What Is a Euphorbia Lomelii?
It’s a succulent plant, sometimes referred to as the slipper plant. It has beautiful purplish bracts (flowers) that grow on a stalk in cymes (clusters), and it looks like an upside-down ice cream cone! The Euphorbia Lomelii gets its name from the botanist who discovered it in 1801, a Mr. Lomelii.
Euphorbia Lomelii Care & Maintenance:
Euphorbia Lomelii is succulents, which means that they are able to store water in their leaves or stems. They need very little water and regular sunlight.
Light Requirements:
Euphorbia Lomelii plants require bright light but not direct sunlight. They can be placed outside in an area that receives 2-4 hours of sun, or left inside where they will get lots of indirect sunlight. A south-facing window is ideal for the best growth and flowering.
Sunlight
The amount of sunlight your plant will need will depend upon where you live. If you’re unsure, check online with the weather in your area and see when the sun shines for most of the day.
Euphorbia Lomelii is often grown outside in warm areas like Florida, but it can be placed indoors on a sunny windowsill all year long with little to no special care and a little water every few weeks.
Watering:
Euphorbia Lomelii does not need much water at all. The best way to know when they actually need water is to feel the soil with your finger. If it’s dry, then add some water. There are no hard or fast rules as to how many times you should water a week or month. The best way to know if it needs water is to feel the soil and see if it’s dry.
The point of watering your succulents occasionally, rather than every time you remember is because the plant stores its own water in the leaves or stems. This stored water lasts for a few weeks and then the plant will need water.
When you do water, use warm/hot tap water. Cold water can damage or even kill the plants by shocking them. But hot tap water should be ok since the Euphorbia Lomelii is used to living in high heat (the reason why they look like an upside-down ice cream cone).
Watering Tips:
1. Water only when the soil is dry. You can use your finger to check the soil for moisture. If it’s dry, then water thoroughly and make sure there are no puddles. If you add too much water, let it drain through naturally (which could take days).
2. If you choose to water more than once a week or month, then be aware that the leaves will begin to rot if you over water (especially in warm climates where it’s hot all year long). Don’t worry about this too much, because most people end up watering their plants only when they actually need water.
3. If your leaves begin to rot, the plant will not die on you but it will be less beautiful. Just remove them and let new, healthier-looking leaves grow in their place. Don’t throw out plants that have rotted leaves unless they are so bad you can’t miss them (or they are in flower).
Euphorbia Lomelii is very easy to care for, and they can grow up to 2 feet tall. The flowers will last only a few days, but the plant itself can last years if taken care of properly!
Soil Requirements:
Euphorbia Lomelii prefers soil that is very draining with lots of permeability. This means the water will run right through the soil and out to the roots instead of pooling at the bottom of the pot.
Unexpectedly, they also prefer soil that has some ‘grit’ in it (which most people don’t realize). They are planted directly into the ground or in pots filled with sand for this reason.
The finer soils tend to clog up around their feet and cause them to harm as well as preventing proper drainage, which can lead to rot and fungus growth on leaves and stems. So be sure your soil is gritty or sandy.
Temperature and Humidity Requirements:
The Euphorbia Lomelii does not require any specific temperature. The normal room temperatures should be fine. The plant can withstand high heat and low cold, so they are very hardy in that sense.
Euphorbia Lomelii will bloom much better if you keep them fairly humid (as most succulents like). You don’t have to make a full-on terrarium for this purpose, but it wouldn’t hurt either.
Fertilizer or Soil Additives:
You shouldn’t fertilize your E Lomeli as these plants almost never need fertilizer added to them. Fertilizers will actually harm the plant instead of helping it because sometimes feeding can cause rot.
Fertilizing Requirements:
The E Lomeli generally consists of thick, succulent leaves that store a lot of water. It can grow in soils with no real drainage and survive just fine. Because it stores so much energy as part of its leaves, you don’t have to worry about feeding it too often.
If you do choose to fertilize your plant, then only feed it once every few months (and never during flowering). You can use standard cactus food if you must, but there are organic options available at your local gardening shop that won’t harm the plant at all.
The main thing is to not feed them too much or they will begin to rot and lose their beauty! Less is more when it comes to feeding your plant.
You should never need to water your plant after you first set it up. If the soil is still moist, then don’t worry about watering at all for a couple of weeks (or months).
If the soil is completely dry, then add enough water into the pot until it drains out of the bottom and puddles are gone.
Add more as needed if you notice that it is drying too quickly or not draining properly. If you see these symptoms, then consider adding some perlite or grit to your soil mix to prevent this problem in the future.
Euphorbia Lomelii can be grown indoor and outdoors with ease! Just make sure they have proper drainage whether indoors or outside.
They do like to be a little warm, but the cold won’t kill them. If you live in a colder climate, then move your plant into a sunny spot closer to where you are sitting most of the time.
Euphorbia Lomelii needs very little maintenance since they grow quite slowly and only need watering once every few weeks. Here is an image that shows proper watering techniques:
In this example, the pot sits on top of some pebbles (perlite) at the bottom so any excess water can drain down.
Also, note that near the end of the branch there is a little white spot that looks like it’s rotting? That will eventually fall off! Just watch out for moldy leaves or anything else strange-looking.
For more images from fellow growers, check out this page on Euphorbia Lomelii by the Eden Project.
If you have any questions about how to look after your E Lomeli or want to post an image of yours, then comment below and I will get back to you ASAP! Make sure to subscribe via email so that you don’t miss future posts from me!
Potting and repotting Requirements:
The Euphorbia Lomelii can grow in the same pot for up to 10 years or more so make sure you have a good container.
The plant likes to stay fairly small, usually only growing around 6 inches every few years or so. I would recommend using an 8-inch diameter pot if your soil is very loose or 5-6 inch diameter if it is on the dense side. Extremely dense soils may require repotting into a bigger pot but this is still fairly rare with these plants.
Euphorbia Lomelii doesn’t need any repotting as often as most other succulents: once every five years should be fine (and even that might not be necessary). Ideally, you would want to repot in the spring and only when absolutely necessary.
Repotted Euphorbia Lomelii is a little sensitive for about a month after being moved so they aren’t the best choice of plants if you move around a lot!
If you do decide to take on repotting then here is some step by step instructions to follow:
Take out any dead roots with very firm fingers, cut them off or break them free and then remove them from the pot. As long as your plant isn’t rotting or falling apart, it should be fine in its original pot! Mix up your new soil mix at half strength (soil: perlite 1:1)
Take your entire plant out of its old pot and then gently remove the next two to three inches of soil that is surrounding your plant.
Gently knock off excess soil from your roots with a finger and then use a chopstick or other pointy object to poke holes in your original pot so it can drain properly. Now add the new soil mix around your plant, firm up but don’t pack down too hard.
Water well (until water is draining from the bottom) and wait until it drains properly before you move it back into its final home! Here is an image showing what I mean by knocking off excess soil.
Euphorbia Lomelii Propagation info:
Euphorbia Lomelii is propagated the same way as most other Euphorbias, by cuttings! They will root in water or soil to form a new plant. If you are planning on growing your E. Lomelii indoors then I would recommend rooting them in water first so that it is easier for you to move around and take care of them.
Bend a cutting into the shape shown below and keep it somewhere warm with good light for 2-3 months until roots start growing from the bottom (this only takes one attempt).
Once roots appear, move your cutting out of its old pot and add some fresh soil to its new container before moving it back into place! There is a great video by Mat Boggs which shows how to propagate and plant out your Euphorbias in soil, check that out here:
Here is a picture showing a new cutting before leafing out after 2-3 months of root growth. You can see the white roots coming off of it!
Euphorbia Lomelii (and other species) are not very picky when it comes to soil as long as you add some pebbles or perlite for drainage!
This species also grows best with some direct exposure to sunlight (if kept indoors). It will start getting weaker and sickly if kept completely away from any light source so make sure it gets at least 4-5 hours per day if you are growing it indoors!
E. Lomelii doesn’t need a lot of water either so once every 3-4 weeks should be enough unless the soil stays very dry all the time.
If your E. Lomelii looks like this then you are probably overwatering it (it is fine to water more than once per month if your plant really needs it but otherwise, stick to one good watering session each month!).
There are multiple different kinds of pests and diseases that can spread to Euphorbia Lomelii plants so make sure you keep an eye out for any problems that might arise (this will usually be pretty apparent as soon as they happen).
This succulent won’t do well with too much fertilizer either so only fertilize once in the spring and again in the summer if your plant is growing slowly. As long as you keep your E. Lomelii away from any pests, diseases, and overwatering then it will grow to its full size of two feet or more!
Euphorbia Lomelii is not perfect for everyone’s taste (the leaves are triangular which some people don’t like) but they sure do have a beauty all of their own!
They are extremely easy to grow and propagate so anyone who wants to try out some new plants should start with this one first! Thanks for reading and I hope this helps you take care of your E. Lomelii better than before! If you want
Euphorbia Lomelii Pest Problems & Solutions:
If your Euphorbia Lomelii starts getting too dry or if you start seeing some water droplets on top of the soil even though you didn’t water it recently, then just pour a small amount of water into the pot (don’t overdo it as this can cause root rot in succulents).
The first time this happens try to let it drain properly before pouring more so that excess water doesn’t end up going down and rotting roots. If you don’t see any improvement after three days then, by all means, do proper watering until your plant looks better!
If there are white patches appearing on the edges of leaves or your euphorbia is turning yellow then that is usually sign that pests or diseases are present.
There are a number of different ways to treat pests and diseases on your succulents but one thing that you can do is eliminate any sources of water nearby (this means putting down potted plants or anything else that might interfere with drainage).
Also make sure there aren’t any stray drops of water around your plant! If all else fails then isolate the infected plant and keep an eye on how it recovers before treating it again if necessary.
