Poinsettia – A Christmas plant
(Euphorbia pulcherrima)
Poinsettia has become the plant of Christmas. All houses, public buildings, town roads, are decorated with Poinsettias. It does not feel like Christmas if Poinsettias are not present. Garden centers and flower shops are flooded with mostly the red but also the white and pink poinsettias.
Poinsettia comes from Mexico. In its habitat it is a perennial shrub that can reach 3 meters in height. It comes from the Euphorbiaceae family which is one of the largest plant families.
Most people thing that the showy part of the plant are its flowers but those are actually coloured bracts (modified leaves).
The most important aspect in your poinsettias making it throughout Christmas is above all a careful selection. Below are a few factors to take into consideration when choosing your poinsettias:
The leaves should be dark green
The bracts should be completely colored
Do not choose plants with yellowing leaves
The plant should look full and balanced from all sides
It should not be drooping or wilting
If the soil is wet but the plant is still wilting, most probably there is root rot.
A Poinsettia is expected to last for a few weeks, usually 4-6 weeks, so that it looks great during Christmas. In order to achieve that, certain basic rules should be followed:
Make your choice of plants following the above mentioned factors to take into consideration.
Keep the plant away from cold or warm drafts, like radiators, open doors or windows (during cold days), fire place etc
High temperatures will shorten a plants life, so will too low
Check your soil daily for water but water only when soil is dry. Water thoroughly and discard excess water from the saucer
Do not fertilize while poinsettia is in flower.
If your poinsettia makes it through the holiday season, it can be planted outside. Keep it in a sheltered spot until the weather warms up and fertilize with a general purpose soluble fertilizer once a month.
