Our Desert, Our Home: For the Love of Firesticks By Victoria Kauzlarich, Volare Let’s face it. All of us want more color in our landscapes (whether we landscape in pots or in an actual yard). And, we want color in our common areas with a huge plus going to those plants that give us winter color. One of the most reliable plants to fit that bill is Firesticks. But, before you jump on the Firesticks bandwagon, be forewarned. If I were to guess, I’d say that property owners like (and Young Firesticks, Up Close maybe love) their Firesticks for about three years. After that, they become something of a pain. I’m not trying to be discouraging, but let’s make sure you’re clear-eyed BEFORE you buy. Besides, these plants can be expensive for reasons I do not understand. It’s typical for slow growers to command high prices. These are the exception to that rule. They grow fast AND they’re expensive!
Genus & Species Firesticks are Euphorbias, known botanically as Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on Fire’. There are about 5,000 confirmed species in this genus. You’ve heard that all cacti are Mature Firesticks succulents but not all succulents Note the Background for Scale are cacti, right? If you find a succulent without spines, it is likely a Euphorbia. Many plants in this genus have odd, strange and curious shapes which make them fun experiments in pots or a landscape. Not all Euphorbias do well in the Sonoran. If you’ve fallen in love with a Euphorbia and aren’t sure it will withstand our summers in full sun or survive a frost, plant it where it will get some shade. It will be happy and reward you with many years of sustained growth. Firesticks grow best in full sun which yields fully-reddened stems in the winter months.
Rapid Growth Rate Firesticks get big - really big - and while this might be a slight exaggeration, they appear to nearly double in size every year. It doesn’t take long - about 3 years by my estimate - and you begin to wonder what to do with this cute little plant that has suddenly turned into Jabba the Hut. Honestly, San Marcos Growers describes this plant as reaching up to 25’ high and 8-10’ wide. The Mature Firesticks pictured here are pretty close to that.
Prune with Caution When a Firesticks stem is cut, it bleeds a milky-white sap that can irritate the skin. This sap drips everywhere - onto your gloves, your shoes, the ground and makes a mess of your clippers (which will need to be cleaned with a 70% alcohol solution and/or WD40). Put up with the mess and prune this plant anyway. Don’t remove too much at a time but do your best to neatly reshape it so that it fits again into its designated spot. Firesticks can and should be pruned annually long before they get out of control. Notice the shaggy look of the Mature Firesticks. Pruning will help prevent this and it will also train and control the plant.
What if Your Firesticks are Truly Out of Control? Start over. Identify the best-looking stems on the plant and remove them from the plant with a straight cut. If small branches remain near the new cut, remove those too. Leave about 6 inches of smooth stem at the bottom to make replanting easy. Put the stems in the shade for 4-5 days until the cut has hardened and, after removing the parent plant, replant as many as you want. Put them up in pots and give them to your friends as gifts. Lots of succulents can be propagated this way. If the branches are too large for a pair of clippers, use a lopper. Proper pruning requires the right tools.
Pencil Cactus
Here’s What Success Looks Like This is my Euphorbia triucalli, commonly known as a Pencil Cactus. Mine is not the ‘Sticks on Fire’ cultivar. This one stays green year round. Notice the three trunks on this plant. This plant started out as a single trunk and quickly got out of control. The three trunks you see are from the original plant. I cut them from the parent plant and saved these three pieces which I now prune one or twice a year. You can see this plant needs another pruning because it’s just shy of the roofline and will soon outgrow its spot. This tree provides an added bonus. Every fall, I cut a branch, let the cut harden and plant it in a tall pot on my patio. That pot always has a fresh Pencil Cactus, it never gets out of control. When the time comes, I pitch the old one and replace it with a new one without an ounce of guilt. After all, it’s free and there’s always more where that came from.
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