Christmas is all about love and what better color would represent love than red. Also known as the "Flower of the Holy Night" and "Flame Leaf", Christmas poinsettia has wonderful red star-shaped flowers. The popularity of this legendary flower dates back to 16th century, which is believed to have occurred in Mexico, where a little girl and her brother Pablo were fond of Christmas but were impoverished to buy Christmas gifts. One day they picked few grasses and leaves from the roadside and decided to give it as gift to the Baby Jesus, and turned deaf ears on the taunting made by their peers. Miraculously their gift turned into bright red petals, which we adore as a holy flower today and use in occasion like Christmas to make it more colorful. The flower has a variety of colors, which includes yellow, pink and marbled, however its presence is very well marked with vibrant red color. Growing a Christmas Poinsettia is definitely not easy as it appears, it requires keen attention to make it bloom at its best, here are some tips to help you nurture it.
Christmas Poinsettia Tree
The traditional Christmas plant, Poinsettia has star-shaped striking red flowers, and is also called as "Flower of the Holy Night".
- An Ideal condition for this plant to grow healthy is in the temperatures ranging from 60 to 70 deg Fahrenheit. They cannot grow healthy in extreme conditions.
- The plant should be exposed to sunlight for at least 6 to 8 hours to blossom in full bloom and should be placed preferably in south or east directions that will allow them to get maximum sunlight.
- The plant should be watered regularly, and if you have any obstacle in draining the water, prod the soil and loosen it so that the water drains out well. Do not allow the plant to sit on a still water as it could impede its growth and cause the root to rot.
- You need to water the plant regularly and keep the soil moist but not wet.
- Fertilizing the plant regularly with organic ingredients nourishes the plant well and should be used every two weeks regularly.
- After fertilizing it well, cut the stems to around 3-4 inches tall in the month of May and repot the plant in a bigger diameter pot with new soil, and transfer the plant to a bigger pot but ensure that the soil is watered well and exposed to sunlight for the rest of the day.
- Move the plant in a considerably shady area and continue to water and fertilize it regularly.
- Cut one inch from each stem again beginning in July, then in the month of August cut some more stems so that there are only 4 to 5 leaves. This is done in order to keep the plant from growing too tall and stop the pinching of the stems after September, as continuing further could allow it to bloom during the winter season.
- Keep your poinsettia exposed to the sunny locations during morning after which it should be transited to shady region during the afternoon hours. For best results it should be kept in dark during 5 PM to 8 AM or more. Poinsettia blooms when it undergoes long nights and short days. By providing total darkness at night and full daylight during daytime you can provide your poinsettia with ideal condition.