Ask The Plant Expert: What is this plant called?

I got this plant a few months ago. The plant had pink flowers blooming on it but they have all died. The trunk has spikes on it.

Ryan

Plant Expert Reply:

Ryan,

What an interesting little plant you have. It is a is a Euphorbia milii commonly called Crown of thorns.

This plant does not like to be over watered, so water it sparingly and apply a low-nitrogen fertilizer at half rate to it once a month during the growing season. In March and April the plant will require a little more water than other times during the growing season. During the winter keep the plant almost dry.

To ensure that the plant will thrive make sure you have the plant potted in a well-drained light soil and placed in full sunlight. It prefers warm areas and is hardy only in zone 9 – 11. If you live outside of these zones, be sure to bring the plant indoors once the temperature falls below 45 degrees.

When handling the plant you might want to wear latex gloves since the sap of the plant can cause skin irritation. This plant is poisonous if ingested, so keep children and pets away from it.

Hope this information is helpful.

Thanks,

Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Expert:

I have an a immature avocado tree that I started from seed, first time. We are several months in and it stands 22″ from seed. Several leaves are browning and curling at the tips and inward along the sides. I water it regularly and use Miracle Gro every now and then, it was originally potted using Miracle Gro soil. Any ideas?

Steven Fricke

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Plant Expert Reply:

Fricke,

Sorry for the delay in my reply to your plant question.

I think your plant has a case of Phytophthora root rot caused by the heavy Miracle Gro soil. Avocados need a soil that drains well and can not be buried too deep. If exposed to soggy soil or if planted too deep, a rotting can occur which will cause the leaves or stems to die.

They also require a 6 to 6.5 ph.

Check your roots and drainage. Then send me some more information on what you are using on the plant besides water. We should be able to figure this out and turn the issue around.

Thanks,

Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Expert:

How best to deal with the huge ovaries of a white crinum? Those are ca 1 by 4 inches. I would like viable seed.

Donald

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Plant Expert Reply:

Donald,

I am finally home from all my travels both abroad and throughout the US!

The best way to obtain viable seeds is to let the seed heads mature until they dry out and release the seeds.

Here are my suggestions for harvesting the seed:

1. Create a capture basin for the seeds. One technique for this is to take wax paper and fashion a cone around the seed pods. When the pods open, the seeds will be captured in the wax paper cone. One thing to watch for:  the seed pod stem might bend or break as the seeds mature.  If this happens you may want to remove the seed stalk from the plant.

2. If the pod dries without popping open, simply cut the pod off. Place the pod in a paper bag and store in a cool, dry place until you can remove the seeds.

3. Once you have the seeds, you will need to either plant them immediately or store them for future use.  Since the seeds naturally drop in a dormant season, you might want to store them for future use.

At our garden center, we store seeds in an airtight container and place them in the vegetable crisper of our refrigerator.

Hope this information was helpful!

Thanks,

Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Expert:

Thanks for comprehensive reply! Wanna tell me name of this one?

Donald Burk

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Plant Expert Reply:

Wow that is an interesting one.  I am presently out of the country and away from my ref books.  If you are in no hurry, I’ll try to Id it when I return.

Thanks,

Jamie Jamison Adams

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Ask The Expert:

No hurry – beauty still without ID here in my file – I call her BMP for Burk Mountain Beauty though I send it as a .jpg!

Ask The Expert:

The plant has intertwining stems that look like a tree with leaves like a palm tree. The trunk became soft inside and the leaves are falling off. I water it once a week and keep it by the sliding glass door.

Thanks,

Regina

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Plant Expert Reply:

Regina,

Very perplexing.

I would first check my drainage. If the pot doesn’t allow the excess water to drain, you might be developing root rot or stem rot. To remedy the problem, repot the plant into a container that allows for good drainage. Then make sure the soil is moist but never soggy. Good luck and keep me posted!

The plant is a type of dracaena.

Thanks,

Jamie Jamison Adams