Red letter days
It’s the festive season so its time for poinsettia to make an appearance. David Overend reports.
Of all the plants which appear in December, the poinsettia has probably come to symbolise Christmas – it’s the indoor equivalent of the holly and it’s done its best to usurp the place of cyclamen and hyacinths as the festive flower.
And despite the tiers and the lockdowns, it’s a plant that is still decorating millions of mantelpieces and window sills up and down the country.
But Euphorbia pulcherrima is not really a flowering plant – those great, red ‘blooms’ are, in fact, nothing more than glorified leaves.
That doesn’t put off all those people who every year buy another, either for their own home or as a present for that person who always proves difficult to please. Give a plant – even from a socially-acceptable safe distance – and you have shown you care. It’s then up to the recipient to look after it.
And while looking after a poinsettia should be relatively straightforward, many people end up with plants which would be happier on the compost heap.
All these specially-produced euphorbias want is a reasonable temperature (between 55-60F), plenty of light (but not direct sun), water, an occasional misting of their leaves, and perhaps a little food when they are at their peak.
Over-water and the leaves will wilt; under-water and the leaves will wilt and turn dry; dry air will also turn leaves brown and perhaps encourage red spider mites to take up residence; and leaving a plant behind the curtains on a cold night can also have a devastating effect. Just remember to bring it into the room when you shut out the darkness.
These plants are also pretty cheap so there is not a lot of point in trying to keep a poinsettia from one year to the next – but if you want to know how to do it and you want the challenge and are prepared to spare the time – then, after leaves have fallen, cut back the stems to 4in. Let the compost dry until May and then start to water.
Repot, feed and remove some of the growth to leave five or so new stems. From the end of September, cover the plant with black polythene from evening till morning so that the plant has 14 hours of darkness each day for eight weeks. Then, treat it normally.