Tehama Country Real Estate

Tehama Country Real Estate – T h e p o i n s b a s i c e t t i a c a r e A lthough poinsettias ar e most often associated with the holiday sea son, they ar e actually tr opical plants. In spite of their origins, poinsettias can thrive during the holiday season and even last long after the holidays have come and gone. s o f p l a n t poinsettias bloom in r esponse to shortening daylight hours. That means they will need ample darkness each night in or der to simulate the dark nights of short, winter days. To achieve this, you may need to put the plant into a dark closet for 12 to 14 hours each night. Poinsettias ar e native to Mexico and Central America. Aztecs called the plant cuetlaxochitl. The flowering plant was first intr oduced to the Unit ed States by Joel Poinsett, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, and was subse quently r enamed the poinsettia. During the day, the plant should be in a sunny window wher e it will have access to bright light. The mor e light the better. Keep the soil evenly moist. Misting the plant will help it to r etain some humidity. Also, fill the overflow saucer on your flower pot with gravel The flowers of the poinsettia ar e to allow water seeping thr ough the pot actually the yellow blooms at the mid to evaporate fr om the gravel. dle of the bright r ed or white bracts that form on the plant. Per haps due to the bright r ed of the bracts, the plant Hot temperatur es indoors combined quickly became a popular Christmas with high humidity will help the plant to thrive. Even one day without ade plant. quate moistur e can cause the leaves to It's important to note that poinsettias dr op. Furthermor e, decr easing tem gr ow in a warm climate and ther efor e peratur es can cause leaves to fall of f. must be kept in tr opical conditions to The goal is to keep the indoor temper ensur e the plant's health. Furthermor e, atur e consistent. While many poinsettia plants ar e discar ded after the holiday sea son, these plants can actually be cut back and saved for next season. Trimming back any r emaining leaves and continuing to car e for the plant by keeping it moist can help. To for ce the blooms next season, start r educing the plant's exposur e to sunlight in mid-September to Octo ber. Again, this will mean r emoving the plant to an ar ea that is shr ouded in complete darkness. Even str eetlights or indoor lighting can af fect blooming. If the plant does not begin to turn color befor e the holiday season, you may need to pur chase a new plant and try again next year. 3

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