During pre-holiday shopping in search of Christmas decorations and gifts, a bright plant with large red-green leaves often catches your eye. This is a beautiful euphorbia, it is also called poinsettia the most beautiful or Christmas star. This perennial flower will be a wonderful present for family people. Or you can complement them with your home green corner. But for a plant to please for a very long time, you need to know the features of caring for it.
general description
This flower grows on the shady, moist mountainsides of Central America and Mexico. In height reaches from 0.6 to 4 meters. Leaves have sparse denticles along the edges (sometimes almost imperceptible) and dark green color. Usually their length does not exceed twelve centimeters. Of great interest are bracts, which many mistakenly take for flowers. They can be red, pink, white and yellow. You can also see cream and orange shades. Two-color specimens are also on sale. The flowers themselves are quite nondescript, small, yellowish and collected in bunches.
It is worth noting that the milky juice of the most beautiful milk of milk, the photo of which is presented in the article, is poisonous. If it comes into contact with the skin, it can cause severe allergies. Typically, such reactions occur on fluids of almost all members of the family.
Gently bring home
As already mentioned, the flower is quite high, but it is in the natural habitat. In stores, they sell quite compact specimens, not exceeding a height of 30-60 centimeters. Such dwarfism was achieved by breeders thanks to chemicals that inhibit growth. In any case, the poinsettia branches are very fragile. Therefore, the euphorbia needs to be transported to the house with extreme care so as not to break it. It is also important to protect the plant from the cold, otherwise it injures the foliage - it wilts and darkens.
Where to put the flower?
After careful delivery to a new home for the most beautiful milk (or poinsettia), you need to find a suitable place. Ideal is the one in which the morning sun caresses and the day shadow calms. The air in the room should not be too dry. The plant can not be placed next to heating appliances.
Also, it should be removed away from children and animals, because milky juice is very toxic. Most often, an allergic reaction occurs in those who have latex intolerance. It is believed that the most successful location would be the kitchen. But you can put the flower in another room if you find this decision more correct.
Milkweed Lighting
For poinsettia, direct sunlight is fatal. She prefers bright but diffused light. In the summer, it is recommended to expose the flower to a more sunny place where it can breathe fresh air. For example, it can be an open balcony or a garden. At the same time, it is important to create a light shadow for the beautiful milkweed to hide it from direct rays. Also, it cannot be exposed to drafts and precipitation.
If for some reason you can’t take the flower out into the open in the summer, then just regularly ventilate the room.
Temperature mode
In a cool room, bracts and flowers last longer on poinsettia. Therefore, it is better to keep it at a temperature not higher than 15-18 degrees of heat. During active growth, it is better to warm the room to 20-22 degrees. During the rest period, the temperature must be significantly reduced, 12-14 degrees will be optimal. Also, do not forget that euphorbia does not like drafts and sudden changes in temperature. Therefore, the heat regime for the plant needs to be changed gradually.
Humidity indicators
Euphorbia most beautiful (or poinsettia the most beautiful) is a hygrophilous plant. Therefore, it is useful to periodically spray with soft and warm water.
Dry hot air is fatal to a flower. For this reason, it is not placed next to heating appliances. To create more favorable conditions in the heating season, the pot should be kept on a pallet with wet gravel. It is also useful to regularly spray the leaves, but you can not get on the bracts.
Features of watering
During the growing season, poinsettia should be watered abundantly, but without fanaticism. Too often this is also not necessary. The indicator will be pretty dry land. Excessive moisture can harm the plant. If you add too much water to the pot, it threatens the roots with rotting. Allow fluid to drain, and then drain it off the pan.
During dormancy, euphorbia needs less and less water. Therefore, between irrigation it is necessary to thoroughly dry the top layer of soil. It is also worth considering that in the cool, the roots rot much faster. Therefore, pouring water into the pot is very rare.
Plant nutrition
From spring to autumn, care at home for the most beautiful milkweed must necessarily include regular feeding. It is best to take mineral fertilizers and apply them every fourteen days. During periods of active growth, it is recommended to feed poinsettia with a special composition for indoor flowering plants.
Milkweed soil
For this plant, light mixtures that do not retain moisture are most suitable. These are leafy soil, turf land, sand and peat. They need to be taken in a ratio of 3: 3: 1: 1. Also, do not forget about good drainage.
Dormant care
Immediately after the euphorbia fades, he needs a two-month rest period. At this time, the plant must be kept at a temperature of 12 to 14 degrees Celsius. Watering should be done rarely, but the earth should not be allowed to dry to a dusty state.
Transplant Features
The flower finishes resting in the spring months (approximately in April-May). At this time, you can do a transplant. For milk for the most beautiful home care should start with trimming. It is necessary to shorten the plant well, since new leaves will not appear on bare old shoots. Three to five strong buds are usually left on the stem. After this, the most beautiful poinsettia is placed in a warm room on the sunny side. Watering should be done with a little warm water.
When the Christmas star begins to grow and leaves appear, it can be transplanted. You need to take a new nutritious (slightly acidic) mixture of leaf, turf soil, sand and peat. In a pinch, storefront land for begonias is suitable. Do not forget about good drainage.
When the transplant is completed, it is recommended to rearrange the euphorbia in a warm place where at least twenty degrees. From this moment, you can begin to spray and water the plant abundantly. But there must be absolutely no stagnation of water in the pot.
Soon, new shoots will grow on a bush of beautiful milkweed. It’s enough to leave six strong, and the rest can be cut off. Remote shoots can be used as cuttings for propagation.
Poinsettia propagation
As a rule, a flower is propagated in late spring or early summer using apical cuttings. On each of them there should be from five internodes. It is worth noting that it is better to work with gloves, since when cutting, milky juice begins to stand out. In the process, it can be eliminated with blotting paper. If the milky juice stands out abundantly and does not stop flowing, it can be stopped by placing the cuttings in cold water for a short time. After the cuts, it is necessary to process, sprinkled with charcoal. Doing this is mandatory, because milky juice contributes to clogging of blood vessels. This interferes with the healing of wounds, causes infection and decay.
Rooting cuttings of a beautiful milkweed (or poinsettia) flower is allowed both in water and in a loose moist substrate - sand and peat, which are taken in equal proportions. For greater effectiveness, growth stimulants (e.g., heteroauxin) can be used. During rooting in the room, you need to maintain a temperature of at least 24-28 degrees heat. It is also important to constantly ventilate the tank and spray the cuttings.
Usually, after a month of such manipulations, roots appear. Young plants can be planted in small pots. If you want to get an euphorbia with a large hat, then the grown flower should be cut. This will facilitate its branching.
How to achieve repeated flowering?
The life cycle of the finest poinsettia includes three phases: winter flowering, a dormant period and a time of active growth. This is the natural cycle of the plant. However, many gardeners are interested in how to make a beautiful euphorbia bloom repeatedly.
To do this, it is recommended that a special lighting regime be maintained from the end of September. When twilight begins (at about six o’clock in the evening), the plant needs to be removed in a dark place or covered with a black plastic bag that does not allow light to pass. It can be removed only in the morning (about eight hours). Thus, poinsettia should be in the dark for about 12-14 hours. This lighting regime is important to maintain for eight weeks. A longer daylight hours, even made artificially, will enhance leaf growth and inhibit the appearance of buds.
After about two to three weeks of the shortened day, the plant will begin to form flower buds, then bright bracts. After this, you can resume normal care.
Signs of improper care
Sometimes caring for the most beautiful milkweed causes difficulties for beginner gardeners. Difficulties may include the following:
- Withering leaves. The reason lies in excessive or, conversely, insufficient watering.
- Yellowing and falling of leaves. In this case, the room has poor lighting or low humidity.
- The edges of the leaves turn yellow or brown. Again, a problem may arise due to insufficient air humidity.
- Leaf falling without any signs of wilting. Poinsettia was most likely exposed to drafts or low temperatures.
If you notice at least one adverse symptom, then urgently review the care for errors. Only in this way can you save your plant.
Diseases and Pests
The plant can be affected by scale insects, red spider mites and nematodes. Whitefly is considered especially dangerous. Worms, which cover foliage with honey dew, also do a lot of damage. A sign of a spider mite is yellowing, drying of the plant and even death. If the leaves curl up and oblong wavy spots appear on them, this means that the beautiful euphorbia flower is struck by thrips. The shields can be easily removed with a damp cloth. But at the first signs of the disease, in any case, you need to spray the bush with a systemic insecticide. Repeat treatment if necessary.
Sometimes the plant suffers from diseases such as rust, anthracnose, root and gray rot. In the latter case, spots of lead color can be seen on the leaves and lower branches of the bush. With these diseases, experts recommend destroying the affected areas, and then treat the entire poinsettia with a special antifungal agent.
The results. Monthly Care
To make the care features more understandable, it is worth considering the specific actions that flower growers usually produce during the year.
April May. When the leaves and bracts begin to fall, shorten the stems, leaving no more than eight centimeters. The plant must be kept in a cool room, the temperature in which is equal to 15-18 degrees. Watering is done after the soil has completely dried.
May-September. Transplantation time of a beautiful milkweed (or poinsettia). Replace all or most of the soil. Move the flower to a larger pot. When it takes root, top-up every two weeks. During this period, you need to remove the weak growth, leaving only four to five strong stems.
October November. From the end of September it is already possible to adjust the daylight hours. It should last 12-14 hours. The rest of the time the euphorbia needs to be kept in a dark place. Feed and water as usual. This regimen should be maintained for eight weeks.
December - January. Artificial reduction of the day must be stopped. The plant needs the usual feeding and watering. Euphorbia will begin to bloom.
February March. The period of rest begins. Keep the flower at a temperature of 12-14 degrees, rarely water, but do not allow the earth to dry out.
Now you know how to care for the most beautiful milkweed. Do not forget to monitor the plant's health in order to help it in time.