Euphorbia bougheyi - treatment for fungal infection

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by KathyF, Dec 11, 2020.

  1. KathyF

    KathyF New Member

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    I have a small Euphorbia bougheyi that has developed numerous small spots of fungus along the edges of the flattened stems. I would like to treat it with a systemic fungicide but since the plant is basically dormant, would this even be possible? What about fertilizer at this point in time? Does anyone have some advice? I am also seeing contradictory advice on lighting. I always thought the plant prefers a lot of sun but have read some sites recommending shade. Any help is greatly appreciated.
     
  2. Tom Hulse

    Tom Hulse Active Member 10 Years

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    Hi Kathy, yes it's possible, although it may not help much unless you also change the growth conditions that allowed it to go fungal in the first place. In decent growing conditions the plant itself has its own power to repel fungal infections. Those are usually a symptom of too-low light, too-wet soil, too-cold temps, or some combination of those. Fertilizer does not work like medicine for a sick plant, but it helps a healthy plant grow faster.
    For lighting, two things I see can cause the conflicting advice you saw: one is that there is a very popular variegated form of this that would of course do better in very slightly less light than it's all green counterpart. Some people interpret this wrongly as 'all variegated plants need shade'. The second factor is that dappled shade in the outdoors in Mozambique, like this picture, is actually similar to full sun in a south window of many northern homes. Notice that sun is directly hitting the leaves for a large portion of the day even though the scene generally feels "shady".
     
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  3. KathyF

    KathyF New Member

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    Thank you, Tom, for this sensible advise! I am adjusting the growing conditions to give the plant the best chance of recovery. My guess is that the plant may have received too frequent watering and the soil in the pot was depleted of nutrients. I have to admit that I am just guessing at the particular species due to lack of access to a Euphorbia key. I have looked at many, many photos and bougheyi is the closest I have seen. I am a retired botanist but my career emphasis was on native vegetation of the western US, so horticultural species are not my forte! Again, I appreciate your comments!
     

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