The "Christmas Star" - a flower called poinsettia - has recently even become a symbol plant in Russia, in this case, New Year and Christmas. This is not surprising: in the midst of winter, the Russians just need such beauty, but poinsettia is amazingly beautiful! It is gradually entering the tradition of giving it to those who are fond of floriculture and love potted flowers. "Christmas Star" is a plant with history, its homeland is Central and South America, where it was known to the Aztecs.
By the way, poinsettia has a few more names: "Flower of the Holy Night", "Star of Bethlehem" and Europhobia. It was connected with Christmas night by Catholic priests who discovered that the plant was blooming just in the period from late December to early January. Here is such an interesting story of the origin of the name "Christmas Star". The flower is so beautiful that in many European and even Russian houses it has recently decorated a festive table instead of spruce branches. In some places, even traditional Christmas wreaths are even woven from poinsettia leaves.
So, you have received such a wonderful gift as the "Christmas Star"
(flower). How to care for him so that next winter, poinsettia will give the owners of the house and guests an unforgettable holiday atmosphere? In fact, caring for her is quite simple. First you need to check in what soil contains the donated or purchased plant. The fact is that from abroad they are all brought in in the so-called transportation soil, in which the plant simply dies after a certain period of time. Therefore, poinsettia urgently needs to be transplanted, or at least transplanted.
In fact, "Christmas Star" is a flower of the euphorbia family. And what we consider to be flowers is only bracts, which, however, does not make the plant less beautiful. Varieties with red, white, yellow bracts are most common, but bicolor plants are also found.
Poinsettia does not tolerate sudden changes in temperature. In winter, it should be kept at about + 18-20 degrees, immediately after flowering it is better to rearrange it in a cooler place, but at less than +10 degrees, it can die. Around March, the Christmas Star begins to fade. At this time, you need to reduce watering to a minimum and provide her with a rest period. Better yet, cut the flower, leaving a stump about 10 centimeters high. After a couple of months, in May-June, the plant will resume growth and release lateral shoots, after which it can be carefully transferred to a new pot. After transplanting, the plant will need a lot of light and heat for rapid growth. Humidity should also be maintained at an acceptable level. Watering during this period should be quite plentiful.
The beginning of June is the time to form the crown of milkweed, but do not hope that it will work the first time. To get started, select the strongest side shoots, and remove the rest. They can be rooted by washing off the milky juice and drying the place of cut. Since the "Christmas Star" is a flower of the opposite hemisphere, its bloom falls in the winter, but some preparation is necessary. From September to mid-November, the plant needs to reduce daylight hours; some growers use boxes, opaque bags and other devices for this purpose. The plant should receive light for about 7-10 hours a day. You can also simply rearrange the pot in a dark room. Only under these conditions, "Christmas Star", "Flower of the Holy Night" or just poinsettia can please its owners with the beauty of bright flowers in the middle of a cold winter.