Poinsettia flower: how to care at home?

It may not be easy to grow poinsetia. Many gardeners are trying to figure out how to care for her, and the result is worth it. The peculiarity of the plant is flowering on the eve of Christmas, which is why it was called the Christmas star. The flowering period lasts from January to March.

Breeding varieties

The choice of variety is the first thing to be taken in order to grow poinsetia at home. Therefore, check out the main breeding species of the Christmas star listed in the table below, each of which can be grown on the windowsill.

A distinctive feature of the flower is the Christmas star - susceptibility to selective breeding. The varieties listed in the table are just a small part of what the breeders managed to do. The result of their work today can be enjoyed by people who know how to care for poinsettia in a home environment.

How to choose the right plant for growing on the windowsill

The adaptation period, when the flower after the store falls into a different habitat, is the most difficult in the life cycle of poinsetia. How to care for a plant in order to quickly adapt it to home conditions, read on.

The very first task is to choose from dozens of flattering plants of the one that is the most healthy and viable. To simplify caring for a Christmas star, approach the selection wisely, based on three important points:

1. Purchase at a specialty store. Immediately discard the acquisition of a Christmas star on the market, as in the winter season the roots can easily freeze, and the plant itself will turn out to be unviable.
2. Soil mix. The soil in the pot should be moist, but not too moist, otherwise the roots will rot. This indicates that the punch was flooded.
3. Unblown buds. The life cycle of a plant consists of only three stages: flowering in the winter, dormancy and a period of active growth. If the buds on the flower you have purchased have not yet blossomed, this means that the plant is still too young and is at the first stage of development.

Keep the flower away from the cold, try to avoid window sills and frozen windows. This thermophilic plant can get frostbite on leaves from touching cold glass. Therefore, it is so important to know the characteristics of a poinsetia flower. How to care for this plant at home is described in detail below.

Care Rules

During the first three weeks, the plant adapts and gets used to the new conditions and microclimate of the room. The flowering period under optimal growing conditions and competent care reaches 4 months, which is important for all lovers of beauty.

Light and location

In the summer, when the days are bright and long, the flower is filled with solar warmth, preferring bright diffused lighting. The best place to grow in the summer is a balcony or porch. Holding the Christmas star at this time indoors, you need to very often ventilate the room, completely eliminating drafts. How to care for winter poinsettia?

In the winter season, when the plant enters the flowering phase, it is necessary to provide it with proper lighting. At this time, he needs a lot of light. Miss this moment, and the Christmas star will lose its variegated foliage, showering it.

In case of cloudy weather, take care of the organization of additional artificial lighting for poinsettia. How to care for a flower in a home microclimate, read on.

Temperature mode

With temperature, everything is simple. Regardless of the time of year, it will be comfortable to maintain the temperature regime in the range from +18 ° to +25 ° . try to avoid low temperatures during flowering and growth. For poinsetia, it is +14 ° C and below.

Beginning flower growers are often interested in the question of how to care for poinsettia (a Christmas star) at the end of the flowering period, what temperature regime should it provide. The reviews of experienced gardeners indicate that plants in the dormant period feel comfortable at a temperature of +14 ° C.

Watering

In the summer, water the Christmas star often and plentifully. As soon as a dry crust forms on the surface of the substrate, add another portion of water, moistening the soil. In winter, during the flowering period, she also needs good watering. In the dormant period, it is necessary to minimize the amount and volume of watering, saturating the earth in the pot with moisture no more than once every 3-4 weeks.

How to care for a plant with poinsetia so as not to harm the plant?

For irrigation, use pre-titrated and settled, slightly heated (up to 30 ° C) water.

Room humidity

Christmas star blossoms and develops in the most comfortable conditions with a humidity of about 60%. A dry microclimate serves as a favorable environment for the propagation of pests that infect a flower and for dropping leaves, while a humid one leads to problems with the root system.

Fertilizer system

How to care for a poinsettia flower to ensure proper nutrition and development of the plant? Top dressing is carried out systematically 2 times a week throughout the entire life cycle, except for the spring dormant period. At this time, fertilizers are applied no more than 1 time per month. The table below shows the types of fertilizers that the plant needs.

Poinsetia pruning

The Christmas star is characterized by intense development. It is growing actively both in breadth and in height. In order not to turn a cute ornamental plant into a real giant that does not fit on a windowsill, it must be cut in time.

The procedure is carried out after the end of the flowering period, that is, in March-April. It is not difficult to care for poinsetia after flowering. Pruning of stems is carried out radically, leaving green shoots up to 10 cm long above the ground in a pot. After that, the cleaned plant is placed in a room with an optimal microclimate.

After 2-3 weeks, the plant will give active growth, and new shoots will appear on the cut branches. The second stage of trimming a Christmas star has come. Now you have to leave only 5-6 of the strongest and most viable branches with leaves.

Please note that young eliminated poinsetia shoots can be rooted in the ground in order to grow daughter plants.

How to care for potted poinsettia? It must be remembered that this is a poisonous plant. Therefore, when conducting any manipulations with him, be careful. Wear rubber gloves and keep the flower pot out of the reach of small children and pets.

Soil and transplant

Transplantation using a transfer from a removable tank is carried out annually. The procedure is usually carried out in late spring. For poinsetia, a slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6 is suitable. The soil mixture is sold in each specialized store, but you can also prepare it yourself by mixing the following components:

• Clay-soddy soil.
• Sheet soil.
• Sod land.
• Sand.

These components must be taken in a ratio of 3: 2: 2: 1.

Do not forget about drainage for poinsetia. How to care for a plant to grow a healthy flower, read on.

Christmas star breeding features

The seed propagation method is not available for two reasons:

1. At home, fruits are extremely rare.
2. Breeding varieties are not susceptible to seed propagation, as this does not convey characteristic features.

The desire to get many plants will force any grower to practice the propagation of poinsetia by cuttings.

Process details

Propagation of the flower by cuttings is recommended only in the warm season. The optimal period is from May to August. The procedure consists of five steps. How to care for poinsettia in a home microclimate and propagate the plant:

1. With a sharp knife, cut off the shoot that you plan to use as planting material, place it in warm water. Try to do everything quickly so that the juice in the stalks of the Christmas star does not flow out of them completely.
2. Dip each stalk into “Kornevin” (this is a root-forming fertilizer.
3. Plant two shoots in a pot, immersing the cuttings in the soil no more than 1 cm. This will help to avoid decay.
4. Keep the planted plants in a room with a temperature of +24 ° C to +29 ° C, often water and systematically spray with warm water from the spray bottle.
5. After 21 days, plant the cuttings in different pots.

What problems can the flower grower face?

Poinsetia, even with a stretch, can not be called a light flower for growing. This plant is "naughty" for a variety of reasons. Therefore, you need to understand well how to care for poinsettia. It can drop buds and foliage when it is in the drafts, in cool (during the growing season), in low light (not only the sun window, but also the length of the day). It cannot be kept on a cold windowsill and near a battery. Poinsetia is necessary to provide humidity, and lighting, and watering, and top dressing.

Possible diseases

Like most home flowers, poinsetia suffers from pests and various infections. She can get sick from improper care. The table below shows the most common diseases of this flower and the causes of their occurrence.

Pests

Inadequate care of the plant leads not only to diseases, but also to damage by pests. The table below contains information about insects - the worst enemies of poinsettia, symptoms and foci of plant damage.

Christmas flower (poinsettia): how to care when infected with parasites

Mechanical cleaning will help get rid of a small number of pests. To do this, rinse the sponge in clean water and carefully wipe each leaf. To enhance the effect, wrap the pot with the plant in a plastic bag (so that the earth does not spill out) and place it in the shower to wash off the parasites. If such drastic measures prove to be useless, use insecticides, but only after consulting a person who is versed in the means and methods of controlling harmful insects. Such an assistant is easy to find in a specialized flower shop.

You already know how to care for poinsettia, because you can understand that this is a demanding plant to care for. If you want to grow a Christmas star at home, get ready to have to deal with it seriously and responsibly.

Here it is - a poinsetia plant. How to care for and raise it on the windowsill, we described in detail in our article.