cactus’ ability to decay from the top down can be affected by a number of factors. Fungus, disease, or water entering an open wound on the plant are the three main causes of cactus rot.
A cactus is susceptible to contracting disease or fungus spores if it sustains any kind of harm. Water frequently seeps into the wound as well, causing the plant to rot from the inside out.
Any number of things, such as insects or animals that were eating the plant, could be to blame for the damage. It could have been bumped into by someone, the plant could have fallen over, or perhaps something landed on it.
The good news is that no matter how the rotting cactus got there in the first place, the procedures for rescuing it are the same. In order to save your cactus, I’ll explain you how to avoid cactus rot from spreading below.
A coral cactus needs how much sun?
In August 2019, we featured the Coral Cactus, also known as Euphorbia lactea ‘Cristata,’ as our Luxury Indoor Plant of the Month. This plant is highly unusual for one key reason in particular, aside from its remarkable appearance. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about this plant’s unique qualities and how to take good care of it.
vegetation and flowers The straight green base and the upper “coral” part of this plant are actually two separate plants that were manually grafted together and coexist quite nicely as one. Both of these plants are Euphorbias.
With this grafting, humans are attempting to simulate an extremely rare mutation that does naturally occur in the wild but is challenging to reproduce in a greenhouse. Talk about incredible, huh?
Fans of succulents should exercise caution, despite the fact that this plant is a succulent due to its unusual grafted form. It has peculiar watering requirements. It can’t be allowed to totally dry out, but it also dislikes extremely wet soil because the roots can quickly rot. Let the top 2-4 inches dry.
Be alert! When working with this plant, use the utmost caution. 1) It has extremely jagged spines. 2) If you have small children or dogs in the house, use particular caution because this plant’s sap, known as latex, is poisonous as well.
the reason I chose this plant We are aware of how much you like getting plants from us that are a little more distinctive and eye-catching. And the Coral Cactus is as distinctive as they come. It’s a terrific discussion starter because most people are unaware that this plant is a hybrid of two different species! Since there aren’t many grafted hybrids that are as stunning as this one, we’ve never provided anything like it to you before, and it’s unlikely that you’ll see anything similar from us anytime soon. This plant is undoubtedly a Frankenstein of the plant kingdom. It is both strange and unique.
Being partially cactus, it can withstand periods of time without water that are relatively long, making it ideal for this time of year (but not as long as certain succulents, so don’t forget this one). However, it will probably be lengthy enough for any week-long international trips you may have at this time of year. Just make sure to check on it when you come home because it might have grown thirsty.