Keep your plant looking merry and beautiful by forefend everything on this list , like cease up with an overwatered Mexican flameleaf .
Mexican flameleaf wrapped in shiny transparency light up the holidays with red , creamy clean , pink , or bicolor flush . Some even have flower spray - paint in colors like blue-blooded and purple and glitter - bombed for some extra glisten . But the colorful share of this plant are n’t flowers . They ’re bracts ( modified leaves ) . The actual flowers are the modest green or yellow parts in the center of the bracts . While spraying - paint painted leaf do n’t unremarkably last as long as the innate ace , these plants all do well witha little TLC . In return , they ’ll reward you with their gay colors well into the New Year . Start with avoid these 7 Euphorbia pulcherrima care mistakes , like terminate up with an overwatered Christmas star or one that is too warm .
1. Exposure to the Freezing Cold
Poinsettias are maturate in greenhouses tocolor up in time for the holidays . Then they ’re shipped off to sell . you’re able to buy them in greenhouse pots or in system or planters . When we take a pampered plant life from a affectionate store through a moth-eaten parking lot to the car , it can commence to recede its leave-taking from the shock of temperature variety . Protect your plant with a bag or paper if it ’s go to be outdoors in inhuman conditions for more than a few hour .
2. Keeping Your Plant in a Room That’s Too Hot or Cold
Indoor temperature on the cool side are o.k. , says Gary Vollmer , poinsettia product handler forSelecta One . " Whileoutside wintertime tempswill kill a painted leaf , indoor temperatures from 55 ° F to 75 ° F are hunky-dory . " Keep plants away from inhuman drafts near doors and window and passion from vents , radiator , and fireplaces .
3. Not Providing the Right Amount of Light
" Poinsettias in the home are living plants and need some lighting to boom , " Vollmer says . " observe the plant in a bright position will do wondersto keep it going . " However , poinsettiascan burn in verbatim sun , so give them a bright lit point where the sun ca n’t strike aright on them .
4. Overwatering Your Poinsettia
Potswithout drainage holescan leave poinsettia root seat in water . This can makethe leave of absence turn yellowand pearl , or the roots can molder , and the entire plant can die . To avoid an overwatered poinsettia , make a few jam in your container , or move your plant life into a bay window that has drainage holes . If you keep your plant in a saucer or a cosmetic pot , verify to pour out any extra water , tell Harvey Lang , Ph.D. and senior technological lead forSyngenta Flowers North America . You could also punch a few hole in the bottom of the mass arm and habituate a waterproof dish aerial or tray underneath to protect your tabletop .
5. Forgetting to Water
This can beas harmful as overwatering , so do n’t let your poinsettia dry out out . rather , irrigate your plant life when the potentiometer feel light , the plant becomes top - leaden , or thesoil feels ironic to the signature , say Vollmer . The soil should last out moist but not soggy .
6. Fertilizing at the Wrong Time
7. Feeling Stressed About Keeping Poinsettias Alive After the Holidays
painted leaf are produce in greenhouses with the right lighting , temperatures , and care so they ’ll wait beautiful and tempting in stores , says Lang of Syngenta Flowers . That ’s why it ’s dispute to get your plant to bloom again . Save yourself the stress of judge to keep your Christmas flower alive and compost your old-hat flora after the vacation . Then , care for yourself to a fresh poinsettia next class .
Frequently Asked Questions
Overwatering your poinsettias most commonly lead to root bunkum . This is commonly cause by Pythium and Rhizoctonia , which are fungous pathogen that droop the folio , cause the roots to crumble , and finally belt down the plant .
Whiteflies are the most vernacular pest that might harm your poinsettia . However , mealybugs or gnats could also induce a problem .
Credit: Marty Baldwin
