Agree with that bahia. It's a bit of a gamble in September, but usually we don't see rains until December, which would be enough time to allow this Euphorbia to get re-established. Spoke with my neighbor Tom, who actually told me the 2 very large Euphorbias were actually larger branches that broke off from the mother plant (is is a "mother of a plant", lol!) So, here's his suggestions: Those big Euphorbias on the hill were cuttings... not really transplanted. -They were broken off from the mother plant at the branch point/node. -I then put them in the shade for 2 weeks to harden off. -I dug a hole in the sandy slope and mixed potting soil with the sand (50-50%). -I back filled some of the mix into the hole. -I put the cutting in about 6inches from the soil line into the hole, and packed in the rest of the mix in around it. -I watered it in really well one time just after putting into the hole and then left it alone. I wasn't expecting a high survival rate, however it has been months now and they all seem to be doing really well. Seems that it is hard to kill Euphorbias. As far as transplanting: -I would probably just follow general transplanting principals... Get as big a root ball as you can, do it on a cool day, water it in well, etc. Transplanting safety warning: -I believe Euphorbia roots also have that toxic sap. -In addition, at 10 feet high, there will be a lot of wobble in the plant when it is moved and that may cause the branches to break. If you are standing under a freshly broken branch you might be in for a painful/burning surprise. All great advice. I would admonish you to NOT touch your eyes during any of this transplanting until you have a chance to wash your hands and any other areas or clothing that may have come into contact with the sap, as it highly irritating. If you get the sap in your eyes, this is a medical emergency, necessitating immediate eye flushing and a trip to the ER. I also think bahia's suggestion of trying to stake is a good one as well. Patty S.

E. Knuthii had branches that use to look like this early season .... but now they look like this.. Moving right along( sort of slowly) E. Larkspinsis is making freasher arm progress by cutting 3 -4 of the lankier droopy arms per season While talking about some do overs here is an E. greenyii that was nearly drowning when adopted. I'll admit it this one is kind of small for a E. lactea creasted variegate You ought to see the mother that this had been plucked from while admitting I am kind of hoarding that one. You've seen this one before on your thread from others as it finally gets some colors. And why is there a seniceo on a Euphorbia thread Well... as you did ask for a succulent and..... technically Euphorbia are a spurge.. A bit of show and tell from you too perhaps ? How are yours doing ?

For someone who has a problem with misinformation, it is unfortunate that you are helping to spread more. First off, you are extremely lucky not to have had serious problems getting it in your eye. I assure you it is the "norm" for people to have severe irritation with exposure of Euphorbia latex to the eye. In fact, there are medically documented cases of E. tirucalli in particular causing permanent blindness. It's true that a person's response all depends on their individual sensitivity, but it should still be treated as dangerous until demonstrated otherwise. In addition to personal sensitivity, it also strongly depends on how the plant is grown. A plant given the proper amount of sun and nutrients (tons of the former, very little of the second) will be far, far more irritating than a plant grown indoors in poor conditions. A healthy plant produces more toxins to protect itself than a plant that is just struggling to survive. I would be willing to be that most people who have been exposed to E. tirucalli without any affect were exposed to latex from an overwatered, etiolated plant. Those same people exposed to the latex from a plant grown outdoors in full sun would likely have a painful reaction. Even the 'benefits' you are talking about demonstrate the caustic nature of the latex. Mole and wart treatments always just kill the top layer of skin, either chemically (salicylic acid for commercial products) or mechanically (by freezing for example). Even though your latex wasn't strong enough to cause irritation, it was still toxic enough to destroy the top layer of skin that formed the mole... Asprin is not an antihistamine. It is an analgesic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. It does help ease the pain of latex irritation, but not through any treatment of an allergy. It simply reduces the inflammation that sensitizes nerves. A much better treatment for Euphorbia latex exposure is to apply a few drops of sap from Aeonium lindleyi to the afflicted area. This is a well know antidote, and any serious Euphorbia collector will always have some on hand for an emergency. One gentleman in the Long Beach Cactus Club may very well have saved a friend's eyesight with this. Portulacaria afra is also supposed to serve as an antidote, but not as effectively as A. lindleyi. Finally, adding a layer of perlite/gravel/pumice to the bottom of a pot actually increases the amount of water the soil above it holds, doing the complete opposite "improving drainage." The soggiest soil is always at the bottom of the pot, and the layer of gravel only serves to "raise" the bottom of the pot, bringing the soggy soil closer to the base of the plant. The gravel is too coarse to wick away the water in the soil column. I fully enjoy my E. tirucalli and would never consider getting rid of it. I'm certainly not afraid of it, but I do treat it with a reasonable amount of caution and respect, because in the end, it *is*...

I found this info on another garden web site. I thought some of this info may help you especially since one of the respondents is wintering their tree in the basement. Good luck! On Jul 13, 2008, redinque from Pasadena, CA wrote: Beautiful, beautiful foliage, but requires relatively good soil and moisture. I planted it into the ground in clay dirt around September of last year where it promptly lost all its leaves around November when the temperature dropped to around 40 at night. I live in Los Angeles, CA. The bare branches (at least when it's small) don't look very appealing. It took a long time for the leaves to regrow probably in April or May, and I thought it had died. Slow growing and seems to be a plant better grown in a pot if soil conditions are not that good. I may dig it up and do just that. THIS POST PERTAINS TO WINTERING IN THE BASEMENT: Positive myrrtle77 On Apr 17, 2008, myrrtle77 from Northampton, MA wrote: we live in massachusetts,a firm zone 4. we have had our tree for seven years now. it has reached a height of almost 12', before a good spring pruning. we love her so much,she is the talk of the neighborhood, when she is leafed out. she gets early morning sun and shade the rest of the day and her color is still vibrant and she flowers pretty freely. they do like a fair amount of water,but, we have her pretty root bound, and she still does well. we leave her outside til the first frost is due and then she goes down into our basement for her winter nap. we water her about once a month and bring her up as soon as she starts to leaf out. i have taken cuttings for my mom, who lives in florida and she has rooted them quite easily and grows her plants in full sun in central florida. hope this helps anyone wanting this beautiful plant-we consider it well worth the effort for all its beauty! Positive WebInt On Mar 12, 2007, WebInt from Vista, CA (Zone 10a) wrote: This is a fast growing Euphorbia that is also called the Caribbean Copper Plant. Can be confused with Cotinus coggygria (Smoke Tree 'Royal Purple') for those not familiar, but break a stem and get the milky sap, you will know it is a Euphorbia. The white flowers really look nice against the red foliage. In SoCal it can grow to 10 feet tall but is deciduous in all but the mildest winters. My plant lost a few smaller stems and defoliated 100% during the 28 degree freeze from Jan 2007. However; all large stems have shot out new growth since. So they can handle a 28 degree freeze and recover nicely. Positive lakeshoredrive On Sep 30, 2006, lakeshoredrive from Chicago, IL wrote: This euphorbia's grows quickly from cuttings, overwinters nicely in a greenhouse and the maroon-red leaves look fantasic when grown in mixed containers. Positive BayAreaTropics On Sep 27, 2005, BayAreaTropics from Hayward, CA wrote: The new growth is a satiny vibrant burgundy. Not evergreen or especially drought tolerant. It actually likes more water than most euphobias and responds with fast growth. And should be given plenty of root room if grown in a pot or it grows sparse. Hardy to at least 30 degrees. No pests-at least outdoors