herrwood said:Plenty of good advice I think I am about ready to operate.
As I do not know a lot about gardening in general I do whatever seems to make sense
which usually works ok for me. This plant is one I do not want to screw up, its my wife's so When the top is removed can I just put it in the new soil. That is what i do with my outside Opuntia ( I am only now learning these names) and they just keep on growing.
I have been reading here about letting a plant dry and root before cutting which does have me confused as what to do.
Ed
Not to worry, Euphorbias are easy to start. I have had a 95% success rate. Unlike cactus, you do not need to stand the cutting on top of the 'dirt'. It is easier to make them stand up buy burying the cut end. For a 12 inch tall cutting I use a 3 inch x 3 inch deep pot of well drained mix. Wet the mix first, make a wide enough hole almost to the bottom of the pot and pack the dirt around the cutting.
The roots will grow out of the bottom cut in a month or two and the top will put on new growth to let you know it is happening. Water it when the dirt gets dry, but don't let the dirt stay dry for too long or the new, tender roots will die. I would re-pot it next spring when the root ball is full. Some species like E. grandialata take 6 or more months to root. Most are quick and easy.
You do need to let the cutting dry or "harden". This takes overnight or a couple days at most. This is true of all succulents except for cactus. Cactus need to form a callus, which can take months.
I always start cactus cuttings on the top of the soil and start 'tree type' Euphorbias buried in the soil mix.
