How to Grow Baseball Plant (Euphorbia obesa)

Euphorbia obesa

If you’re a succulent fan, you’ll want to get to know the baseball plant, Euphorbia obesa.

As the common name suggests, this plant resembles the signature object of America’s favorite pastime – the baseball, with a few botanical embellishments.

Also called sea urchin plant for its resemblance to the marine creature, this species is native to the Cape Province region of South Africa, particularly the Great Karoo semi-arid desert basin.

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Baseball plant has a leafless fleshy stem adept at storing water to sustain itself in one of the world’s harshest climates.

But Mother Nature didn’t just endow the smooth, green globe with function.

The vertical ridges resemble stitches, intersecting horizontal pinkish-purple markings that show best in full sun, for a tartan-like appearance. And it’s topped off with a crown of tiny greenish-yellow springtime blossoms.

The flowers are nondescript but unique because they may be male, with pollen-coated anthers, or female, with stigmas.

And while rare, a single plant may have both male and female flowers, and the gender may change over the years.

Our guide to growing euphorbia provides an overview of the genus. This article focuses on the unique characteristics of E. obesa.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

The baseball plant has a taproot and grows a single globe. As it ages, the stem elongates into an egg-shaped or cylindrical column.

Mature dimensions are six to eight inches tall with a spread of three to four inches. Brown, bark-like “cork” at the base is a natural part of the maturation process.

In addition to the primary species, there is a subspecies, E. obesa subsp. symmetrica, that is spherical, but flattened, rather than columnar.

If you are a cactus aficionado, you may notice that this subspecies resembles the sand dollar cactus, Astrophytum asterias, endemic to Texas and Mexico. It has similar care requirements.

You’ll find attractive placements for baseball plants outdoors in small-scale xeriscapes, such as rock gardens, where water-wise, low-maintenance flora creates a virtually self-sustaining growing environment.

How to Grow

The Great Karoo region of the Cape Province of South Africa has a semi-desert climate that sustains only the most drought-tolerant species.

It’s a rugged wilderness with temperatures that may soar to 104°F and dip to 32°F.

Growers in semi-arid regions of Zones 9 to 12 should be able to find conditions suitable for cultivation.

In areas that experience freezing temperatures and frost, it’s best to grow baseball plants in containers and bring them indoors for the winter.

Additional cultural requirements include:

Light

A full-sun outdoor location is best. In the warmest Zones, light afternoon shade helps to prevent overexposure and sunscald. Houseplants require bright, indirect sunlight.

Soil

Learn how to make your own succulent potting mix here.

Water

Because oversaturation is likely to cause rotting, I suggest you use a moisture meter to guide watering.

Germinating seeds and seedlings in seed trays need consistently moist soil. It should never dry completely, nor should it be soggy.

After potting, allow the containers to dry completely, then water them deeply until water runs out of the drainage holes.

Allow the top one to two inches of ground soil to dry out before watering in-ground baseball plants.

Once established, they exhibit high drought tolerance but require supplemental moisture during prolonged dry spells.

When the days grow shorter in the fall, baseball plants enter dormancy.

Water them sparingly once or twice, and resume regular watering when the days lengthen in the spring and growth resumes.

Avoid overwatering to prevent root rot. It’s better to err on the side of underwatering and having plants shrivel a bit than to risk rotting.

Fertilizer

While the baseball plant is not a heavy feeder, some growers prefer to feed once or twice during the growing season with a liquid cactus and succulent food diluted to half-strength.

The ideal product should be mild with low nitrogen content, such as an NPK ratio of 0.5-1-1.

Miracle-Gro Succulent Plant Food has an NPK ratio of 0.5-1-1, ideal for baseball plants.

Miracle-Gro Succulent Fertilizer

Miracle-Gro Succulent Plant Food is available from Miracle-Gro via Amazon.

Be sure to dilute it to half-strength and apply it only once or twice per growing season to avoid burning tender roots.

Where to Buy

E. obesa is endangered in the wild. You can sometimes source seeds collected from cultivated flora as well as plants propagated through reputable specialty growers.

Also, you may not know if you have a more columnar E. obesa or the more flattened symmetrica subspecies, unless the grower knows and can provide those details.

Baseball Euphorbia

You can find baseball euphorbia in three-inch pots available from EKT Nursery via Walmart.

Maintenance

Baseball plants are easy to care for. There is no need to prune or deadhead flowers, and slow growth and a preference for a snug fit mean container-grown specimens seldom need repotting.

When the roots poke through a pot’s drainage holes, move to the next pot size. There should be no more than an inch of space around the stem(s) and under the root mass.

Growers in regions that experience freezing temperatures and frost should bring containers indoors to locations with bright, indirect sunlight until the last frost date has passed in the spring.

Propagation

From Seed

If you have male and female specimens, you can encourage pollination by using an artist’s fine paintbrush to transfer pollen from the male anthers to the female stigma.

Successful pollination results in the formation of capsules containing a few seeds.

Because the capsules forcibly eject the seeds when they are ripe, you’ll have to contain them.

To do so, place a sunlight-permeable mesh bag over the top of the baseball and secure the bottom with a string. When the capsules dry and rupture, the seeds will be inside.

Carefully remove the bag without dropping the seeds. For a potted specimen, cover the soil with paper or screening, upend the container and detach the bag containing the seeds.

Remove the seeds from the capsule and store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight, until spring.

Learn more about how to grow succulents from seed here.

Dividing Offsets

E. obesa usually grows as a single globe. While rare, sometimes a baseball plant may produce offsets either next to the parent or on the top of the globe – usually a result of damage to the apex.

Side offsets with their own roots may be divided and transplanted. Top offsets lack roots and are unlikely to grow if they are detached from the parent.

When they are at least two inches in diameter, gently separate the offsets from the parent with their roots attached.

Choose a well-draining pot measuring an inch wider than the offset(s) and an inch deeper than the roots and transplant as discussed below.

Learn more about propagating succulents from offsets.

Transplanting

To transplant into a container:

Choose a vessel that allows an inch or so of space between the edge of the globe and the side of the pot.

Fill it three-quarters full of cactus and succulent potting medium.

Push a hole into the soil just deep enough to bury the roots.

Space one or multiple baseball plants one inch apart and one inch from the pot rim.

Wait a week to water, and then water when the container is completely dry.

To transplant into the garden:

Dig a hole as deep and wide as the root ball and set the plant at the same depth as it was in its original container.

Pests and Disease

Animals usually don’t bother with mature euphorbia, and baseball plants are not prone to pests or pathogens.

However, when we fail to meet cultural requirements, they become more susceptible to both. Here are some problems you may encounter:

Herbivores

Tender seedlings and young plants are susceptible to rodent feeding, so starting them indoors is essential. When they mature, they are tougher and less appealing.

Pests

Sapsucking insects use piercing mouthparts to feed on sap, stunting growth and causing the fleshy stem to turn yellow.

Their sticky excrement, or “honeydew,” is a breeding ground for sooty mold. In addition, they may vector incurable plant viruses.

Aphids and mealybugs are prevalent in warm, humid environments. They prefer tender young succulents, especially those fed with fertilizer high in nitrogen.

Spider mites prefer hot and dry conditions and you will usually notice the fine webbing these tiny arachnids leave behind.

For all three, the best course of action is to rinse off as many pests as possible with a gentle spray of the faucet or hose nozzle.

Rinsing should also wash away honeydew and any sooty mold that may be present.

Because E. obesa does not have a fragile coating of wax called farina that is typical of many succulents, you can then treat affected baseball plants with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap.

Disease

Succulents growing in overly wet conditions may be affected by powdery mildew or root rot.

Powdery mildew is a fungal infection that proliferates in dark, moist areas where the air circulation is poor. It appears as a grayish, fuzzy coating.

Similarly, overcrowded, oversaturated succulents in poor light are prone to rotting.

When deprived of oxygen in oversaturated soil, the taproot withers, becoming dark, slimy, and malodorous. Next, the base of the stem above begins to darken and soften.

Prevent rotting by planting in well-draining soil, making sure containers have ample drainage holes, and avoid overwatering!

Learn more about rotting succulents here.

A Home Run

It’s fun to collect succulents with unique characteristics for the outdoor or indoor living space.

Contrasting colors, shapes, and textures make for exciting displays that require little maintenance.

The baseball plant, with its smooth, rounded form, tartan coloration, and stitch-like ridges contrasts whimsically with rosettes of echeveria and spindles of crassula, especially when it sprouts a tiny blossom crown.

If it’s time for something new, why not hit a home run with a baseball plant!

Are you growing E. obesa? Let us know in the comments section below and feel free to share a picture!

If you found this guide informative and want to learn more about succulents, we recommend the following:

• Learn How to Grow Topsy Turvy Echeveria
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• How to Grow Graptosedum ‘California Sunset’