When winter comes and people remember of Santa Clause and its beautiful meaning, most of them start to buy special indoor flowers in order to show somehow that it’s a celebration, even a special one in their families. There is a very beautiful indoor flower that is sad to be luck-bringing too and that is brought by people year by year when Christmas time comes and not only. You look at it and you put a smile on your face. It’s something impossible to describe, but this is the most common reaction to viewing such flowers. And you suddenly forget about your worries and start to feel better.
There are at least two houseplants known as “Christmas” or “Crăciunel”, so I will present those that are most common in our homes.
Poinsettia (Euphorbia) pulcherrima is a succulent shrub native from the mountainous regions, wetlands of Mexico and Central America. The flowers have a small form of the buttons and they are modified leaves which turn red flowering period. The stem contains a milky juice (latex), characteristic of all this type of indoor flowers.
After flowering it needs a rest period of approximately two months. For controlling the growth and the multiplication, more cuts are needed. Flowering occurs in winter. It is a demanding plant on the duration and intensity of light. Day length should be of almost 10 hours, because it needs bright light to keep all the leaves.
The optimum temperature is 18-20 degrees. The plant is water-consuming. It fades easily and loses its leaves if the soil is dry and if the humidity is low. Also, the excess of water in the soil is bad and harmful. The leaves can be finely pulverized with water, especially during summer time. Water should be used at room temperature.
Substrate for culture should be easy, porous and weak acid reaction.
Fertilization is needed during growth and flowering. Nutrient solutions are used 0.1-0.2% ratio N: P: K (nitrogen: phosphorus: potassium) = 1:1,6:1,5, with added micro-nutrients.
Poisenttia plant is sensitive to air currents and large temperature differences from day to day, causing leaf loss so you have to pay attention to the conditions you create for it. I’m sure you would not want to have your indoor flower dead.
These being said, I hope I have convinced you to buy such an indoor flower, because you will not regret your choice.
Christmas Flower Pictures Gallery
