How to take care of the poinsettia to preserve it beyond Christmas
One of the usual purchases in homes at Christmas is the poinsettia or flower of Christmas Eve . This beautiful flower native to Mexico and Central America has become a Christmas symbol around the world. Its beautiful red leaves combined with the green ones make it an ideal ornamental plant for these dates. However, the poinsettia requires special care that must be followed to preserve it throughout the year. In this way, not only will we have a beautiful poinsettia flower for the following year, but we will also save a plant. Take note of these tips to take care of the poinsettia and keep it beyond Christmas.
The origin of the poinsettia
The poinsettia, also called Christmas flower or Christmas flower , is native to Mexico and Central America. It is found wild in humid climates and medium-high elevations, especially towards the coast, making it suitable for temperate climates. When it grows, this plant takes the form of a beautiful and large bush, and is usually found at the foot of ravines and rivers, since it likes humidity . Over the years, it has become a houseplant , of which more than 100 different varieties are grown around the world.
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How to care for a poinsettia correctly: 9 tips
As you can imagine from its natural habitat, this beautiful plant does not like to be too cold or too hot . For this reason, it has become a perfect indoor plant, as long as the pertinent care is taken with it.
1 It is important that it is kept in a lighted place in the house, since it is necessary to maintain the red coloration of its flowers. However, direct sunlight could damage it.
2 It likes humidity, so if you live in a very dry climate you should impregnate the environment with a spray bottle of water, especially in the hottest season.
3 It can withstand up to 40ºC, but its ideal temperature is 20-22ºC during the day and 16ºC at night, so the ideal is to move it away from heat sources such as heating . On the other hand, in summer try to have it in a cool and bright place in the house.
4 Although it likes humidity, irrigation must be moderate, so as not to rot the root. Once or twice a week with moderate watering is enough. In addition, some advice not to water it directly from the ground, but from the base, so an ideal way would be to leave it for about 30 minutes once or twice a week immersed in a dish of water so that the roots absorb the necessary water.
5 Precisely for this reason, it is good that your soil has a good drainage system , so that moisture does not remain in the root. The ideal is a substrate rich in organic substances with a little peat.
6 It does not tolerate drafts, so you must take this into account when choosing a place to place it.
7 For it to flower from one year to the next, after flowering it will need 12 to 14 hours of darkness per day. It will depend a bit on where you live, but in seasons when the night lasts less, like in summer, you can cover it with a black bag at night and uncover it until a few hours after sunrise.
8 After flowering, once the leaves fall , you should prune it, leaving a stem of about 6 cm. The ideal is to fertilize it with a fertilizer rich in nitrogen every 10 days until the flowering season.
9 If you live in a temperate climate, you can even have it in the garden, and its care will be much easier.
