Euphorbia Tirucalli

Discussion in 'Cacti and Succulents' started by crazedgardener, Nov 22, 2009.

  1. crazedgardener

    crazedgardener Member

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    San Diego, California, USA
    There are two Pencil Catcus growing on the edge of the canyon behind my home. They are approximately 8-10' tall and 5-6' wide.

    There is a perfect sized empty plot in front of the cactus that I wish to use as a vegetable garden. To the right of the plot is a very large, very old Valencia Orange tree.(Fabulous producer)

    Is there a problem planting veggies due to cactus? I have grown a vegetable garden in this plot, several times, but before the cactus were rescued, as babies, and planted there.

    Thank You,
    I appreciate your help.
     
  2. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    E. tirucalli is toxic in and of itself, but I wouldn't worry too much about planting close to it. I use it as perimeter fencing and grow corn right up to within about a foot of it, with no ill effects to myself, the corn, or the cacti.
     
  3. SusanDunlap

    SusanDunlap Active Member

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    Are you worried about watering your veggies near the Euphorbia?
     
  4. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Oh, E. tirucalli will take all the water you can give it without a fuss.
     
  5. SusanDunlap

    SusanDunlap Active Member

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    Thanks lorax, good to know. can you post pics of your Euphorbia fence?
     
  6. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    I actually don't live there anymore - I've moved 3 times since I had the Euphorbia fence! I have pics of the individual plants before I made the fence, but I don't think I have any of what it looked like when I was finished - it was an interwoven thing of E. tirucalli and Xyloxanthum spp, definitely something that robbers wouldn't want to come through!
     
  7. SusanDunlap

    SusanDunlap Active Member

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    I give up - got in a funny loop when I googled Xyloxanthum out of curiousity....try it out....

    http://www.google.com/search?client...en&source=hp&q=Xyloxanthum&btnG=Google+Search
     
  8. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    LOL! Xyloxanthum is Szechuan Pepper. It's got wicked recurved thorns like cat claws.
     
  9. Silver surfer

    Silver surfer Generous Contributor 10 Years

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    I think I can see what has happened. I think Lorax may have mis spelt Xyloxanthum. It is therefore the only one on www to have that spelling, which was what took you in a circle Susan.

    Try Zanthoxylum!

    http://www.google.com/search?q=Zant...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7SUNA_en-GB
     
  10. SusanDunlap

    SusanDunlap Active Member

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    Thank you Silver surfer. Yet again you are a great source of information.

    My 'false' journey bore fruit - lead to wonderful sites about the use of living fences. And, to long, long lost bits of information about "The Chagga home gardens: A multi-storeyed agro-forestry cropping system on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Northern Tanzania."
     
  11. Nath

    Nath Active Member

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    I think Lorax must have given it the old Ecudorian Maya/Inca spelling Ha Ha! Easy done in Latin America. Its good to have Silver Surfer to sort us all out.

    I have a couple of Euphorbia that I was given that I need to identify and if I get time at the weekend SS I would be grate ful if I post some pics if you could please identify them for me.

    Muchisimas Gracias!!

    Nath
     
  12. SusanDunlap

    SusanDunlap Active Member

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    Will you be posting a new thread?
     
  13. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Yup, that'll teach me to post without spell-checking. Boy is my face red....
     
  14. SusanDunlap

    SusanDunlap Active Member

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    giggle OL. Hay, it was worth it, or, the sterile site bore fruit. Lead directly to finding out about the Tanzania gardens.
     

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