How do you care for a crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii) so that it grows lush branches and leaves and blooms abundantly, overflowing the pot?
The crown of thorns is one of the flowering plants very well suited to lazy growers; it is extremely drought-tolerant and is a flower that can be grown on a balcony without requiring excessive attention. The crown of thorns can also bloom all year round, making it a very rare plant that both flowers and tolerates rough, low-maintenance growing.
Everyone probably knows that the crown of thorns is a poisonous flowering plant; both its sap and its thorns can harm the human body, but as long as we do not touch it casually, such problems generally will not occur. Although the crown of thorns is also fairly easy to grow, some flower lovers have found that the crown of thorns they grow never blooms. What is the reason for this? What should we do if the crown of thorns we grow does not bloom? Today Hua'er Gu will chat with everyone about why the crown of thorns does not bloom!
The common main reasons why the crown of thorns does not bloom are: insufficient light, improper watering, insufficient nutrients, and going a long time without pruning. Let us explain them in detail below!
1. Insufficient light
The crown of thorns is a plant that greatly loves light. If it is grown in a place with insufficient light or a place where sunlight cannot reach for a long time, it easily leads to the phenomenon of only growing leaves and not blooming. If it is grown in a dark place for a long time, it will also cause its stems to become weak and thin, slender, with sparse leaves, and it will not bloom.
Therefore, if we need to promote its blooming, we need to let it grow in a place with plenty of sunlight, such as a balcony; only sufficient light can meet its needs for blooming and robust growth.
2. Improper watering
The crown of thorns is an extremely drought-tolerant plant. If it is watered too frequently over a long period or the flower pot easily develops water accumulation, then the crown of thorns will find it very hard to bloom. In particular, long-term water accumulation can easily cause its roots to rot and turn black. It can be seen that watering too much is very unsuitable.
Therefore, when we grow the crown of thorns, we should keep its soil on the drier side; do not mistakenly water it because you think its growth needs plenty of water, as this will leave it in a long-term damp environment, which has adverse effects on both its growth and its blooming.
3. Insufficient nutrients
For the crown of thorns to bloom, it needs sufficient nutrients. If no fertilizer has been applied during long-term growing, then as time goes on the nutrients in the potting soil will be used up, and at that point the crown of thorns will lack the necessary nutrients and fail to bloom.
Therefore, if we want the crown of thorns to bloom, we must pay attention to replenishing nutrients, avoid applying too much nitrogen fertilizer, and appropriately add some phosphorus and potassium fertilizer; this can promote the growth of its stems and also promote flower bud differentiation, so that when the flowering season comes it will produce more flowers.
4. No pruning for a long time
The crown of thorns generally blooms at the tips of some new branches. If the plant has not been pruned for a long time, some stems will grow too long, which easily leads to excessive nutrient consumption, and new branches will be relatively difficult to grow out. Such a crown of thorns will find it very hard to bloom, or will bloom very little.
Therefore, we need to prune some stems and branches to encourage more branches to grow out, which makes it easier for it to bloom. We need to prune away some of the relatively weak and thin branches to prevent excessive nutrient consumption; this can also promote blooming in the plant.
The above is Hua'er Gu's introduction to the reasons why the crown of thorns does not bloom and the solutions. If you also like growing the crown of thorns, how do you make it bloom more? You are welcome to leave a message and share with us! If you also have some questions about growing the crown of thorns, please also leave a message to explore the way of growing the crown of thorns together with us!