stewartthemole
Inactive User
Hi Folks
Have had a shed load of help here over the years and read loads of good tuts on subjects that I originally didn’t understand so I thought since this is my game I would do a quick guide for Poinsettias since it is getting closer to Christmas and they are one of the most popular Christmas pot plants that we buy either for ourselves or as a gift.
They come in a range of over 200 different varieties including bright reds, pinks, whites and even marbled novelty varieties but most of us will associate the red ones with Christmas.
If properly looked after they will stay bright and colourful until March/ April and beyond but most people usually struggle to keep them alive much beyond the festive season so I have put together this simple guide to help anyone who is intending buying some this Christmas make sure they pick good quality plants and get them to last longer once they get them home.
Buying
Many of the poinsettias for sale in supermarkets and garden centres are imported from abroad ie Holland Belgium etc and as a result are very soft and easily damaged during transit, others are grown locally and these tend to be much more sturdy and will normally last much longer as they have not travelled thousands of miles and are therefore more acclimatised to the crappier British weather so ask the shop assistant where they came from.
If possible try to buy British grown plants as they will always outlast the imported ones but you will find they are usually more expensive due to the heating costs etc.
Check for broken branches. Poinsettias are naturally brittle plants that can break easily in transit so make sure all the branches are intact, with no broken bits held together by the plastic sleeve
When buying look for bushy plants with lots of colourful bracts that are fully opened but not covered with pollen (yellow dust) as this indicates that it’s nearing the end of blooming.
As a rough guide the ideal plant spread should be about 2½ times the diameter of the pot (without the sleeve).
Buy your plant at the end of your shopping trip to minimise the chance of it getting broken or getting a chill when taking it to and from your car as they are very susceptible to cold and being left in a cold car will most certainly cause your plant irreversible damage.
As soon as you get your plant home remove the transit sleeve by carefully cutting it from bottom to top (the same direction as the branches), never keep your new poinsettia in its plastic sleeve because they need good air circulation and drainage to thrive and the sleeve will cause the plant to sweat and rot even if left round the pot.
After Care
Like all plants poinsettias have 4 basic requirements light, heat, water and nutrition to grow into a well proportioned healthy plant so I will try to explain how much of each they prefer for optimum growth. Because poinsettias are native to southern Mexico they are sub-tropical plants and therefore will wither if the night temperature is allowed to fall below 50 degrees F or the day time temperatures is in excess of 80 degrees F which will shorten the lifespan of your Poinsettia.
Light –If possible try and place your new plant near a south facing sunny closed (to prevent drafts) window with as much direct sunlight as possible, your plant may grow towards the light so if affected you should turn it round 180 degrees every couple of days to keep it straight. Take care to ensure that no part of the plant touches the cold window glass which may damage it. Sunlight should be available for the Poinsettia for at least five hours a day if possible Plants exposed to high light, heat and low humidity will require more frequent watering.
Heat - To keep the poinsettia in bloom as long as possible, it is advisable to try and maintain a temperature of between 65 and 75 degrees F during the day. If the temperature drops to about 60 degrees F at night this will not damage the plant, but cold drafts or letting the leaves touch a cold window can damage the leaves and cause premature leaf drop, the temperature in an average living room is ideal as long as you move the plant away from the window sill at night to avoid extreme shifts in temperature.
Water – Only water the plant when the surface of the compost feels dry to the touch and the plant feels lighter. Water it until it drains out the bottom of the pot, the draining board of the sink is an ideal place to do this, leave to drain for about half an hour especially if the plant is kept in a potholder or saucer. Don’t let the plant sit in water for any more than a minute unless you have let it dry out. Remember over watering will kill your plant faster than anything else so a little and often is a better practice. If your house tends to be hot and dry and your poinsettia is in direct sun light, you may find yourself having to water more frequently, possibly a little every day
Nutrition –If you buy your poinsettia in December it will already have had all the feeding necessary so there will be no need to add any extra plant food as the bracts tend colour up better when slightly hungry so don’t feed your poinsettia while it’s blooming. A general plant food can be applied after Christmas if the green leaves start to look a little pale
Troubleshooting / Problems
One of the most common problems with poinsettias is loss of leaves and leaves turning yellow or brown or they may begin to look crinkly around the leaf edges, this is most likely brought on by dry air in the house which can be caused by the central heating in your house this is not normally a problem if you use your radiators to dry clothes as the drying process will increases the humidity. Like most houseplants poinsettias like humidity in the air so if your plant shows the above symptoms try misting the plant regularly with a fine spray of water or keep a bowl of water in the room to help raise the humidity in the room.
If your plant begins to drop healthy, non-wilted leaves, the cause is most likely a cold draft from a door or window or possibly a lack of light as they cannot tolerate fluctuating temperatures. Try moving the plant to a lighter or less drafty place, if that doesn’t help and your plant still wilts suddenly or starts dropping its leaves there are two other possible causes that can produce similar symptoms even although they are opposites of each other, overwatering and under watering. Too wet compost will cause sudden leaf drop and is the number 1 cause of premature death with poinsettias as they do not like sitting in water. Allowing the plant to become too dry will result in the plant wilting and dropping leaves too although this is much easier to resolve.
Many people believe that Poinsettias are poisonous which has recently been proved to be a myth. Over the last few years poinsettias have undergone extensive laboratory testing and there is no evidence that they are toxic or unsafe to have in your house While they are not meant to be eaten by humans or pets, eating a poinsettia would probably not cause much more than an upset stomach, much the same as eating most houseplants A more likely problem to watch out for is contact dermatitis as poinsettias will bleed a white milky sticky sap when damaged. Some people are sensitive to this sap especially children, which can cause an itchy rash so to be careful do not to rub your eyes or let children put their fingers in their mouths after touching the plants.
If I have missed anything feel free to pull me up or add any comments or questions and I will try to answer them as best I can and I hope this guide helps some of you have more success with your Christmas plants
For a bit of fun you could even post piccies closer to Christmas of any successes or disasters members have.
Regards
Stewart
Have had a shed load of help here over the years and read loads of good tuts on subjects that I originally didn’t understand so I thought since this is my game I would do a quick guide for Poinsettias since it is getting closer to Christmas and they are one of the most popular Christmas pot plants that we buy either for ourselves or as a gift.
They come in a range of over 200 different varieties including bright reds, pinks, whites and even marbled novelty varieties but most of us will associate the red ones with Christmas.
If properly looked after they will stay bright and colourful until March/ April and beyond but most people usually struggle to keep them alive much beyond the festive season so I have put together this simple guide to help anyone who is intending buying some this Christmas make sure they pick good quality plants and get them to last longer once they get them home.
Buying
Many of the poinsettias for sale in supermarkets and garden centres are imported from abroad ie Holland Belgium etc and as a result are very soft and easily damaged during transit, others are grown locally and these tend to be much more sturdy and will normally last much longer as they have not travelled thousands of miles and are therefore more acclimatised to the crappier British weather so ask the shop assistant where they came from.
If possible try to buy British grown plants as they will always outlast the imported ones but you will find they are usually more expensive due to the heating costs etc.
Check for broken branches. Poinsettias are naturally brittle plants that can break easily in transit so make sure all the branches are intact, with no broken bits held together by the plastic sleeve
When buying look for bushy plants with lots of colourful bracts that are fully opened but not covered with pollen (yellow dust) as this indicates that it’s nearing the end of blooming.
As a rough guide the ideal plant spread should be about 2½ times the diameter of the pot (without the sleeve).
Buy your plant at the end of your shopping trip to minimise the chance of it getting broken or getting a chill when taking it to and from your car as they are very susceptible to cold and being left in a cold car will most certainly cause your plant irreversible damage.
As soon as you get your plant home remove the transit sleeve by carefully cutting it from bottom to top (the same direction as the branches), never keep your new poinsettia in its plastic sleeve because they need good air circulation and drainage to thrive and the sleeve will cause the plant to sweat and rot even if left round the pot.
After Care
Like all plants poinsettias have 4 basic requirements light, heat, water and nutrition to grow into a well proportioned healthy plant so I will try to explain how much of each they prefer for optimum growth. Because poinsettias are native to southern Mexico they are sub-tropical plants and therefore will wither if the night temperature is allowed to fall below 50 degrees F or the day time temperatures is in excess of 80 degrees F which will shorten the lifespan of your Poinsettia.
Light –If possible try and place your new plant near a south facing sunny closed (to prevent drafts) window with as much direct sunlight as possible, your plant may grow towards the light so if affected you should turn it round 180 degrees every couple of days to keep it straight. Take care to ensure that no part of the plant touches the cold window glass which may damage it. Sunlight should be available for the Poinsettia for at least five hours a day if possible Plants exposed to high light, heat and low humidity will require more frequent watering.
Heat - To keep the poinsettia in bloom as long as possible, it is advisable to try and maintain a temperature of between 65 and 75 degrees F during the day. If the temperature drops to about 60 degrees F at night this will not damage the plant, but cold drafts or letting the leaves touch a cold window can damage the leaves and cause premature leaf drop, the temperature in an average living room is ideal as long as you move the plant away from the window sill at night to avoid extreme shifts in temperature.
Water – Only water the plant when the surface of the compost feels dry to the touch and the plant feels lighter. Water it until it drains out the bottom of the pot, the draining board of the sink is an ideal place to do this, leave to drain for about half an hour especially if the plant is kept in a potholder or saucer. Don’t let the plant sit in water for any more than a minute unless you have let it dry out. Remember over watering will kill your plant faster than anything else so a little and often is a better practice. If your house tends to be hot and dry and your poinsettia is in direct sun light, you may find yourself having to water more frequently, possibly a little every day
Nutrition –If you buy your poinsettia in December it will already have had all the feeding necessary so there will be no need to add any extra plant food as the bracts tend colour up better when slightly hungry so don’t feed your poinsettia while it’s blooming. A general plant food can be applied after Christmas if the green leaves start to look a little pale
Troubleshooting / Problems
One of the most common problems with poinsettias is loss of leaves and leaves turning yellow or brown or they may begin to look crinkly around the leaf edges, this is most likely brought on by dry air in the house which can be caused by the central heating in your house this is not normally a problem if you use your radiators to dry clothes as the drying process will increases the humidity. Like most houseplants poinsettias like humidity in the air so if your plant shows the above symptoms try misting the plant regularly with a fine spray of water or keep a bowl of water in the room to help raise the humidity in the room.
If your plant begins to drop healthy, non-wilted leaves, the cause is most likely a cold draft from a door or window or possibly a lack of light as they cannot tolerate fluctuating temperatures. Try moving the plant to a lighter or less drafty place, if that doesn’t help and your plant still wilts suddenly or starts dropping its leaves there are two other possible causes that can produce similar symptoms even although they are opposites of each other, overwatering and under watering. Too wet compost will cause sudden leaf drop and is the number 1 cause of premature death with poinsettias as they do not like sitting in water. Allowing the plant to become too dry will result in the plant wilting and dropping leaves too although this is much easier to resolve.
Many people believe that Poinsettias are poisonous which has recently been proved to be a myth. Over the last few years poinsettias have undergone extensive laboratory testing and there is no evidence that they are toxic or unsafe to have in your house While they are not meant to be eaten by humans or pets, eating a poinsettia would probably not cause much more than an upset stomach, much the same as eating most houseplants A more likely problem to watch out for is contact dermatitis as poinsettias will bleed a white milky sticky sap when damaged. Some people are sensitive to this sap especially children, which can cause an itchy rash so to be careful do not to rub your eyes or let children put their fingers in their mouths after touching the plants.
If I have missed anything feel free to pull me up or add any comments or questions and I will try to answer them as best I can and I hope this guide helps some of you have more success with your Christmas plants
For a bit of fun you could even post piccies closer to Christmas of any successes or disasters members have.
Regards
Stewart
