Many have come across the fact that the purchased poinsettia sheds its leaves after flowering. To avoid this, grow poinsettia correctly. The second name of poinsettia is the most beautiful euphorbia, since it belongs to the euphorbia family and genus. In its homeland, Central America and Mexico, poinsettia is a large plant reaching a height of 4 meters. These are the progenitors of the cultivated species, which will not grow more than 30-50 cm.
Description of poinsettia
Poinsettia is especially decorative in winter. Then it blooms, and around the small yellow flowers form bracts, resembling in size and shape the lance-shaped leaves of the plant. Bracts are:
- pink;
- yellow;
- white;
- two-color.
Poinsettia is very suitable and its other name - Bethlehem or "Christmas Star", as its flowering falls on this holiday. Therefore, many donate this plant to their friends and relatives. If you were presented with such a charm on New Year's holidays, you need to know how poinsettia behaves at home and what you need to do so that the plants continue to delight you in the future. Indeed, very often it is used as a "disposable". When the flower loses its decorative effect, the poinsettia leaves fly around, it is thrown away. And in vain, since with proper care the plant will bloom every winter.
Blooming poinsettia
When the leaves of the most beautiful milkweed begin to fall off at the end of winter, this does not mean that the flower is dying. It's just that the time has come when he needs to rest and retire for a while.
It is necessary to stop feeding, reduce watering. The soil should be practically dry. Cut the stems of the "Christmas Star" at a height of 15–20 cm from the ground. Euphorbia prefers to wait out the resting period in a cool, dark place. Here he will rest until May. This is how the poinsettia care at home prefers this time of year.
In April and early May, the growing season of milkweed will begin again, then put the container in which it is located on the windowsill, water and feed the poinsettia. When the leaves and stems begin to grow, then transplant the plant by transferring it into new soil.
In order for poinsettia to turn into the "Star of Bethlehem" again at home, it is important to reduce daylight hours for it to 10 hours from the beginning of October. To do this, cover the plant in the evening with an opaque pot, bucket or box. With a day of light lasting 14 hours, the milkweed will begin to form flower buds, and then the bracts will begin to open.
When this happens, periodically spray the poinsettia with lukewarm water, take care of the plant, and soon the flower with red leaves will have such a festive color. But, depending on the variety, it can please with bracts and other tones.
Poinsettia - home care
The Christmas flower prefers to dwell on the east and west windows. He does not like drafts and direct rays of the hot sun. When poinsettias begin to bloom, the air temperature should be within + 16– + 18 ° С. During the growing season, these indicators are equal to + 18– + 25 ° С, and during the dormant period + 12– + 14 ° С.
Fertilize poinsettia twice a month using complex mineral fertilizers. To make the "Christmas flower" bush well, before the plant wakes up - in early April, cut its stems so that their height is 15 cm. The second time this should be done after transplanting.
A flower with red leaves is transplanted in the spring at the beginning of the growing season - in April or in May. Poinsettia loves slightly acidic soils, so a soil consisting of:
- 3 parts of clay-sod land;
- 2 hours of leafy earth;
- 1 part sand;
- 1 tsp peat.
Pour a layer of drainage on the bottom of the pot, and the prepared soil mixture on top. The capacity should be slightly larger than the previous one. The room euphorbia is transplanted by the transshipment method.
Poinsettia - reproduction
If you want more than one flower with red leaves in your house, but several, propagate the plant. Then after 1, 5 years, you can present a poinsettia with colorful bracts to relatives or friends.
In nature, euphorbia propagates by seeds; at home, the easiest way to get a new plant is by cuttings. When you cut off the extra branches in the spring, don't throw them away. A stalk 7–10 cm long with 3–6 well-developed buds is perfect for reproduction.
Attention! Milky sap is released on the cut, it can cause burns or an allergic reaction. Therefore, these procedures must be carried out with gloves. To remove some of the poisonous liquid, the bottom of the cuttings is placed in warm water for 15 minutes. For better rooting, the lower part of the seedlings is dipped in a powdery root former, and then planted in a soil mixture consisting of sand, humus, dry manure. Further, the cuttings are covered with foil to create a greenhouse effect. The container should be located in a bright place, where the temperature is + 25– + 28 ° C. Make sure that hot sunlight does not fall on the microsteam, periodically ventilate it and spray the seedlings.
After rooting occurs, the temperature can be lowered, but not lower than +16 - +28? C. In autumn, young plants are transplanted into spacious pots, but decorative flowering will not be this, but next winter.
Poinsettia diseases
She may be annoyed by:
- gray rot;
- powdery mildew;
- fusarium.
If the air in the room where the "Christmas Star" grows is too humid, then gray rot may appear on it. It manifests itself in the form of a gray mold on the stems, shoots and inflorescences, and brown spots appear on the leaves. If you do not take urgent measures, the disease can lead to drying out and leaf fall. Drugs will help to fight it:
- "Speed";
- Fundazol;
- "Celandine".
Powdery mildew is easy to recognize. If the flowers and leaves of the plant are, as it were, powdered with flour, and this white bloom gradually darkens, it means that this disease has appeared and spreads. Preparations will help to defeat powdery mildew:
- "Topaz";
- Fitosporin-M;
- "Speed".
They are also recommended to be used against fusarium. It leads to browning of the shoots, as a result of which they gradually die off.
Poinsettia pests
The plant can be annoyed by pests such as:
- mealybug;
- scabbards;
- thrips;
- whitefly;
- spider mite.
Whitefly and aphid symptoms include sticky spots on the leaves. And if a worm has settled on your plant, then it leaves behind a white substance, similar to wax. Wiping the leaves with soapy water will help against the scabbard. Then it is washed off with water. The popular way to fight the worm is to rub the leaves with mineral oil.
Possible problems when growing poinsettia
Some growers complain, they say that poinsettia leaves turn yellow and fly around. This can happen for several reasons, due to:
- waterlogging of the soil when the plant is kept in a cool room;
- low air humidity, which leads to the appearance of the putin tick;
- insufficient watering;
- lack of lighting;
- sharp temperature fluctuations.
If milkweed leaves turn yellow and fall after the New Year holidays, this is a natural process. So he prepares for rest, in order to form buds again after 6 weeks, from which leaves will appear. Soon he will delight his master with a beautiful appearance.
For more information on growing poinsettia and caring for it, see this video:
