Whatever you do, still haven’t managed to keep the poinsettia alive all year? Get advice from an experienced flower lover.
Did you get a poinsettia for the holidays?
You couldn’t resist too? Poinsettia is a popular plant that has become a typical decoration during the holidays. Its colored pink, red or white bracts are beautiful, although they are not flowers.
However, the poinsettia is a plant that comes from Mexico, so taking care of it in our conditions can be difficult. It typically lasts only a few weeks after Christmas, in some households it lasts until Easter. It’s a shame, of course, because the poinsettia can also be grown as a houseplant. How to make it last for you?
The author of this post from the Plant Lady Prague YouTube channel will also advise you on poinsettia care.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS19xp4hixk
Poinsettia aka poinsettia care
What are the pitfalls of poinsettia care? It is primarily a topping that we will kill sooner or later. The plant requires regular and fairly intensive watering. However, this does not mean that he wants to stand in the water. This leads to rotting and subsequent death of the roots, and then the entire plant. Poinsettias also suit higher air humidity and in any case diffused light.
So how do you deal with dressing, which is usually the most problematic? Make sure that the excess dressing is not caught at the bottom of the pot cover or bowl. Water the plant at regular intervals twice, sometimes even three times a week. This depends mainly on the location of the plant and also the temperature of your apartment. If the plant is placed on the windowsill near the radiator, it will dry out relatively quickly, so it is necessary to remember to water it more often. It is recommended to water the poinsettia as soon as the surface of the substrate dries.
Dunk watering
If growing plants is your favorite subject, you may have come across videos on social media and the internet where plants are soaked in a barrel of water. A plant submerged in this way immediately draws water, but at the same time its leaves also get wet. The poinsettia doesn’t mind it in any way either, because it absolutely loves air humidity.
If you have already seen such videos, you may have noticed that it is often not ordinary water in which the plant is dipped. Of course, it depends on the type of plant, but gardeners also use this process to fertilize the plant. Therefore, you too can use highly diluted home fertilizers.
You can use, for example, a weak fertilizer made from banana peels or coffee grounds from popular home fertilizers. You can also make fertilizer from ordinary tea, in which you macerate citrus peels. Citrus peels are rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium, which supports not only healthy growth but also flowering.
How does the immersion of plants take place? During the summer months, it is possible to soak the plants in a barrel of water. In winter and in living conditions, however, it is convenient to use a large bucket with water at room temperature or possibly diluted household fertilizer.
Slowly submerge the whole plant and the flower pot until it is completely covered with water. Proceed slowly so as not to unnecessarily wash away the light substrate from the pot. Air bubbles will rise from it. When they stop rising, you can be sure that the substrate is completely wet. Then slowly pull the plant out again. Let stand to allow any excess water to drain before replacing.
This technique is little known, but often used, for example, in huge Chinese plantations with succulents, which share videos of the production and care of the plants. However, it is also used elsewhere, including when plants are attacked by pests hiding in the soil. In this way, you not only water and fertilize the plant, but you also partially eliminate any pests and rinse the leaves. However, it is a method that is suitable for smaller plants.
Sources: garden-id.com, lifehacker.com
