Detailed Guide to Crown of Thorns Planting Methods and Care Techniques

Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milii) is a mutated variety of crown of thorns and crown of thorns begonia. It grows vigorously, with large and abundant blooms in brilliant and diverse colors. Its natural flowering period lasts as long as 8 months, and it has the characteristic of blooming easily under short-day treatment. It is a rare long-flowering ornamental, tolerant of dryness and drought, and fond of light, making it the most suitable variety for home flower growing.

Morphological Characteristics

Crown of Thorns is a mutated variety of crown of thorns and crown of thorns begonia. It grows vigorously, with large and abundant blooms in brilliant and diverse colors. Its natural flowering period lasts as long as 8 months, and it has the characteristic of blooming easily under short-day treatment. It is a rare long-flowering ornamental.

Crown of Thorns Cultivation and Care Methods

1. Crown of Thorns can be cultivated in a greenhouse year-round. From May to September in the Beijing area, it can also be grown in open fields or in open-field containers. In summer, as long as it is not waterlogged or excessively dry, it can grow normally. If grown for flower production, pot cultivation indoors year-round is easier to manage and produces better growth.

2. Soil requirements: It is suitable for sandy soil with good permeability and not suitable for heavy clay soil. It fears waterlogging, so add some coarse sand, furnace ash or perlite to the growing medium. Crown of Thorns is relatively drought-tolerant and has no strict requirements for soil pH; it can grow normally in slightly acidic or mildly alkaline soil.

3. Water requirements: Water thoroughly only when the soil has dried out completely. Generally, in dry and high-temperature seasons, water thoroughly once a day; on cloudy and rainy days, water less or not at all. In winter, water moderately once every 1-3 days on sunny mornings. When temperatures are low, skies are overcast, or greenhouse air humidity is high, watering can be skipped.

4. Crown of Thorns has no strict fertilizer requirements. In addition to adding one-third peat or humus-type material to the growing medium, simply apply diammonium phosphate or other slow-release compound fertilizer once every two to three months. Depending on growth, repot into a container one size larger each April or September, adding some fresh growing medium.

5. Propagation: Cuttings from March to April: generally use 5-10 cm terminal or side branches, remove large and small flower buds. After May, a few flower buds may appear; remove them promptly. Insert into shallow clay seedling pots filled with plain sand, evenly inserting 25-30 cuttings in a pot with a 30-40 cm diameter. After insertion, place in half-light for 3-5 days without watering. From the 4th to 5th day onward, mist the leaves with an appropriate amount of water daily. After 10 days, water every other day, maintaining a temperature of 20°C-30°C. In July, transplant surviving seedlings into small plastic pots with a diameter of 20 cm or less. Under normal management conditions, flowering begins in October. In November, take cuttings using the same method. During winter cuttings, artificial lighting and long-day treatment should be applied to accelerate callus tissue growth at the base of the cuttings, so that new roots can emerge in 2-3 months.