Christmas star flower - how to care at home
Content:
Plants that begin to bloom in the winter, cold months are a fairy tale, a miracle, they can be counted on one hand. The Christmas tree (indoor) is one of those. The article below describes what a Christmas star (flower) looks like at home, how to care for, water and feed, make it bloom.
What is the Christmas star flower
The Christmas star, or poinsettia, is an indoor flower, characterized by a thermophilic character, demanding watering and fertilization. But with proper care, the house will be filled with a fairy tale.
What does a red star indoor flower, or a star of Bethlehem look like?
Before both experienced and novice flower growers began to breed the Christmas star, it went a long and amazing path of history. The first to appreciate its beauty were the ancient Aztecs. It was used as a natural dye for fabrics, as a cosmetic, and as a juice in the treatment of fever attacks. But, before buying and propagating it on your windowsill, you should familiarize yourself with interesting facts about this amazing flower.
- Not every poinsettia is red. This shade is considered a classic color, but you can also find white, cream, yellow, pink and even apricot shades.
- The flower itself was named after its discoverer - American politician and diplomat D. Roberts Poinset. And he was not only a political scientist, but also a professional botanist.
- If you want the poinsettia to change the color of your flower to a lighter shade, you just need to rearrange the flower in a dark place during home care. And it is worth observing at least 12-hour total darkness, otherwise there is a risk of getting something nondescript.
Christmas star flower: home care
The Christmas star is a whimsical and thermophilic plant, but with due observance of all conditions of maintenance and reproduction, it will delight with a beautiful and abundant color.
Temperature regime
New Year's poinsettia flower grows beautifully at 20 ° C. The main thing is that the minimum temperature in the room does not drop below 16 ° C.
The growth and development of poinsettia depend on the correctness of the content.
Air humidity and watering, fertilization
At home, it is worth observing the level of high humidity, if this is not possible, spray the Christmas star with warm room temperature with settled water. Additionally, this measure protects the plant itself from spider mites.
The main thing in relation to watering is not to allow the water in the sump to stagnate, but you should not allow the earthen coma to dry out. All this is disastrous for a Christmas star.
In terms of feeding, the requirements are the same as for other home flowers. It is carried out in the spring at the very beginning of the active period of growth and flowering and then with an interval of three weeks.It is optimal to opt for complex fertilizers for flowering plants. Fertilizers are applied until autumn, before the onset of a dormant period.
At the beginning of the dormant period, the plant is fed with fertilizers with the addition of phosphorus and potassium salts. As the flower goes into hibernation, it is strictly forbidden to apply fertilizers.
Pruning and caring for a Christmas star after flowering
During this period, the length of daylight hours for the plant is reduced to 10 hours, for which the flowerpot is placed in a box and covered with cardboard or thick black cloth on top. Watering is gradually reduced, but fertilizers are not applied.
Pruning is done when the plant has bloomed. It is worth cutting exactly half the height of the plant, and if the shoots do not exceed 5 cm, then they are not touched. Pruning should also be done after the entire Christmas star is transplanted into a new flowerpot.
Pruning helps to form a beautiful shrub in the future
Transplanting a Christmas star at home
The transplant is carried out before the onset of the growing season and active growth. The main thing is to act carefully, since the root system of the flower is fragile. Therefore, the transplant is carried out by the transshipment method, without disturbing the earthen room.
If the plant has not filled the pot with roots, then no replanting is necessary. In this case, it is enough to sprinkle the soil on top.
As for the choice of a flowerpot, the new one should be 2-3 cm wider and deeper than the previous one, no more. After transplanting, the plant is provided with abundant spraying and watering, the temperature is not lower than 21 ° C. After the appearance of new shoots, it is necessary to leave a few strong ones, and cut off all the rest in order to prevent the weakening of the ornamental bush.
Dormant period
The dormant period falls at the end of February - early March and lasts until April. At this time, the plant is resting, often shedding its leaves. The very first sign of the onset of this period, experts call the appearance of green leaves on top of decorative, red inflorescences. At this time it is worth:
- place a flowerpot with a plant in a cool and shaded room, keep it at a temperature of 12-15 ° C;
- carry out preventive pruning, leaving strong shoots 7-10 cm high, which will allow to form a beautiful and lush bush in the future;
- watering is very rare. Moreover, it is worth giving the earthen coma to dry completely, this will contribute to the easy "wintering" of the plant.
Preparing for flowering (late September - November)
With the onset of summer, the Christmas star begins to actively grow, develop, and with the onset of autumn, a period of active preparation for flowering begins. If you do not follow a certain regime, you can not wait for the poinsettia to bloom. What the flower requires:
- Light protection. In autumn, from evening to morning, cover the flowerpot itself with a cardboard box or a dark, opaque bag;
- Provide the plant with natural light, day and night. The main condition for keeping is the absence of nearby heating batteries and artificial lighting sources;
- Application of opaque barriers.
In any case, during this period:
- watered with warm filtered water, but after the earthen coma has completely dried;
- fertilizer is applied once a week, intended for ornamental, flowering plants.
After all the manipulations, the plant is taken out on a lighted windowsill.
Proper care is the key to the beauty and health of the plant
Diseases and pests of the flower and the fight against them
If the plant begins to wither and disappear, but the conditions of detention are met, it is possible that the bush is infected with parasites or suffers from an ailment. Most often, the plant is affected by:
- mealy worms. They feed on the sap of the plant, leaving a sticky bloom on the foliage.Step-by-step instructions for pest control provide for treatment with a solution of simple laundry soap or alcohol tincture, but for the best effect it is worth choosing the drug Commander or Fitoverm;
- a spider mite wraps a cobweb around the plant, feeds on the sap of the plant and can lead to its death. It is enough to arrange a regular shower for the plant, process the foliage with tobacco infusion;
- gray rot is characterized by the appearance of a grayish bloom on the plant. To combat, damaged leaves are removed, treated with antifungal compounds.
How to propagate a Christmas star at home
It is best to propagate the plant in spring or early summer. To do this, use a cut cutting, the top with at least five internodes. The place of the cut is sprinkled with charcoal, then rooted in water or loose nutrient soil, made in equal parts of sand and peat.
To activate the rooting process, growth stimulants are used, for example, heteroauxin. The temperature in the room should be at the level of 25-27 ° C, the cuttings themselves are systematically sprayed. It often takes 1-1.5 months to root the cuttings, then each of them is transplanted into a separate flowerpot.
Thus, the Christmas star is a plant that, although whimsical, but with proper care and maintenance, will delight with a beautiful flowering that cannot be compared with other representatives of the domestic flora.
