Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) flowers are the most beautiful flowers. The red bracts of the flowers are usually mistaken as petals. It can be grown indoors or outdoor as well but needs to take precautions for its care.
WHAT IS POINSETTIA?
Poinsettia is a well-known and beautiful plant of the Spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) and is widely used for ornamental purposes worldwide. This eye-catching plant is usually grown in wet, moist environments or on rocky hillsides. Poinsettia is native to Central America and Mexico.
APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS
Poinsettia is a shrub-like plant that gains a maximum height of 2-13 ft or 0.6-4 meters. This plant bears flaming-red beautiful colored bracts. These bracts can also be obtained in different desired colors like pink, white, cream, pale green, and orange through the process of photoperiodism (the effect of varying light duration for various plant development responses).
Poinsettia’s flame-red bracts are present in the form of clusters that give it the outlook of a beautiful flower. Due to this property, this plant is lovingly used as an ornamental plant.
Below the red bracts, it has dentate leaves with dark green color and 7-16 cm length.
Its flowers are modest and reserved, which shows the character of unisexuality (either male or female). Its flowers appear in the form of clusters within cyathia.
Related reads: Learn about Neon Pothos care
QUICK SUMMARY
Botanical Name: Poinsettia
Native to: Mexico and Central America
Care: No excessive moisture in the soil and no exposure to freezing temperature
Size: 2-13 ft in height
Common problems: Its roots are sensitive.
Toxicity: It is known as toxic, but even then, Poinsettia is not a harmful plant. It does not cause any severe problems to plants or animals. It may cause temporary nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Check out the non toxic Calathea rufibarba if you have pets or kids.
HOW TO CARE FOR POINSETTIA
SUNLIGHT:
Poinsettia requires bright indoor daytime light for its proper development and color maintenance. It is always suggested to place an East, West or South window from where it can take fresh indirect light according to its requirement. For outdoor light, there is a recorded time limit of 4-6 hours daily. This difference in the duration of dark and light environments for this plant will change its leaf color.
WATERING:
Poinsettia can show effective growth and good health in the moist soil environment. So, always try to keep the soil moist. It is suggested to check the potting soil by gentle touch carefully and if the soil feels dry, then moisten it with enough water. This plant cannot bear excessive dryness or wetness. Dryness will result in wilting of leaves, while the long-term exposure to excess water will rot the plant roots.
HUMIDITY & TEMPERATURE:
Always avoid placing Poinsettia in or near cold or freezing areas. Keep Poinsettia always within the ranges of 65-70 degree indoor temperatures because it is the ideal temperature for this precious plant. It can die in a freezing environment. Even a temperature below 50 degrees can cause severe damages to the Poinsettia plant.
CLEANING:
Poinsettia is a plant with broad leaves, due to which it collects dust easily. So if you want to keep your planted Poinsettia clean and fresh, then regularly dust it off with a damped soft piece of cloth. If you want to cut it and place it in the vases, cut the soft stem just below the colored bracts, dip the cut ends in hot water for some instant, and remove all the spas from the cut tips. After that, put it in cold water again and store the cut parts of Poinsettia for at least two weeks.
FERTILIZING & SOIL:
Only use the fertilizer when you notice new growth of leaves, flowers, and buds. Moreover, you can use the all-purpose household plant fertilizer to increase the fertility of the soil. Use fertilizer periodically after 3-4 weeks.
REPOTTING:
Repotting of Poinsettia should be performed very carefully because the roots are sensitive. Always use a pot that allows good drainage of water. Remember, Poinsettisis’s roots and stems are very sensitive to excessive moist soil, so try to keep it in warm places after repotting your Poinsettia plant.
Fun fact: The easy to care Chinese Money Plant requires regular repotting because of its fast growing nature.
HOW AND WHEN TO PRUNE?
For pruning, cut the branches of the plant back to 4-6 inches and then wait for a month. The growth of new branches will start soon and at this time, feed your plant with a good quality fertilizer for rapid and double growth. You can do the same thing in late summer.
Both potted and ground planted Poinsettia should be pruned two times a year. One is in the month of April during the spring season, and the other is in the month of August in late summer.
PROBLEMS WITH POINSETTIA
Some of the major and common problems with Poinsettia are as follow:
- It is susceptible to cold temperature
- Roots cannot remain healthy in excessively moist soil for an extended period.
- Its roots can also be easily damaged by attacking pathogens like Thielaviopsis, Rhizoctonia, Pythium, etc.
HOW TO PROPAGATE POINSETTIA
Poinsettia can be propagated through the parent plant’s roots and seeds. For both cases, follow these steps:
- Select a clear part of the land with porous soil.
- Select dry soil and water the plant consciously during propagation.
- Now, put the roots or seeds inside the soil.
- Now, keep yourself conscious during pruning.
COMMON FAQs
HOW MUCH LIGHT DOES A POINSETTIA NEED?
Poinsettia requires fresh daytime indoor light for its proper growth. While, in the case of outdoor light, daily exposure of 4-6 hours is best.
WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT POINSETTIA?
Poinsettia is an eye-catching, beautiful plant with broad leaves. Its red bracts give the plant a giant flower type look, due to which it is used as an ornamental plant, especially during Christmas.
ARE POINSETTIA GOOD INDOOR PLANTS?
Poinsettia can be an outdoor plant during summer, but because it is sensitive to cold environments, it is suggested to treat it as an indoor plant during winter.
CAN A POINSETTIA SURVIVE IN LOW LIGHT?
Yes, Poinsettia can survive in low light, but it can affect its leaf’s color and growth. But placing Poinsettia in direct sunlight will cause severe damage to this plant.
IS POINSETTIA THE FASTEST GROWING PLANT?
Poinsettia is a fast-growing plant, but we can not say that it is the fastest-growing plant. For germination, this plant takes at least three weeks, and then it starts sprouting within a few weeks after being sifted to the soil or ground.
SUMMARY
Poinsettia is a bush-like beautiful plant of the family Euphorbiaceae. It is native to Mexico and Central America. This plant requires a balanced amount of moisture in its soil and a moderately warm environment for its proper growth. You can also use flower culture techniques and photoperiodism for getting different colors of its leaves. Overall, it is very easy to grow, sustain, and fast-growing plants.