r/EuphorbiasandCaudex

​🪴 Here’s a trick I use for growing my Fockea edulis. I acquired this small specimen back in 2005, and watching it develop over the last 21 years has been incredibly rewarding.

​🪴 A few years ago, I decided to raise the caudex to showcase its textured bark structure. However, exposing a Fockea caudex to air slows its growth compared to keeping it underground. To solve this, I added an extended metal collar around the top of the pot. I filled this upper section with a very coarse, high-mineral substrate—combining pine bark, scoria, and pea gravel. This surrounds the trunk to keep it dark and moist while ensuring maximum airflow. I also periodically disturb this top layer, so any new sucker roots don't take hold, focusing growth deep down in the pot where it's needed.

​🪴 A couple of years ago, I gave the vine canopy a severe hard prune, and after a year, it bounced back with extreme vigour. Pruning the canopy in late winter or early spring stops the plant from pushing all its energy into long vines and redirects those nutrients down into expanding the caudex base and root system.

​🪴 When pruning, it is critical to leave at least two inches of stem stub above the main caudex, as cutting too close can trigger stem dieback or allow rot to enter the main body. You can use sulfur or cinnamon to seal cut stems, as both help prevent pathogens from infecting the wound.

​🪴 When it is time to remove the collar, it just slides off, allowing me to easily remove the layer of filler down to the original top-dressing soil line.

​🪴 The collar tricks the caudex into thinking it is still deep underground. This encourages the plant to focus on caudex growth and prevents root disturbance that could cause rot—all without needing to repot until it truly outgrows the container. It's a neat trick to fatten up the caudex and a great technique for beginners growing Fockea or any species that needs to have its caudex buried!

​🪴 At the end of the day, your Fockea edulis caudex is already raised. 😊👍🏻

​Happy Gardening! 😊 👋🏻👋🏻 🌵🪴🌵

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Time to fatten up! You can clearly see the fresh growth splitting through the fissures as these Dioscorea elephantipes caudexes bulk up for the winter active season.

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Here is one of my Euphorbia mammillaris f. variegata plants, aka "Corn Cob." It became so top-heavy that I had to support the main stem and use a rock to weigh down the pot; without it, the pot would have tipped right over and snapped the plant.

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I purchased this Euphorbia mammillaris f. variegata in 2005 from a collector who was selling off his collection. I happened to arrive late, so most of his better specimens had already been sold. All that was left were trays of odds and ends—a heap of different species like Echinocereus, Copiapoa, Gymnocalycium, Echinopsis, Euphorbia, Mammillaria, and many unnamed others. He was selling them at a reduced price in 2.5" (6.5 cm) pots. Since it was the end of the day and he wanted to clear out as much as possible, he made me a deal I couldn't refuse for 7 trays, each holding 20 pots. I've lost a few over the years, but the majority are still in my collection and a heck of a lot bigger now. That purchase is actually where the majority of my current plants came from.

​Back then, this Euphorbia mammillaris f. variegata was only 6" (15 cm) tall, and now it stands at 20" (51 cm). You can also see that a few Parodia mammulosa have grown alongside it and need to be removed in the near future. 🤩

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They are very slow-growing because the high amount of white pigmentation and lack of chlorophyll reduce their ability to photosynthesize. I'm not entirely happy with its current shape. If I had known how it was going to grow, I would have pinched the main growth point years ago to encourage branching rather than the tall look it has now.

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I've since taken a few branches off my other Euphorbia mammillaris f. variegata to test that exact technique with great success. I'll just need to pinch the growth points on those new branches in a couple of years so they branch out further and create a much fuller plant.

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I'll put a pic of the branches at the end where I have pinched the main growth point, so you can see what I mean.

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Do you have the same problem with your E. mammillaris f. variegata growing leggy, or is yours totally different?

​Happy Gardening! 😊 👋🏻👋🏻 🌵🪴🌵

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At 21 years old, this Fockea edulis features a wonderfully developed, tuberculated caudex with intertwining aerial roots and vigorous vine growth.

​Overview & Growth: Native to South Africa, Fockea edulis is a semi-deciduous caudiciform vine prized for its swollen, woody base (caudex) and rough, warty bark. In the wild, the caudex stays mostly subterranean to store water but raised specimens in culture form striking, bonsai-like specimens. 😊👍🏻

Optimal Growing Conditions Light:

● ​Light: Bright indirect light with morning sun; shelter from intense afternoon heat.

● ​Substrate: Fast-draining, gritty mix (pumice, scoria, coarse sand) with low organic matter.

● ​Watering: Spring/Summer: Water thoroughly when fully dry.

● ​Winter: Keep nearly dry; give light sips only if kept warm.

● ​Temperature: Best at 18–28°C. Can take short dips to 2–5°C if bone dry, but keep frost-free.

● ​Pruning: Trim or trellis fast-growing vines to maintain shape and promote denser top growth.

Happy Gardening! 😊 👋🏻👋🏻 🌵🪴🌵

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Thought I’d share this specimen with the group today. I’ve had this Euphorbia flanaganii in my collection for 21 years now.

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​Over the decades, the central caudex has thickened up into a solid pedestal as old lower arms retired, and the crown is currently pushing out a dense head of new growth and cyathia.

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​It’s easily one of the most rewarding species to watch develop over the long haul. How long have you been growing your oldest Medusa-head, and how is its caudex shaping up?

Happy Gardening! 😊 👋🏻👋🏻 🌵🪴🌵

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