The pencil cactus belongs to the Euphorbia family. As with most of the cacti, the pencil cactus is a succulent plant. The succulent plant has the ability to store water inside their stems and leaves so that they can withstand a long period of time without water. The pencil cactus is named that way because of the long and skinny leaves that look like pencils. The plant is also common by another name, the Milkbush, because it has the ability to release the cloudy sap when it is inured. The sap contains toxins and the toxins can even cause problems in people, let alone smaller animals.
Although the toxic contents will make you need to be careful when carrying or caring for the plant. This cactus is a good indoor plant, however, if you have children in the house, then you should keep it out of the children’s reach. On any circumstances of the care, you should wear both gloves and goggles. Besides that, if you want to place the cactus indoor, you would also need to place them near the light as they need high level or light. To thrive, then need the moderately low moisture environment.
If you love plants buy you are busy, then the pencil cactus is the perfect choice for you. It needs so little care and even when you are too busy that for a time you would neglect the care, for example you are on a business trip to another city for a few weeks, it can still grow as long as it is in the perfect location of high light. The perfect soil for the plant is the one that is slightly gritty as well as well draining. The plant does not enjoy too much water and it can die because of overwater. Therefore, make sure that the pot has a good drainage system that will help the evaporation of the excess water.
The pencil cactus needs fertilizer, too. However, just like the other euphorbia plants, it has the high ability to adapt to the limited nutrients in the soil, so to thrive the plant, you simply need to give the fertilizer once a year during spring. As for the water, you need to give it just enough or water it every two or three weeks during the summer, once in two or three weeks during the spring and fall but none at all during the winter.
