The monadenium ritchiei (Euphorbia Ritchiei) is a beautiful succulent perfect for indoor environments. It blooms a beautiful flower on the top; its stems can reach 40 centimeters in length, and the thickness is about 1.5 to 3cm.
This succulent plant does not have many leaves, but you may see a few, if the water and light conditions are right. And when they do sprout, you will enjoy their beautiful green color with oval shape.
The areolas can have several short spines.
As the plant matures, new stems appear, which form a large group.
The flowers are tremendously small, protected by pinkish bracts. Their flowering is singular but ornamentally little relevant and ephemeral.
This silver blooms during fall.
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Monadenium Titchiei Care:
Illumination:
The Monadenium Ritchiei can be located in shaded, semi-shaded, or lit areas but always preventing lightning strikes directly on the plant for a long time.
An excess of sunlight can have fatal consequences, especially during summer, when located outdoors, it can acquire a reddish color.
If you have it indoors, make sure to place the succulent plant near a lighted window.
Watering:
It is necessary to water with caution during the hot periods, better to be short than to overdo it since the roots rot very easily.
The worst problem that succulents have to deal with is overwatering, usually beginners make this mistake thinking it’s something positive.
A good tip is to wait for the soil to dry than proceed to water the plant.
And remember it’s always easier to revive a dry succulent than a rot succulent.
Temperature:
Always keep the succulent plant in temperatures above 15°C/59°F because the cold can kill it.
Substratum:
This plant does not demand a specific substrate type, but there is something you must comply with: drainage.
Monadenium ritchiei does not tolerate excess water, so the substrate you use must drain water properly.
The ideal is to use soil mixed with sand, vermiculite, and pumice to facilitate drainage.
You can also choose to buy a specific substrate for cacti and succulents.
Another option is to plant it in peat mixed with perlite in equal parts; this will lower the risk of root rot.
Fertilizer:
It does not require specific fertilizer, but if you add organic fertilizer (such as compost), it will help your plant. Or you can buy some specific fertilizer for cacti and succulents and add the dose that the package says.
Remember, you should only add it in summer every 15 days or once a month, no more.
Diseases:
These succulent can be attacked in late spring by mealybug, spider mite, mildew, and whitefly pests, but it is largely avoided if kept indoors. Control your plant.
The symptoms produced by the red spider’s attacks are, on the upper side of the leaves, yellowish or grayish spots appear all over the leaf.
The attack of the whitefly produces yellowish leaves that end up dying.
Propagation:
Monadenium ritchiei is propagated by the stems emerging from the base of the plant.
But the easiest way to propagate by cuttings, when doing so, make sure to let the cut wound heal for a few days before planting them in a sand-based substrate.
Pruning:
It does not need pruning.
Transplant:
You should transplant this succulent every three years, at least.
Remember to transplant during spring or summer, never in winter.