Caring for Poinsettias November 5, 2007 Legend of the
Poinsettia, how does a plant used by the Aztecs for
medicinal purposes and dyes become the quintessential
Christmas flower? It began with the legend of the
poinsettia. Legend has it that a poor Mexican girl named
Pepita had no gift to give at the annual Christmas Eve
service.
Red Christmas
Poinsettias
Longing to honor the Virgin Mary and the Christ child,
Peptia became distraught as she walked to the service. As
tears flow from her face, she was comforted by an angel, her
brother or her cousin (depending on the version). At the
urging of her comforter, Peptia gathered a handful of common
weeds from the roadside. Hesitant to take the unattractive
weeds as her gift, Peptia had to be persuaded that giving
something perceived as unworthy but from the heart was an
admirable gift. Arriving at the church, Peptia sorrowfully
placed her weeds as an offering on the alter. Joy overcame
her when, as the weeds touch the alter, they burst into
stunning red poinsettia blooms. From that day forward the
poinsettia was kno! wn as Flor de Nochebuena (The Christmas
Flower).
Red Christmas Poinsettia
History of the Poinsettia
During the late 1820's, Joel Poinsett was the American
Ambassador to Mexico. Although a fine statesman, his passion
revolved around botany. During his tenure in Mexico, he
scanned the landscape for interesting plants and found the
poinsettia. Upon his return to the United States, he
introduced the poinsettia to several horticulturists in
South Carolina. By the 1900's, the Ecke Family of South
California began producing poinsettias as a landscape plant
and a cut flower. Many of the cultivars today are a result
work by the Paul Ecke Ranch and the reason the poinsettia
has become widely used as a Christmas flower.
Punch Ice Poinsetttia
Ecke Ranch
The Poinsettia Flower
Not actually flowers, the big red "blooms" of the poinsettia
are actually bracts (modified leaves). The true flowers (cyathia)
are the small insignificant yellow clusters in the center of
the bract. Despite this misconception, the bract is often
referred to as the poinsettia flower. This "flower" has been
cultivated into colors other than red such as pink, cream,
white, and purple. There are bi-color and marbled
poinsettias as well.
Selecting a Poinsettia
Dark green foliage and completely colored bracts are a must
when selecting a poinsettia. Optimum poinsettia specimens
are full and balanced plants; 2 1/2 times taller than the
container and attractive from all sides. Always avoid plants
that are wilted, but have moist soil, droopy or yellow
leaves all of which indicated the plant is under stress.
Look for plants in the early stages of flowering. To find a
poinsettia with young true flowers look at the base of the
bract. Young true flowers will be green and red-tipped. The
poinsettia bract will retain its color longer if you select
one with young true flowers.
If the outside temperature is below 50 degrees have the
store sleeve your plant. However do not leave the poinsettia
in the sleeve for a long period of time. Plants held in
decorative paper or sleeves will deteriorate quicker than
those in a pot with good drainage.
Poinsettia Care
Keeping the soil moist, but not soggy, is essential when
caring for poinsettias. This can be accomplished by watering
it thoroughly when the soil is dry to the touch. Make sure
the container has drain holes. It is imperative to remove
any excess water from the saucer. Poinsettias do best in
high humidity with a temperature range of 60 degrees at
night and 72 degrees during the day. Avoid exposing
poinsettias to temperature swings from cold drafts, heating
vents or doorways. Poinsettias need approximately six hours
of indirect light. Do not fertilize when the plant is
blooming. Temperature swings, over-watering, under-watering,
over exposure and lack of light will cause stress to the
poinsettia. Stress of any type will cause the bracts to have
a shorter life. Poinsettia care if done properly will keep
your plant healthy for a long time.
How To Get Poinsettia To Bloom Again
Although getting a poinsettia to re-bloom the next season is
a long and arduous process, it is not impossible. Once the
holiday season has passed (late February - early March) cut
the stems back leaving 4 to 6 inches to stimulate new
growth. Continue with the same watering practice used during
the holidays and begin fertilizing. Use a balanced
(20-20-20) liquid soluble fertilizer every three to four
weeks.
Poinsettias need to be re-potted in the late spring or early
summer. Select a pot that is 2-3 inches bigger in diameter
and has drain holes. Place in a sunny position and keep
moist. Rotate the pot about once a week. Rotating encourages
a symmetrically shaped plant. Pinch the growing shoots and
the top by 1/4 inch to encourage branching. Fertilization
and pinching can be done on the same day about every three
weeks
Peterson Marble
Ecke Ranch Poinsettia Poinsettias can be plant outside once
the nighttime temperature is above 50 degrees. Place
poinsettia plants in a shady location for about two weeks to
acclimate them to the outdoors. Poinsettias can be planted
in a sunny but protect area; light shade in the afternoon is
acceptable.
In early September move the poinsettia plants indoors and
provide six hours of direct light. Poinsettia flowering is "photoperiodcally"
induced, meaning flowers begin to appear when the nights are
long enough. Hence the poinsettia needs a certain amount of
darkness to bloom. From October 1st through mid-December,
poinsettias must have 12-14 hours of darkness and 10-12
hours of natural light daily. Complete darkness is
imperative to blooming. Once the bract begins to show color
the light restrictions are less important and the original
poinsettia care begins again.
Plum Pudding Poinsettia
Ecke Ranch Florists know how important poinsettias are to
the Christmas holidays. After all without an ornately
decorated tree, a wreath and the Christmas flower
(poinsettia) to adorn our homes the feeling of Christmas
just wouldn't be the same. Whether pink, white, purple or
red, the poinsettia is the perfect flower for Christmas.
Explore the poinsettia colors at your local florist today.
Send someone a poinsettia today!
Contributor: Jamie Jamison Adams
Reprinted with permission from FlowerShopNetwork.com.
