Poinsettia is a beautiful evergreen perennial from the Euphorbia family. This Mexican shrub attracts with bright leaves that, like huge stars, surround the flowers. The plant blooms in winter and is often used as a sweet Christmas present. It is believed that poinsettia attracts prosperity and prosperity to the house. However, not everyone succeeds in achieving blooming again, so after the holidays many "Christmas stars" are in the trash. Thanks to a few simple tips, poinsettia will please the owners for a long time to come.
Botanical Description
Poinsettia is a sprawling shrub. In the forests of Mexico, its height can reach 3-4 m, but indoor flowers are compact in size. The plant feeds on with the help of a fibrous rhizome. Above the surface of the earth are erect, highly branched shoots.
A dense crown consists of many petiole leaves. The sides of the ovoid or oval leaflets are serrate or smooth, pointed to their edge. Most often, the foliage is painted dark green with lighter stripes along the veins. The length of the sheet plate is 10-15 cm.
Poinsettia blooms in winter, with a short daylight. It lasts from 2 to 6 weeks. The flowers themselves are located in small outlets and attract little attention. A bright accent is the bracts. Star-shaped contrasting leaf sockets rise above the main crown. Poinsettia seeds ripen in small seed boxes. After flowering, the buds and part of the leaves fall off and a rest period begins.
Most often found in culture poinsettia the most beautiful. Her dense leaves form a spherical crown. Bracts are colored red and resemble bright stars. Breeders bred several decorative varieties of a more compact size with multi-colored framing leaves:
- Carousel Pink - green veins are visible on pink bracts;
Carousel pink - Cortez Fire - a plant with large scarlet leaves around the flowers;
Cortez fire - Jingle Bells Sonora - variegated variety with burgundy purple, bracts covered with white stripes;
Bells sonora - Regina - on the top leaves with a light lemon tint, greenish veins are visible;
Regina - Whitestar - a variety with snow-white bracts.
Whitestar
Purchase Rules
You should choose poinsettia with moderately moist soil and a large number of closed buds. Such bushes better tolerate adaptation to a new place. At home you need to find a bright place with an air temperature of +18 ... + 22 ° C. Drafts to the plant are contraindicated. For three weeks, they try not to bother the poinsettia, then the adaptation is considered complete. A Christmas star can be transplanted into suitable soil. If you follow these simple rules, then the bright bracts of poinsettia will remain for several months.
Breeding
In the natural environment, poinsettia is propagated by seed. It gives abundant self-seeding and does not need special care. It is practically impossible to achieve seed maturation of a houseplant, therefore, at home, the propagation of poinsettia is performed in a vegetative way.
For rooting at the beginning of summer, apical cuttings are cut about 10 cm long. They are planted in containers with a sand-peat mixture to a depth of 2-3 cm and kept at a temperature of + 22 ... + 26 ° C. Rooting takes 2-3 weeks. It is important to regularly water the seedlings. In the first year of life, the plant will not look as spectacular as an adult and will not bloom. It is important not to lower the room temperature below + 16 ° C. By mid-autumn, young poinsettias are transplanted into shallow pots up to 20 cm wide with soil for adult plants.
Transplant Rules
Poinsettia painfully transplant, so this procedure is carried out only if necessary. In May, before active growth begins, the bush is carefully removed from the pot and transferred to a new container without damaging the old earthen lump. At the bottom of the pot, drainage material and the finished soil mixture are laid. It should include the following components:
- river sand;
- peat;
- sheet earth.
After transplanting, top dressing for 2 months is stopped, since the new soil contains enough nutrients without them.
Flowering poinsettia
Poinsettia is usually bought blooming, but not everyone knows how to properly care for it after withering flowers. It is important to prepare the plant for a dormant period. By the end of February, when the bracts fall off, the stems need to be cut. Shoots of no more than 12-15 cm in length should remain above the ground. Watering is gradually reduced to such an extent that the earthen lump completely dries out. During dormancy, poinsettia is watered only if the leaves begin to fade. From mid-spring, shoots and young foliage actively begin to grow. You need to transfer the flower to a lighter place and water it regularly.
To achieve the appearance of flowers for the New Year holidays, from September poinsettias provide dark and long nights. Every day in the evening, the bush is covered with opaque black material for 14-15 hours. By the beginning of December, buds can be found on the tips of the branches. Usually at this time of year the day is already short enough, so shelter is no longer needed. You can put the plant on the windowsill, but it should not touch the cold glass. When the buds appear, the green leaves surrounding them quickly turn into bright colors and poinsettia takes on an elegant look.
Plant care
To make poinsettia look beautiful and bloom regularly at home, the grower will need some skill. Care includes choosing the right place. The plant prefers rooms with diffused light. Direct sunlight should not fall on the foliage.
The optimum air temperature is + 18 ... + 24 ° C. Cooling below + 16 ° C, as well as overheating above + 27 ° C, lead to illness and even death of the plant. It is important to protect the bushes from sudden fluctuations in temperature and drafts. Even contact with cold window glass negatively affects their health.
The plant needs high humidity, but spraying the leaves is fraught with the appearance of ugly spots. It is recommended to use an air humidifier, place wet expanded clay near the pot or spray water at a certain distance from the crown.
During the period of active vegetation and flowering, poinsettia is regularly and abundantly watered. Only the topsoil should dry. The water in the pan should be drained to avoid the development of root rot. For watering, a warm liquid is used, because supercooling of the roots leads to leaf fall.
Poinsettia is fed with mineral compounds for indoor plants. From May to August they are applied to the soil every 10-14 days. During flowering and dormancy, top dressing is contraindicated.
With proper care, poinsettia does not suffer from plant diseases, but can be attacked by parasites. Her juicy crown is periodically attacked by spider mites, scale insects, mealybugs. From insects helps spraying or bathing under a weak warm shower. It is useful to treat with an insecticide.
