How to grow poinsettia or (Star of Bethlehem) at home

“Christmas Star”, “Star of Bethlehem”, “Beautiful Euphorbia” - all these are names of beautiful poinsettia. The plant attracts flower growers because, with proper care, it blooms just before Christmas, creating a festive mood. The beauty of the flower does not leave anyone indifferent, and caring for it is quite simple. Even a novice gardener can cope with growing poinsettia and enjoy the treasured flowering. This article describes in detail the process of growing beautiful poinsettia at home: from watering and temperature to transplanting and preparing for flowering.

Annette Hegg Dark

Description

Beautiful poinsettia (Poinsettia pulcherrima), or beautiful euphorbia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a plant of the genus Euphorbia from the family Euphorbia. Its homeland is Central America: Guatemala, Southern Mexico and Costa Rica. Wet, shady mountain slopes are the natural habitat of the flower. This is the only species of its genus, but it has many varieties.

Strawberry and cream

The plant was first mentioned by the Aztecs, who called it cuetlaxochitl. They made fabric dye (red-violet) from poinsettia bracts, and used the white juice in folk medicine. Poinsettia owes its current name to the American botanist J.Poinsett, who discovered a beautiful flower in Mexico and selected the best specimens for cultivation in his greenhouses.

Poinsettia Tapestry

Euphorbia pulcherrima is an ornamental perennial shrub, reaching a height of 1.2-3, sometimes 4 m. Its branched stems are covered with oblong dark green leaves, pointed towards the edge. Beautiful poinsettia blooms with small yellow flowers collected in rosette inflorescences. The beauty of blooming poinsettia lies not in the inflorescences, but in the bracts - leaves of bright colors: red, yellow, pink, others and their combinations. Thanks to the bracts, poinsettia is valued as an ornamental plant.

Poinsettia variety Carousel Pink

Varieties

The first variety that was bred in Poinsett's greenhouse was called "Oak Leaf" and had bright red bracts. Subsequently, breeders achieved other sizes, shapes and colors of bracts, various color combinations, decorations in the form of spots and stripes, and greater resistance to disease. Here are the most popular varieties of poinsettia in home floriculture.

Cortez series dedicated to the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortez:

• Cortez Burgandy - a flower with green leaves and crimson bracts, similar in shape. In the center is a golden inflorescence resembling an asterisk.

Cortez Burgandy

• Cortez Red - a variety with bright scarlet bracts decorated with dark green veins.

Cortez Red

• Cortez Pink - achievement of breeders: pale pink bracts become lighter as they move away from the inflorescence.

Cortez Pink

Varieties with unusual bract shapes:

1. Winter Rose - the first variety developed with double leaves. Bracts of a fuchsia shade with a green inflorescence center.
2. Premium Miro - pressed petals with double color: noble white and soft pink.
3. Winter Rose Early Red - bright red bracts are collected at the very top of the plant and resemble roses.
4. Winter Rose White - delicate and warm milky cream shades.
5. Freedom Jingle Bells - soft pink wavy bracts with a light green border.
6. Carousel Red and Carousel Dark Red - poinsettias with intricately curved edges of bracts of pink and deep red colors, respectively.

Poinsettia variety Cortez White

Other interesting varieties:

1. Eckespoint Lilo - a variety with purple bracts.
2. Da Vinci - poinsettia with soft pink bracts, reminiscent of the frescoes of the great Leonardo.
3. Sonora White - owner of exquisite ivory-colored leaves.
4. Strawberry and cream - a variety interesting both in color and leaf shape. The bracts are colored in pink-violet tones, the edge of the bract is angular, as if rugged.
5. White Star — the variety fully corresponds to the name. White star goes well with red poinsettia varieties, forming unforgettable Christmas compositions.
6. Polly Pink - a flower with bright purple bracts.
7. Polar Bear - poinsettia, which has a pure range of bracts: white leaves with green veins.
8. Prestige Maroon - an aristocrat among euphorbias. The noble purple color of the bracts is combined with the dark, rich green of the regular leaves.
9. Arctic White - a truly arctic shade of white.
10. Monet Twilight - white and pink bracts interspersed with red, as if someone had used a spray gun.
11. Cinnamon Star distinguished by delicate shades of salmon pink.
12. Lemon snow — the shade of the bracts of leaves fully corresponds to the name Lemon Snow.

Sonora White

Poinsettia varieties for Christmas gifts:

1. Premium Ice Crysta - the owner of heart-shaped leaves around the inflorescence, reminiscent of the color of cheeks rosy from frost.
2. Jingle Bells — the carmine-red bracts of this variety are covered with spots, like fluffy flakes of snow.
3. Ice Punch - leaves are red in color, reminiscent of a New Year's punch drink.
4. Sonora White Glitter - the contrast of dark green leaves and red and white bracts creates a festive mood.

Sonora White Glitter

Accommodation in the house

Have you purchased a poinsettia but don't know how to care for it? Start by choosing flowerpots and placing them in your apartment. The flower pot must meet the following parameters: 2-2.5 times shorter than the plant in length and 2-2.5 times wider than the root system. It is important that the growing container is not too large. The larger the pot, the slower the soil dries in it, and poinsettia does not tolerate excess moisture in the soil.

Spurge The most beautiful loves bright but diffused lighting. In the summer, it is better to place a pot of poinsettia on window sills or balconies, just avoid direct sunlight. Poinsettia located outdoors must be protected from rain, as the plant cannot withstand excess soil moisture. Also, drafts are contraindicated for the flower, although the room where it grows needs to be ventilated regularly.

Cortez Red

The plant loves warm, but not hot, rooms. The air should not be too dry, otherwise the poinsettia will shed its leaves. The optimal growing temperature is not lower than +16⁰ C and not higher than +24, that is, normal room conditions. In spring, it is recommended to slightly reduce the temperature (to +18) so that the plant can rest after the flowering period. Protect poinsettias from sudden temperature changes.

Advice
Buy poinsettia with unopened buds in winter, ensure it is delivered home, carefully wrapped and protected from frost.

Sonora White

Poinsettias are grown in standard euphorbia soil. To make your own substrate for a flower, you will need:

• leaf soil - 2 parts;
• clay-turf soil - 3 parts;
• peat - 1 part;
• sand - 1 part.

Provide good drainage. Expanded clay is suitable as a drainage layer. Place it at the bottom of the pot to a height of 3 cm.

Watering and humidity, fertilizing

Beautiful poinsettia needs frequent watering during the flowering period and in the summer, when it actively grows green mass. It is not necessary to water the flower every day; on the contrary, this can lead to rotting of the roots. Each subsequent watering is carried out when the top layer of soil has dried out. Water for irrigation must be warm, preferably settled. During the dormant period, watering is reduced to moderate. It is enough to prevent the soil from drying out.

Poinsettia is demanding on air humidity. In too dry a room, it often drops its leaves and refuses to bloom. The magazine purity-en.htgetrid.com strongly recommends spraying poinsettia leaves with warm water, especially in winter, when the apartment is warm and dry due to heating systems. There is another danger in moisture deficiency. Dry air is an excellent environment for the existence of a pest - spider mites.

Complementary feeding is divided into two periods:

1. In spring and summer, when the plant is actively developing, it needs complete mineral fertilizer.
2. In the fall and until the end of the flowering period, the most beautiful euphorbia needs potassium-phosphorus supplements.

Fertilizer application - once every two weeks. Organic fertilizers for flowering plants are suitable.

Formation of a bush, transplantation

Poinsettias need to be pruned before their dormant season to allow them to bloom again. This is the first stage of bush formation. The second is pruning after the flower emerges from hibernation. Select 4-5 strong shoots, trim the rest with a sharp knife. The result should be an even and beautiful, but not thickened crown.

Poinsettia is transplanted in April-May, after flowering and rest. A sign that the plant is ready to move is the appearance of young green leaves. In this case, a new container is selected that is slightly larger than the previous one and fresh soil for milkweed is used.

Transplant technology:

1. Place a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot.
2. Transplantation occurs using the transfer method: the plant is moved to a new pot with an old lump of earth on the roots. This measure helps poinsettia avoid stress and quickly adapt to new conditions.
3. To be sure, examine the roots, remove rotting and drying parts of the root system, and then treat it with Kornevin.
4. Cover the poinsettia roots with soil and place the pot in a warm place (approximately +20⁰ C).
5. The transplanted plant requires active watering and spraying, as well as access to fresh air.
6. After a few weeks, the flower completely takes root in the new pot.

Reproduction

Beautiful spurge propagates both by seeds and cuttings. The first method is typical for the natural habitat. Cuttings are more suitable for propagating flowers at home.

How is vegetative propagation carried out?

1. Find a young shoot from an adult plant.
2. Cut off its top by 7 cm. It is desirable that the number of buds on the trim be 6-7 pieces.
3. Keep the resulting cutting in warm water for a few minutes, then immerse it in the rooting solution.
4. Disinfect the cut with activated carbon.
5. Plant the treated cuttings in moist soil no deeper than 1 cm, otherwise it will not take root.

Varieties developed through selection lose their characteristics when propagated by seeds. In addition, this material is difficult to obtain when growing poinsettia artificially. In the best case, a wild-growing specimen of increased danger will break through.

Important
Poinsettias propagated by seed are more poisonous.

Preparing for flowering

The cherished goal is poinsettia blooming at Christmas. How to achieve what you want? In order for poinsettia to bloom at home, it must be prepared in advance:

1. First of all, the poinsettia needs to rest well. Therefore, after flowering, it is cut off, placed in a cool, dark place and watering is reduced. The hibernation period lasts 2 months. The plant is then brought out of dormancy by replanting and resuming normal watering and lighting. Until the beginning of autumn, the usual care rules apply.
2. Starting in September, poinsettias need to be prepared for flowering. The plant needs short daylight hours to set flower buds. Therefore, 14 hours a day, poinsettia should be in a dark place, for example, in a closet. This period lasts two months. During preparation, watering is reduced so that the top layer of soil has time to dry.
3. After two months, if you did everything correctly, bracts begin to appear. The preparation is complete. Care for the plant according to the basic rules and expect bright blooms by Christmas.

After the flowering period, a new cycle begins. Before going into hibernation, poinsettia sheds its leaves. This is not a reason to treat the plant.You just need to trim a few shoots and move the pot to a cool place before the new foliage appears in the spring.

Diseases and pests, growing problems

Poinsettia beautiful can suffer from pests:

1. Spider mites attack the plant when the indoor air is too dry. A sign of the parasite is yellow spots along the edge of the leaf and cobwebs. The problem is solved with drugs - insecticides.
2. The whitefly is a small moth that lives on the back of the leaf. If detected, you need to wash the flower with running water and treat it with an insecticide.
3. A sign of a mealybug appearance is that the leaves are covered with dew. Treat the leaves with a sponge soaked in a soap or alcohol solution.

Growing problems:

1. The leaves wither and fall off - the plant does not have enough light. Other reasons: excess or lack of moisture, drafts.
2. The edges of the leaf blade turn yellow - a sign of lack of moisture.
3. Yellowing of the leaf also appears due to spider mites.
4. An equally common cause of sudden leaf fall is a sudden change in temperature or lack of heat.

This is interesting

Interesting facts about the flower, as well as growing tips and precautions:

1. Among the Aztecs, poinsettia was considered a symbol of purity and was even chosen by Montezuma (the Aztec emperor) as a royal flower.
2. Poinsettia juice is poisonous and can cause severe irritation to the skin and mucous membranes. Therefore, all work with the flower is carried out wearing protective gloves. When finished, be sure to wash your hands with soap and water.
3. The flower is dangerous for pets who like to chew on everything that grows.
4. A poinsettia with unopened buds is chosen as a gift. Such a plant will soon bloom and will delight the recipient for a long time.
5. The name "Christmas Star" was given to the flower in Europe, more precisely in England in the 19th century.
6. Poinsettia sales almost triple before New Year and Christmas.
7. In America, December 12 is National Poinsettia Day.

Some tips on how to choose poinsettias in the store:

1. Flowers should not have pollen. The color of the inflorescence is greenish or reddish. This poinsettia has not yet entered the active flowering phase, so you will admire its decorative bracts longer.
2. The bracts should have a distinct color. Spots of green are a sign of an unhealthy plant.
3. The flower should be evenly covered with leaves, without bare areas.
4. A sign of diseased leaves is curling and yellowing. Avoid this purchase.
5. Pay attention to the soil in the pot: too wet or too dry a substrate will weaken the plant.
6. Do not purchase a flower outside during the cold season.
7. In good stores, poinsettia pots are placed at a distance (the plant does not like cramped spaces) and are sold without packaging.

Poinsettia beautiful is one of the most interesting representatives of euphorbias. The flower lends itself well to selection, which has made it possible to develop a wide variety of shapes and shades. A blooming “Christmas star” in the house creates an incredible atmosphere of comfort, celebration and happiness. This flower is often recommended to grow to maintain harmonious relationships in the family.