Euphorbia rigida(syn. E. biglandulosa)
Unlike its rather dull brown rodent namesake , gopher turtle plant ( Euphorbia rigida ) is beautifully colored , impress with distinctive gray - blue , spiral , lance - shape leaves , chartreuse bracts , and lustrous yellow springtime efflorescence .
In some areas of its native reach , this tough picayune evergreen is considered a dope and is unceremoniously rend out of the dry land .
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luckily , it has find a more welcoming home as a specimen ornamental in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 10 here in North America , where many gardener value its well-situated - care wont and striking appearance .
In cool country , many gardener opt to use it as an yearly .
If you postulate a well-chosen container flora , a specimen for a rock garden , or something to fill your xeric landscape , you ’ll see this evergreen at the top of many lists .
This shrubby , upright , sprawling , succulent - alike plant has many aliases .
You may make love it as upright Vinca minor spurge , silver spurge , stiff spurge , pocket gopher spurge , or even milkweed . No , notthat kind of Sonchus oleraceus ( Asclepiasspp . ) . This name comes from the milky latex paint the root exudes when you cut it .
Just for just measuring stick , it has a previous scientific name : E. biglandulosa .
quick to start raising this marvel in your garden ? Great , let ’s go ! Here ’s what we ’ll discuss :
What You’ll Learn
As with most spurges , this one is easy - peasy to grow . There are so few thing that bother these industrial plant . But there ’s plenty to roll in the hay about them , so let ’s dig up in .
Cultivation and History
Endemic to southerly Europe , the Middle East , and southwest Asia , gopher plant is sometimes considered a weed in its aboriginal ambit .
It has also naturalized in warm area such as southern California . In North America and Europe , it ’s a valuable ornamental forxeriscapingor garden with bouldered , challenging land .
Bees flock to the yellow springtime peak of this evergreen beauty , which is in the familyEuphorbiaceae . The leaves are stalkless , opposite , and can take on a reddish - bronze hue at the tips during the dusk .
As touch to above , this form - gearstick can straggle out , almost footing - cover - like , or it can be much more shrubby , with silvery - grey , lance - shape leaf that coil around thick prow hit up to two feet tall .
Sometimes a unmarried specimen can exhibit both rambling and unsloped growth habits . It will accommodate free-base on the Dominicus exposure , soil , and water system availability . lecture about versatility !
These works also tend to take on a more sprawling shape over time , peculiarly after blooming .
When mature , which can take anywhere from two to five years , a exclusive specimen can hand up to three feet across-the-board and two foot tall .
This specie is inhuman liberal to a minimum temperature range between 10 and 20 ° F . Gardeners in colder climates treatE. rigidaas a summer annual .
Like itsotherEuphorbiacousins , E. rigidais toxic if eaten , so keep singular pets and toddler aside from this one . If a stem is trim back or broken , it leaks a whitish latex that can cause hide annoyance in some people .
scientist have set about research using various types ofEuphorbiaas a biofuel since they can arise in teetotal environs , require little water , and are vigorous growers .
I , for one , would sleep with to be able to thank playing area and fields of this pretty plant and its congenator for supply electricity to my fomite .
Gopher Plant Propagation
E. rigidaseeds are not shelf static , so it is unlikely that you will be able to buy them commercially . When mature , gopher turtle plant will ego - source in your garden .
From Cuttings
As the plant matures , it post out lots of stems . you may cut off the end of one of these stanch to propagate a new specimen .
In spring or summer , take nine - inch cuttings and slay all of the leaves from the bottom three - quarters .
Place the cuttings in a small great deal filled with a cactus growing medium so they ’re buried by about three column inch . A six - in pot is plenty big enough for three or four cuttings .
Water enough to moisten the territory but do n’t make it soggy .
point the cuttings in shiny , indirect light and water supply when the top inch of dirt dries out .
Keep them warm to encourage new increase – somewhere around 70 to 80 ° F is a good temperature to point for .
Since many of us do n’t keep our rest home this tender , a heating mat set under the container can aid .
Vivosun Heat Mat
This 10 - by-20.75 - inch mat from Vivosun that’savailable via Amazonwill focal ratio up the root process and you’re able to use it to raise seedlings likepeppersandsquashas well .
Your cuttings should be rooted in about three weeks . So long as they are n’t turning brown or wilting , they ’re probably working heavily under the soil to form Modern roots .
tolerate them to stay on in their containers throughout the winter , and then transplant them outdoors in spring . Before you set them in their new home , harden them off for a week .
To do this , convey the container outside and set it in a gay touch for an minute . Bring it back deep down for the rest of the day .
The next day , take the plant life outdoors for two hours . Keep impart an hour per sidereal day for a hebdomad . Now you could transfer it in the garden .
From Divisions
As the plant ages , it will spread , and you’re able to divide it . In fact , it ’s a saucy idea to divide your Gopherus polypemus plant to regenerate them since they do n’t have a long lifespan .
disunite gopher plant is a matter of grok them up by going around the perimeter of the clunk and separating the origin to let in a few stems .
Read our comprehensiveguide to hear more about the dividing outgrowth .
Transplanting
If you live in a part whereE. rigidathrives , you’re able to probably get it at a local nursery . If so , putting it in the terra firma or a container is pretty straightforward .
Dig a maw in the ground about the same sizing as the grow container .
Gently remove the industrial plant from the container and put it in the priming .
make full in around the stain and body of water lightly . If the stain settles at all , add a bit more . The spermophile plant should be sitting at the same altitude that it was in the pot or wherever it was previously maturate .
How to Grow Gopher Plants
These hardscrabble toughies will toleratemany well - drained soil type : sand , loam , or Methedrine .
They wait particularly nice in sway gardens and in beds with pebble mulch . operose mud probably enfeeble too poorly , so farm in containers if this is what you ’re manage with .
spermophile plants do bestgrowing in full sunlight , and the canopy will have a more rounded , dense physical body there . But you may also produce them in partial sun .
Additionally , they are extremely drought patient of . I do n’t give mine any supplemental water ; we only get rain once or doubly in the summertime , and it does just ticket .
If you see the plants get down to droop after weeks and weeks of no rain , go onward and give them a drink . Just do n’t water so much that the soil turns muddy .
You absolutely do n’t need to feed your ground squirrel works , but a side fertilisation of well - rotted manure in the natural spring wo n’t go haywire . Or you may feed with an extremely meek , balanced fertiliser .
I care Down to Earth ’s Vegan Mix , which has an N - P - K rating of 3 - 2 - 2 . It ’s perfect for cactus and succulents that ask a boost .
Down to Earth Vegan Mix
Arbico Organics carriesthis fertiliser in five - pound compostable boxes .
Containers
As we say , the gopher plant is perfectly happy in containers . Make trusted to choose a muckle that has good drainage , with at least one hole per Imperial gallon of mental ability .
Terra cotta is a smart option because it dry out out more quickly than other materials , but anything with dear drainage will act upon .
Do n’t fill it with a stock potting stain . opt a succulent or cactus - specific medium . piss only after the soil has dried out completely .
Growing Tips
Maintenance
The yellow flowers inside the chartreuse bracts move around orangish as they mature , and the sepal shift from green to a ruby hue .
finally , green fruits form . If you want to preclude self - seeding , cut off the flowers once they turn orangish .
If you object to the sprawling , slimly odd - looking form that gopher plant life can take on after blooming , trim back off the trailing stem . You ’ll get a more compact , just growth habit this direction .
Wear gloves while you ’re at it , though . You do n’t want that sap - like latex to get to your cutis . Otherwise , these plants require no further maintenance .
Gopher Plant Varieties to Select
There are n’t any cultivars on the market , but you may find hybrids that useE. rigidaas a parent .
Shorty ( E.x ‘ Shorty ’ ) , for instance , is summary and stays under 18 inches tall , with bronze and green folio .
Managing Pests and Disease
E. rigidarepels deerand rodents , including – you guessed it – gophers , so there ’s no need to fret over those pests .
There ’s really just one eccentric of insect pest that might assail your flora from meter to metre , though it ’s commonly found only on those that are accent .
Red Spider Mites
Red spider mites ( Tetranychus urticae ) are coarse gadfly in dry , red-hot conditions .
If they find and feed on your industrial plant , you ’ll see yellow stippling and ok webbing on the leaves . If you bet close , you ’ll also see tiny blood-red dots moving around the foliage .
To get rid of cerise mites , pour elbow room - temperature water supply on your plant to knock them loose . Do this every few days until the infestation is gone .
Do n’t do it for too long , though , or you ’ll start the risk of swim the origin or introducing disease .
Speaking of which …
Disease
If you ’re grow your goffer plant life in dry conditions and well - enfeeble soil , you probably wo n’t ever have to manage with diseases . If it ’s wet or wretched draining soils , you might see the following :
Powdery mildew appears as pocket-size billet of white , powdery growths on the leave .
It ’s usually no more than a cosmetic issue , but life-threatening cases can kill off some of the leave of absence and cause scrawny growth .
Powdery mould is induce by fungi in the Erysiphales family , which thrive in warm , dry weather on plants that are crowded or in too picayune light .
register our guide to powdery mildew to memorize how to address this problem using homemade methods .
Systemic fungicide do n’t form well because Euphorbias have periods where they do n’t take up piddle , so they would n’t take up the fungicide either at that fourth dimension . Topical treatment are best .
ascendant rot in just myrtle spurge is often the result of the roots submerge in too much water rather than being because of a pathogen .
The roots turn mushy and black , and the top of the plant wilts , turns brown , and sag down to the ground .
Once that happens , it ca n’t be saved . But if you catch up with it early , you’re able to replant in a well field or change your watering schedule .
Occasionally , wet conditions can lead to an contagion by fungus in theFusariumgenus .
This type of bunkum unremarkably pass to specimen that are already stressed . It has the same symptom whether or not it ’s infective , so it ’s really hard to tell if it ’s the fungus at study or the overwhelm radical that are causing the issue . Best to regale for both .
If the soil does n’t debilitate well , the first step is to replant somewhere where it is . Next , lop out any brown foliage . at last , treat with a fungicide that point fusarium , such as Mycostop .
This is my go - to for root rot because it ’s both efficient and you do n’t have to wear a hazmat suit to avoid chemical substance radioactive dust when you utilize it , since it ’s made with a beneficial bacterium – Streptomycesstrain K61 – derived from sphagnum moss .
Mycostop Biofungicide
Arbico Organics carriesMycostop in five or 25 - gram options . Apply it as a soil drench , not as a nebuliser , following the manufacturer ’s directions .
Best Uses for Gopher Plants
I dare you to find a better option if you need a carefree container plant life , or a specimen to add color and grain to a rock garden .
If you need something to fill your xeric garden , E. rigidais a sure achiever !
Quick Reference Growing Guide
The Perfect Plant for Challenging Spots
Texturally and chromatically compelling , easy to care for , and it repels gnawer — what more could you expect for ?
E. rigidais an attractive works that does particularly well in xeriscaped landscapes or other gardens where an intriguing specimen would be welcome .
Now that you ’ve got the gopher plant situation under ascendancy , maybe you ’re looking for some othersto add to your xeric garden . If so , here are a few guides that might be helpful :
© enquire the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally write on April 18 , 2018 by Gretchen Heber . Last updated June 28 , 2023 . Product exposure via Arbico Organics and Vivosun . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
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Kristine Lofgren
