|
 All of your friends know you are an avid gardener.
With all the vegetables you give away each summer, you hold the
status of Gardening Guru. You have likely responded to plant
emergency calls, and resuscitated an ailing house or garden plant.
It seems only logical for a gardener's friend to assume the perfect
holiday gift to get the Gardening Guru is a Poinsettia. Now you, the
gardener, have the attention of everyone as you do your best to keep
a houseplant alive in the middle of winter. Why is that so hard?
Mainly because that plant is being taken from the perfect growing
environment, a greenhouse with state of the art climate controls and
cultural care, to a less than ideal home in the middle of winter.
Garden Guru or not, there are ways to keep that Poinsettia alive
during the holiday season. And to do that, we need to know a bit
about where the plant comes from and its history.
Why Poinsettia?
With known cultivation going back to the Aztec civilization,
Poinsettias are native to Southern Mexico. In 1825, President John
Quincy Adams appointed the first US Ambassador to Mexico, Joel
Roberts Poinsett, a politician with an interest in botany. Wandering
the countryside of Mexico, Poinsett took cuttings from a large
beautiful shrub with red flowers growing next to the road. He sent
these to his greenhouse in South Carolina, thereby introducing the
Poinsettia to the United States. As the plant became more popular in
the US, it garnered the official name of Poinsettia in honor of Joel
Poinsett.
Today Poinsettias are the most popular retail potted plants in the
US with over 34 million sold each year. Most Poinsettias are
purchased in the six weeks leading up to Christmas. [to top of second
column] |
In its native range in Southern Mexico, Poinsettia blooms during
December, where the plant was traditionally used to decorate churches to
celebrate Christmas. By manipulating a Poinsettias exposure to light, greenhouse
growers were able to simulate southern Mexico conditions to trigger flowering
and create a popular off-season nursery product for the holidays.
Poinsettia Care for the Holidays
• Make sure it is wrapped properly because exposure to low temperatures even for
a few minutes can damage the bracts and leaves. Remember these are tropical
plants!
• Place the Poinsettia in indirect light. Keep the plant from touching cold
windows.
• Keep Poinsettias away from warm or cold drafts from radiators, air registers
or open doors and windows.
• Ideally, Poinsettias require daytime temperatures of 60 to 70°F and nighttime
temperatures around 55°F. High temperatures will shorten the plant's life. Move
the plant to a cooler room at night, if possible.
• Check the soil daily. Be sure to punch holes in the decorative foil so water
can drain into a saucer. Water when the soil is dry. Allow water to drain into
the saucer and discard excess water.
These tips will keep your Poinsettia alive through the holidays or at least
until the relatives leave.
[Christopher Enroth, Extension Educator,
Horticulture
Terri Miller, MPA
County Extension Director - Unit 16] |
