Poinsettia or Christmas Star is a plant that can always be seen when shopping on New Year's Eve. It attracts the eye with its unusual appearance. Poinsettia has bright, star-like bracts that appear just in time for the New Year holidays. A flower, if you choose the right one, will become not only a bright gift, but can also replenish your collection of houseplants.
When purchasing poinsettia, pay attention to the following:
The plant should be compact, well leafy and strong in appearance. If the poinsettia is in a transparent package, remove it and inspect the plant.
1. On the crown of the bracts, there should be many unopened bracts, and it (the crown) should have the appearance of a greenish-yellow or reddish shade without pollen. If there is already the presence of yellow pollen on the crown, it means that the plant has faded, and the poinsettia will soon lose its colorful outfit.
2. Poinsettia leaves should be rich green in color, with no signs of wilting or drying out. So, if the edges of the leaves or bright bracts have acquired a brown color and fall off, this is a sign of the presence of a spider mite or mealybug, flower pests.
Twisted and yellowed leaves indicate that the plant was cold and damp, it was kept at low temperatures and drafts. As a rule, such "flooded" plants develop root rot.
3. The soil in the pot should not be completely dry or wet. Poinsettia does not tolerate either one or the other. The soil in the pot should be moderately moist.
4. Green spots on bright bracts indicate that poinsettia's "distillation" is not of high quality. In elegant bracts, the color is always juicy, saturated and uniform.
5. The height of the poinsettia should not exceed 2-2.5 of the height of the pot itself.
Rules for transporting poinsettia home
In the cold winter season, the plant must be packed in paper (box). How can you shorten the time the poinsettia stays outdoors? Do not forget that the plant may die from hypothermia. And you shouldn't buy poinsettia on the street at all.
At home, do not unpack the pot with the plant immediately. Give the poinsettia time to "warm up", about 20-30 minutes. Be sure to put the plant on a pallet with wet expanded clay or place containers with water around it. If this is not done, then your beauty can shed the leaves. This is a reaction to dry room air.
