A legion of millions of plants currently extends through thousands and thousands of houses around the world. They are colonizing corners of homes, offices, hotel receptions, shopping centers, cafeterias. If someone has not yet seen any this year, it is because they have not been able to leave the house, because it is the star plant of Christmas. It is the well-known Easter flower (Euphorbia pulcherrima). It is known by other popular names such as Easter or poinsettia, the latter referring to its old botanical name of Poinsettia pulcherrima. It is a plant that unleashes love and hatred, many of the latter linked rather to the Christmas period in which it is sold and given away with relish. Because, objectively, it is a spectacular species, with an anatomy that leaves no one indifferent.
The first thing that hits are its colored leaves. Although they may look like flowers, they are really bracts: transformed leaves with a clear purpose, which is to attract pollinators to their small and insignificant flowers. These are found right in the middle of the bracts, and are light green, yellowish, and reddish in color, and resemble small balls at the tip of each branch. Each of the components of this inflorescence receives the botanical name of cyatio, a structure typical of the family to which it belongs, that of the euphorbias. This group of plants is very loved by gardeners, since the different species of Euphorbia they have a beauty that falls in love, as well as very different growth habits. Thus, there are herbaceous, shrubby or succulent euphorbias, the latter in the shape of a cactus, with which they are often confused. Something very curious about this genus is the milky sap or very white latex. The poinsettia, at the slightest injury, will make it sprout in abundance.
When they are given as gifts or enter the house by their own decision, fears arise when thinking about whether they will be kept alive and healthy. Indeed, it is not one of the easiest plants to care for, since they are very sensitive to lack of light, excess water and the presence of dreaded heating. In its origin it would be necessary to look for the reason for the care it needs. This subtropical Mexican shrub grows on the margins of montane forested areas. It can measure around four meters in height, as those who have seen it in parks and gardens in the Canary Islands or on the warm coasts of the Peninsula will know. So it likes very bright light and high humidity, along with a warm temperature during the day that can be a bit cooler at night.
Well, those same will be the ideal parameters to cultivate it. You have to find a place inside the house with a lot of light intensity, without the direct sun being necessary there. Room humidity is more difficult to maintain in heated rooms, of course, but it may not be vital. Proper irrigation is the one that respects the simple rule of watering only when the substrate has dried almost completely, especially the first layer. Regarding its nutrition, it is advisable to apply a fertilizer rich in phosphorus and potassium and low in nitrogen. Specific fertilizers for tomatoes, roses or berries usually work well. If you notice that the plant has yellow leaves, it may be due to an excess or lack of water, or a lack of light to carry out photosynthesis correctly.
As it is a so-called short-cycle plant, it begins to flower when it is dark for more than 12 hours, as happens to chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum spp.) or the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera var.). Then, flowering and the formation of these bracts are activated. In the different varieties of poinsettia they can be, apart from red, pink, white, cream or even yellowish tones.
As the plant begins to shed its leaves at the end of the flowering period, this is when it goes dormant. It is a natural process that must be respected. It is then when it should be watered much less, allowing the substrate to dry out even more. When a few weeks later you notice that new buds begin to develop, it is the perfect time to prune it. It is a plant that does not have a good tendency to branch, so it must be people, with energetic pruning, who promote the densest growth. Otherwise, the plant will lengthen its stems a lot, and you will have a more gangly plant, not so compact.
To proceed with this maintenance pruning, each stem is shortened, to leave it between 10 and 20 centimeters in height. As can be done with other indoor plants, it is ideal to take the poinsettia outside in the warm months, so that it receives a greater amount of light, without direct sun. If you want, it is also a very good time to transplant it into a slightly larger pot.
If after the new growth each new stem is lightly pruned again, cutting the terminal bud of each one, an even denser growth will be favored. It is very important that this pruning is not carried out beyond the month of July, or there is a risk that winter flowering will not take place.
Yes, you can get it to bloom for another year, although it will surely not be as spectacular as the first. To achieve this, at the end of September or the beginning of October it is necessary to provide 14 hours of darkness each night, and then give it intense light the rest of the day. There are people who cover it with a completely opaque bag, with a metal bin or with a cardboard box to achieve that necessary darkness. Once you see that the leaves are colored, which will happen in November, if everything has gone well, you can stop covering the plant. It is a laborious process in which all kinds of artificial light must be avoided. Even a street lamp or bathroom lamp coming into your room will interrupt the flowering stimulation process.
Another option, much more comfortable, is to do nothing, and leave the poinsettia in the darkest room in the house, and see if the plant can form the bracts at some point. For example, for Menchu García, a gardener in her spare time, the poinsettias in her office were colored in the month of March, on a Christmas out of season. Whenever they bloom, they are always welcome.
#Easter #flower #care #survive #star #plant #Christmas