Poinsettia (Euphorbia is the finest), or the Christmas star, has recently become a very popular house plant for the winter holidays. Nothing is so pleasing to the eye in the winter cold, in a period when there are so few blooming plants, as the beautiful inflorescences of the “Christmas star”. Poinsettia is a perfect find that can serve as both a table decoration and an ornamental plant, which will undoubtedly stand out from other indoor flowers in winter. Once I saw this “Christmas miracle” at a friend’s for the New Year, the next week I rushed to buy it. For several years now, poinsettia has been decorating our New Year holidays.
Poinsettia is the queen of New Year’s holidays. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Lindsay Beyerstein
The traditions associated with this plant came to us from Europe, but now these beauties appear in abundance in our stores at the beginning of winter. Poinsettias deservedly enjoy the love of their owners, primarily for their durability (most of them live and retain their decorative appeal for many years), unpretentiousness and originality or beauty of their appearance.
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Description of poinsettia
Poinsettia, Latin – Eupohorbia pulherrima, folk – Euphorbia most beautiful, Christmas star. An evergreen shrub of the Euphorbia family, native to the tropical region of Mexico and Central America.
Euphorbia is the most beautiful or poinsettia – it was named the Star of Bethlehem in honor of the fact that it blooms colorfully on Catholic Christmas. It has bright green tender large leaves, the leaves located under the inflorescences in some varieties are bright red, in others – pink or white, the flowers themselves are small.
Poinsettias are shrubs up to 1,2-3 m tall, the stem is simple and branching. The branches are thick and bare. The leaves are oblong-oval, wedge-shaped at the base, pointed at the apex, notched-lobed, glabrous or pubescent. Poinsettia flowers are collected in the form of a rosette; flower bedspreads are small. Bracts densely located at the top of the shoots, lanceolate, whole-edged or notched-lobed, bright blood-red (create a decorative plant).
There are poinsettia varieties with red, white, pink, apricot, bicolor bracts.
Poinsettia on the festive table. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Floradania Marketing
Calendar of works
April May
The poinsettia is transplanted annually in the spring (usually in April-May). In March, the stems are cut by 1/3 (leaving 3-5 of the strongest buds on the stem) and the poinsettia is placed on a sunny window in a warm room. Sprinkle with slightly warmed water. When leaves appear, the plant is transplanted into a pot, slightly larger than the previous one.
The substrate is slightly acidic (pH about 6). It can be composed of clay-sod, leaf, peat soil and sand in a ratio of 3: 2: 1: 1. Good drainage is essential. After transplanting, the plant is placed in a warm place (about 20 ยฐ C) and begins to water and spray abundantly.
Soon, new shoots will begin to appear on the poinsettia bush. Only a few (5-6 strongest) shoots should be left, and the rest should be removed. Pruned shoots can be used as propagation cuttings
June August
This type of milkweed needs a sunny place, but in the hottest hours in summer it will need shading. Watered abundantly in summer, as the top layer of the substrate dries up.
September
From the end of September, it is necessary to maintain the plant’s illumination regime: the poinsettia should spend 12-14 hours a day in the dark. You can cover the poinsettia with a dark plastic bag and remove it only in the morning, or you can just put the pot in a dark place. Do this for 8 weeks and then return the poinsettia to your usual care.
January March
Flowering period.
February
After flowering poinsettia many throw away, but if desired (if you have enviable patience and perseverance), it can be made to bloom more than once. Watering is gradually reduced when the leaves fall off, all stems are cut at a height of 10-12 cm from the soil. The pot is removed to a dark, cool place and hardly watered, a dormant period begins. The plant needs it to rest and bloom again in a year.
Conditions for growing poinsettia
The temperature is moderate, in summer they are kept at + 20 … 25 ยฐ ะก. In winter, the dormant period is at a temperature of about +16 ยฐ ะก, at least + 10..12 ยฐ ะก.
Poinsettia need bright lighting both in winter and summer. Euphorbia loves a lot of light, but it is necessary to gradually accustom them to the direct sun in spring and summer so that no burns remain. The best place for milkweed is the sill of the south or southeast window. Make sure that there is sufficient lighting in winter.
Milkweed is resistant to dry air, but regular spraying with warm water is very beneficial.
ะัะฐะฝัะตััะธั (Euphorbia pulcherrima). Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Mary Winterton
Poinsettia care
Watering
Poinsettia prefers moderate watering in spring and summer, about twice a week, in autumn it is better to reduce watering, and in winter it is rarely watered when kept cool. Succulent species, for example, are watered about once a month in winter. Water for irrigation is soft, at room temperature. During the period of growth and flowering, the soil of the euphorbia should not dry out completely.
Fertilizer
During the period of growth and flowering of poinsettia, they are fed with a special fertilizer for indoor plants, feeding every two weeks. For flowering species of milkweed, potash fertilizers are used; for non-flowering species, fertilizers for cacti can be used.
ะัะฐะฝัะตััะธั (Euphorbia pulcherrima). Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Kate Sellig
The rest period
Poinsettia has a pronounced rest period. When the leaves fall off, cut the stems at a height of 10 cm from the soil level and place the pot in a cool shady place. At this time, it is necessary to sharply limit watering. But at the beginning of May, the plant is transferred into a slightly larger pot and watering begins until shoots appear.
Excess shoots of poinsettia are removed, leaving only 3-4 of the strongest ones. They are also regularly fed. From the end of September, it is important to maintain the lighting regime.
Poinsettia transplant
Soil – 1 part sod, 1 part leaf, 1 part peat land, 1 part sand and brick chips. Young plants are transplanted annually or after a year, old ones – after two or three years.
Feeding poinsettia
Poinsettia should be fed every 2 weeks from spring to autumn with full mineral fertilizer of normal concentration. During the period of growth and flowering, it is fed with a special fertilizer for indoor plants every two weeks. For flowering species, potash fertilizers are used; for non-flowering species, fertilizers for cacti can be used.
Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima)
Reproduction of poinsettia
Poinsettia is propagated by apical stem cuttings in summer. Cutting off a stalk with 4-5 internodes, remove the lower leaves and place it in very warm water for 15-20 minutes. If not rinsed, the milky juice will clog the vessels, and the stalk will most likely not take root. It is advised to air dry, and sprinkle the cuts on the mother plant with crushed coal. Then the cuttings are placed in a wet mixture of sand and peat, deeply buried and covered with a film, and placed in a warm place (up to 24 ยฐ C). Can also be rooted in an opaque container in plain water.
After rooting, young shoots of poinsettia are planted in a fertile soil mixture consisting of equal parts of leafy, turfy land, peat and sand. Make good drainage in the pot. It is preferable to plant 3-5 plants in one pot in order to get a lush, beautiful bush. This is how, effortlessly, in the winter you can get your own bouquet of flaming “Christmas stars”.
Poinsettia diseases and pests
Big harm to poinsettia is caused by worms that cover the leaves with honeydew. Due to excessive waterlogging of the soil or insufficient watering, leaves may wilt or even fall off. Leaves can suddenly fall off without signs of wilting in a draft or when exposed to too low a temperature. In insufficient light, the leaves wilt and fall off.
In hot and too dry air in the room, the edges of the poinsettia leaves turn yellow or brown, the inflorescences fall off. Yellowing and drying of the leaves and even the dying off of the plant are a sign of damage by spider mites. Thrips cause the appearance of elongated wavy spots on the leaves and their folding.
