Christmas star (poinsettia) flower

Contents

Flower varieties Christmas star
Caring for a Christmas star flower at home
Reproduction of a Christmas star flower at home
Christmas star flower transplant at home
Illness flower christmas star
Flower pests christmas star
Popular questions and answers

Poinsettia or Christmas star is a unique plant. It pleases in the winter months with bright leaves at the top, similar to stars. However, the flower is very whimsical and efforts must be made to please it for many years.

These plants are native to Central America and live in the wild in the highlands along the Pacific coast. The Christmas star was first described in 1834 by the German scientist Johann Kloshz (1), who also gave it a Latin name – in honor of the botanist Joel Poinsett, who was the first American ambassador to Mexico. But you, in botanical literature, this flower has a more prosaic name – the most beautiful spurge (Euphorbia pulcherrima). Yes, yes, poinsettia belongs to the genus Euphorbia and is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family (Euphorbiaceae).

In nature, poinsettias reach a height of 3 m, but in culture they are much more modest, and modern varieties are completely undersized – no higher than 30 cm. They bloom from December to February, the peak of their decorativeness falls on the main winter holidays – hence the name “Christmas star” . In Europe and America, this flower is a symbol of Christmas, and about 60 million potted poinsettias are sold around the world every year on the eve of the holiday. By the way, the main supplier of these plants is not Holland, as many people think, but the USA – they provide 50% of the world market.

The most interesting thing is that poinsettias are sold only at the time of flowering, but the flowers themselves are of no interest – they are small and inconspicuous. But the plant has come up with a trick – when the buds appear, the upper bracts turn bright red, which attracts pollinating insects. It is these leaves that give the Christmas star its unique look.

Flower varieties Christmas star

There are not so many varieties of the Christmas star, but their number is growing from year to year. They differ mainly in the color of the upper leaves. The very first – Red Star – was bred in 1919 (2). And now the following varieties are most popular:

Carousel Pink – with pale pink bracts, on which there are green veins;
Da Vinci – a delicate pinkish variety with red patches;
Jester red – it has bright red leaves with dark veins;
Jingle Bells – with red upper leaves, on which there are white blotches, similar to snow flakes;
Marble – with cream bracts and a pink-red heart-shaped inflorescence (3);
Premium Miro – with white-pink bracts;
Premium Red – a classic variety with red leaves at the top;
Strawberry and cream – a very unusual variety with pink-purple leaves with a heavily cut white edge;
Winter Rose White – with white bracts, which are slightly compressed and resemble rosebuds.

Caring for a Christmas star flower at home

You probably see these luxurious flowers at your friends’ houses for the New Year holidays. However, in spring or summer you will not find them on the windowsills. Why? Yes, because poinsettias are very whimsical plants. Pleasing them is an art! Not even every greenhouse undertakes to add their collection. By the way, in America and Europe, the Christmas star is considered a disposable plant: they treat it the same way as with bouquets – they admired it on holidays and threw it away.

But if you still decide to fight to the victory, then take into account all the whims of this flower.

Important! Christmas star juice is poisonous! If accidentally licked by an animal or child, it can cause poisoning – vomiting, diarrhea, severe irritation of the gastrointestinal tract, and even contact dermatitis. Therefore, you need to transplant and propagate the plant only with gloves. Also, the flower can cause allergies in people who react to plant pollen.

Ground

Poinsettia loves slightly acidic soil (pH – 6 – 6,5), so you need to add high-moor peat to the soil. There are 2 varieties of soil mixes (2) that are used to grow a Christmas star:

peat or compost, leafy soil, soddy soil, crushed pine bark and sand in a ratio of 1:1:1:1:1;
peat, sod land, humus and sand in a ratio of 1:1:1:1.

Temperature

The Christmas star does not like cold and heat, it needs a temperature no higher than 20 ° C. During the flowering period, it should not fall below 17 ° C. During the dormant period, which, unlike other flowers, the poinsettia occurs from March to October, you can remove it to a cool, shady place where the temperature will be at least 12 ° C.

Poinsettia does not tolerate drafts and sudden temperature fluctuations, so always remove the flower from the windowsill when airing.

Lighting

The Christmas star loves plenty of sun during its flowering period. And this is the main problem, because from December to February in the middle lane there are the shortest days and there is a catastrophic lack of light for the plant. Therefore, if you are going to save the plant, you will have to illuminate it with phytolamps – they must be turned on for 8 – 9 hours a day. But in the summer, poinsettias, on the contrary, need to be shaded from the scorching sun (3).

In order for the poinsettia to bloom, it is important that the daylight hours be no more than 8 hours – if it is 12 hours, the buds will not form, and beautiful colored leaves will not appear.

Humidity

In winter, you need to water the poinsettia often, about 2-3 times a week, but it is important not to overfill – the flower does not like excess moisture. Let the top layer of soil dry out a little between waterings. In the summer, in the heat, you need to water abundantly, because the peat-based soil dries out very quickly.

Water must be warm, at least room temperature and certainly not from the tap. Water the poinsettia under the root. But the leaves also need constant moisture, otherwise they may lose color. Therefore, it is necessary to spray the flower, especially in winter, often.

Fertilizers and fertilizing

The vast majority of indoor plants are fed from March to September, but the opposite is true for poinsettia – the active period is simple and it blooms in the winter, so you need to fertilize it from November to March every 2 weeks. Any liquid complex fertilizer will do.

In the summer, during the dormant period, fertilizers are also needed, but they are rarely given – about once every 1,5 months.

Trimming

In March, the poinsettia usually fades and a dormant period sets in – at this time, the flower must be cut off by about 1/3, leaving 10 centimeters above the ground. After pruning, the plant should be removed to the shade and not watered until May (3).

And at the beginning of May, the Christmas star should be transplanted into a new pot and watered well. When new shoots appear, you need to leave 4 – 5 of the strongest, and cut the rest.

Reproduction of a Christmas star flower at home

Poinsettia is propagated by apical cuttings – shoots that remain after pruning in May will do. However, rooting them is not so easy.

Cuttings are cut with 4 – 5 leaves. The lower ones are removed, leaving only the 2 upper ones. After that, they are placed for 30 minutes in warm (30 – 40 ° C) water so that milky juice comes out of them. After that, the cuttings are powdered with a root formation stimulator (Heterauxin or Kornevin) and planted in pots, in loose, moisture-intensive soil. The ideal option for rooting is a mixture of peat and sand in a 1: 1 ratio (2).

The cuttings are buried in the soil by 1,5 – 2 cm, no more – with a deep planting, they begin to rot. Pots with cuttings should be kept in a warm room (20 – 25 ° C) with moderate lighting. It is also important that the soil temperature is about 20 ° C, so do not put the pots on the windowsill if it blows from the window.

After 10-15 days, a callus forms on the poinsettia cuttings, roots appear on the 20th day, and after 25-30 days the cuttings are completely rooted (2) and they can be transplanted into larger hills.

Christmas star flower transplant at home

The poinsettia is transplanted in early May, after it has completed its dormant period. The new pot should be slightly larger in diameter than the old one – about 2 cm.

Illness flower christmas star

Poinsettia problems are most often associated with improper care.

The edges of the leaves turn yellow and dry. The reason is dry air.

Poinsettias need to be sprayed often, then there will be no problem.

Leaves wither. There may be opposite reasons – insufficient watering or, conversely, excessive soil moisture, especially if the plant is standing on a cold windowsill.

Compliance with the irrigation regime will help solve the problem.

Flower pests christmas star

Poinsettia is susceptible to pest attacks and it is important to detect them in time so that the plant does not die.

Spider mite. With a small infection, it can be recognized by numerous whitish dots on the leaves. If there are a lot of pests, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, the plants are covered with cobwebs.

You can get rid of spider mites with the help of the drug Kleschevit (4).

Mealybug. The main signs of this pest are white lumps on the leaves, similar to cotton wool, and sticky honeydew.

To combat this pest, Fitoverm or Actellik preparations are used (4).

Thrips. Signs of damage can be found on the leaves – they are covered with oblong spots and curled.

In the fight against thrips, Aktara will help (4).