Euphorbia Species, Hybrids, Crown of Thorns, Christ Plant, Siamese Lucky Plant, Corona de Cristo

On Mar 14, 2016, camille4 from Fulton, TX wrote:

I have had this for many years and my father before me. I now have a red, a yellow and a coral which is a bit different. Am wanting to hear other comments about the coral one. Live on mid Texas coast and got the coral one here. The green leaves are larger than the others as are the flowers. 2years ago during a cold snap, lost the blooms on the coral one and they didn't return until now. All of last year couldn't do anything to get it to bloom although rest of plant was fine. Didn't even see coral listed as color here. It is a definately a bright coral color and as I said leaves are about twice as large........

On Apr 4, 2014, surfrdie from Indian Harbour Beach, FL wrote:

Coastal central Florida. A tenant planted this years ago under a palm tree. It never gets watered , pruned or fertilized. Grows great without any care. Continues to multiply.

On Sep 14, 2012, gbirdie from Jacksonville, FL wrote:

bought this plant for 1$ at our annual garden club sale. Love cacti and succulents. It has doubled in size in 6 months. Blooms continuously. Gets about 4 hours direct sun daily. Gets quite a bit of water from frequent summer showers and twice a week sprinkler system. It will come in for temps at freezing. We usually have several hard freezes a year.

On May 16, 2011, chuck7701 from McKinney, TX (Zone 8a) wrote:

Easy to grow and propagate. They do burn or freeze easily in cold weather even if the temps are not at freezing. The roots like to stay cool, and avoiding full afternoon sun hot areas is best. Put mine in garage to go dormant and drop leaves, then bring inside for winter.

When taking cuttings, you must let the cut heal and dry for about two weeks like a plumeria before replanting, otherwise they will rot. Will get top heavy, so use a heavier pot. Likes to stay moist, but not too wet around the base of the plant. I've found in a taller pot, the plant does well sitting in water with no problems.

On Jan 10, 2011, NB62 from Ogden, UT (Zone 6a) wrote:

I have had my Crown of Thorns for at least 10yrs. It stands 35in.from the soil. It has many branches and I'm always finding new ones starting here and there. The main stock is the tallest but because of so many others I stuck a thin bamboo stake in the pot and use plant velcro tape loosely to support any stocks I think need it. It has always sat between a south & west window on the cabinette in a breakfast nook.They both have overhangs but it still gets some sun and blooms great. In the winter I found if I place a warm air humdifier in it's area it not only stops leaf drop but blooms better in winter. I water it from the bottom approx. every 2wks. with a weak solution of plant food. After reading so many good comments I'm going to increase it alittle more. In the spring I put it in the sho... read morewer and really give it a good spray. Two reasons: 1- to wash the leaves off really well and 2- to leach any built up salts, etc. I want to do one last repotting but I'm nervouse due to all the bottom stocks. If anyone has something to offer, I'd sure appreciate it. My husband keeps eyeing the size of the new pot. Hmm, wonder why?

On Jul 3, 2010, kh2 from Ridgefield Park, NJ wrote:

I have this plant, crown of thorns, it is now over 50 years old, my mother purchased it as a tiny plant, I now have it and it is well over 3 ft tall. I bring it out to the garden in the summer and put it back in the home for the winter. I dont think this plant will ever die on me, it has been neglected by me, sometimes-forgot to water-sooo sorry plant, but it is a very hardy plant. yes the thorns do make you itch when you get stuck, and you will get stuck when handling this plant, but all in all, it is a wonderful plant and easy to care for. so if anyone thinking of purchasing this plant remember this, it could and will be around for a very long time, that is if you take care of it. good luck to all whom grow it,. enjoy!! K

On May 25, 2010, CitizenVal from Manassas, VA wrote:

I love my Thorny plant .. the thorns are like hypodermic needles and the flowers are bold red. I bought it in FL when it was maybe 6 inch and transported back to VA .. in the 2 years that I have had it, it has grown over a foot and now has "babies" growing everywhere. The stalk is thick and hardy. I keep it on my balcony where it only gets about 3 hours of sun per day, and I water it every few days. I wish I could post a picture..it's a very nice plant.
I call it my thorny plant ..
Val
Northern VA

On Jan 14, 2010, promethean_spar from Union City, CA wrote:

People grow this plant extensively in the Philippines, where it is hot and humid year-round and rains very often half the year. It doesn't seem to mind being continuously moist as long as it's warm.

On Oct 10, 2009, vincentfrost from caloundra,
Australia wrote:

i wish i can give this plant some good news, but i can't.
where i'm working at; we have some of these plants here, but what most people don't know that; is every part of the plant is poisonous.
the leaves, the flowers, thorns, the bark and even the roots as well.
(note: the roots leaked an type of poison which is poisonous to fish and to some animals)

On Jun 8, 2006, pforrester from Fallbrook, CA wrote:

I live in 10b Southern CA. My mother-in-law brought this crown of thorns to our home when she moved in. It was in a pot outside and rarely watered b/c it was on the side of the house where I never saw it. So it was totally neglected for 4-5 years or longer but it survived. Last year I decided to plant it in full sun with a drip hose to it. It has grown a lot and is about 2' tall & round and flowers continually year round. It is very beautiful. It seems to be able to survive on little water and in the heat of summer but loves being planted in the ground with regular water and lots of sun.

On Jun 18, 2005, brugmansialover from Santa Maria, CA (Zone 9a) wrote:

I love this plant, i currently have two red ones, one is outside and the other is inside, they both get full sun, and they just never stop blooming!!! If you are having trouble getting them too bloom, i suggest moving them to a sunny window, with at least 5 hours of sun, also fertalize with a bloom booster fertalizer, that is about 10-60-10, one with a high middle number, over 50 is better! And then just watch it bloom and bloom and bloom, i cant wait to get the other colors!

On Aug 11, 2004, booliesmom from Sunnyvale, CA wrote:

I picked up a couple of dying 3 inch plants from a produce stand about two years ago and they are marvelous! My plant is now about two feet tall and has three big branches and a baby that just formed. I had to cut a few branches off to make room for the new one, and not knowing anything about rooting hormone or letting them callous over before planting, I simply stuck them in dirt and watered them, and within about two months they had rapidly begun growing. People say to let them dry out before watering, but I just water every 3-4 days, and I have NEVER fertilized it. It's doing so well, I wonder how much better it would look if I DID. A truly fantastic plant.

On Jul 26, 2004, AngeGuardien from Murray, KY wrote:

I just received a small crown of thorns planting grown from a cutting from my grandparents. I live in western Kentucky. My grandparents live in south Georgia and have kept it as a house plant. The original plant belonged to my great-grandmother who lived in Manhatten. Sharing cuttings among family and friends is an interesting way to be connected across the ages and the miles!

On Jun 30, 2004, JenniferG from Shalimar, FL (Zone 8a) wrote:

I have 2 of these guys as houseplants. No special care. No special fertilizer ( I use a very weak liquid fert. every time I water). Sunny window. Always in flower! Nice.

On Apr 16, 2004, DaraMV wrote:

I've several varieties of Crown of Thorns. They can be slow growing but put out a bunch of flowers. It is also one of my favorites plants because it never stops blooming! Crown of thorns come in hybrids with yellow, white, pink or red bracts. There are other hybrids with hydrangea-like bracts that can be bicolored and they are absolutely brilliant.

On Aug 15, 2003, RIPPER039 from Banning, CA (Zone 9b) wrote:

This plant does good here in Fontana, California. I keep it in the sun potted. I use aerated compost tea made with alfalfa, kelp, fish emulsion, compost, green sand to foliar feed (once every 10 days), 1 cup of tea to 4 cups of water and soil, alternating from diluted tea to plain water to Peters Bloom fertilizer at 1/4 strength- anytime I water.

For the soil mix I use peat moss, compost, perlite, vermiculite, a little bit of steer manure. Also I leach the soil after the second application of Peters to
get rid of any excess salt. (Diluted tea-water-Peters-diluted tea-water-Peters-leach)works for me!

On Jul 20, 2003, texasplantlady from Dickinson, TX wrote:

Gorgeous wood!

On Dec 2, 2002, cacoan wrote:

This plant was sold to me with the presumption that it could handle harsh environments both the heat and cold. When we had our first cold snap I started looking around on the internet to find out more about them. They had already withstood a terrible drought earlier this year and I was impressed at this point because they still looked beautiful.

After the cold snap they started withering and looking very sick. On this web site I finally found information on the zones that these guys do well in and if I remember correct 9A or 9B is the coldest.

On Sep 8, 2001, JanetR from Ottawa, ON (Zone 4a) wrote:

This woody semi-succulent from Madagascar is not the one used during Christ's crucifixion, despite claims to the contrary. Very popular in Thailand and other Asian countries where it is believed to bring good luck, there are an astonishing number of hybrids and cultivars, although only a limited number are available in North America.

Thick, sprawling stems support long thorns and oval or lance-shaped leaves. The "flowers" are in actual fact showy bracts.

This plant will flower better in full sun, but will probably suffer from burnt leaves. Misting in the afternoon can help overcome this problem.