Euphorbia Species, Baseball Plant, Klipnoors, Sea Urchin

Central Phoenix -- My record on Euphorbia obesa is only 50% survival. Microhabitat is everything. I planted two in 2012 within a foot o...Read Moref each other, but one was on a lower level of a raised bed and had more soil moisture and more shade -- it died. The one on the upper level survived. The upper level one has now become almost obscured under the branches of a dwarf Jerusalem sage, but it seems happy there.

I grow mine indoors on a half-shaded windowsill and its about 10 years old and pushing 20cm tall. Ive learnt my lesson about exposing ma...Read Moreny cacti to our insane UV levels without mitigation- sunburn sucks.

Im not sure if the brown streaks common on the ridges of this species is a feature of the plant, a product of exposure burn or mite damage- everyone seems to have a different story.

Mine flowers madly at almost any time of year but is obviously a batchelor male and thus no babies. I am very fond of it- its a crazy little tartan dinosaur demanding no special treatment.

I find all euphorbias more rot-proof than a lot of the true cacti. I fertilize just with whatever soluble junk I have to hand. Some claim they are frost tolerant but I dunno.... I can see this guy succumbing and personally wouldnt recommend you risk a mature specimen.
Besides, theyre better company inside.

See some of our plants and gardenalia at The Blackthorn Orphans.com

I recently got one of these and picked out a female with a couple seed pods on top figuring I could get lucky and get several plants for ...Read Morethe price of 1. Once the seed pod fell off (it didn't explode for me), I let it dry and opened it to get the three (large) seeds out. I planted them in a small pot in a baggie like one would do for cactus and placed them on a warm aquarium hood. In 3 days I had 100% germination. That gets an A+ on ease of propagation.

I'm keeping them indoors until spring because my version of 9b is extremely wet in the winter, though most C&S do okay under an eave where they stay dry. I'll experiment with some seedlings under the eave and in a cold frame next winter.

I like this plant because it is a wonderful example of convergent evolution. I keep it next to an astrophytum asterias with a sea urchin shell in the pot to form a neat little look-alike collection.

I tried to grow this plant outdoors in Thousand Oaks California (a very 'cold' zone 9b) but no luck.. However, it does great in Simi Vall...Read Moreey (better soil), also 9b, and I have no problems with it here in Tarzana zone 9b-10a. Does rot easily if overwatered in winter, though. Slow growing plant, but eventually can get up to 1' tall, and sometimes will 'branch' or sucker creating very odd looking clusters of spheres. Some crested and monstrose forms out there that are great looking neoplastic appearing potted plants.