Points About Poinsettias
We all love a beautiful poinsettia around the holidays. Varieties come with red, white, pink or even speckled leaves. Not green leaves, you ask? Yes, green leaves, too. The colorful parts that we call the flower are actually brightly colored modified leaves called bracts. The flower, or cyathia, is the small yellow bulbs in the middle of the big bracts.
Water your poinsettia when the soil is slightly dry when you touch it. Because poinsettias are grown in greenhouses for holiday sales, watch yours carefully for the first signs of a droopy leave. Your poinsettia might need water a bit sooner than recommended.
Your poinsettia should get 6-8 hours of bright, indirect light each day. Don’t let the temperatures get colder than 60 degrees at night, and keep it away from cold drafts or hot air sources. Avoid sudden shifts in temperatures, so protect your poinsettia from a cold wind when transporting to avoid leaf drop.
Can you keep your poinsettia from one year to the next? Yes, but the process is lengthy. For short term care, fertilize in January if you see new growth. Leggy poinsettias can be cut back to 5 inches to produce bushier plants, but you’ll likely have to make due with all green leaves until next year.
So, do you pronounce it poin SET a or poin SET ia? Most pronunciation guides go with the second pronunciation, or you can use the Aztec term of cuetlaxochitl (kwet lah SHOH shee).
|