Color the poinsettia leaves red again

Poinsettias are often "treated fairly unfairly" - only shortly before the sale does the poinsette have a magnificent red color Leaves unfold, the whole family is happy about Christmas, but right after the festival the poor plant ends up in the Garbage can. The poinsettias would also like to start spring and continue to grow, and you can even turn the poinsettia leaves red again in time for the next Christmas; how to do this, you will learn in the article

Poinsettias are perennial tropical plants

The poinsettia originally grew in tropical deciduous forests in South America and Mexico, where it was quickly discovered as an ornamental plant and exported to other tropical/subtropical regions. Today, the beautiful shrubs also adorn parts of Africa, Asia, Australia and many warm Mediterranean countries, often in larger populations, also when left to grow wild. No wonder, in subtropical or warm Mediterranean climates, the poinsettia grows into meter-high bushes, up to four meters high are possible. At a time when the whole plant is showing more red than green on the outside, it is a truly magnificent sight.

However, it also takes a few years for the bushes to reach such a size – ours don’t would be desirable because the poinsettia does not tolerate temperatures below 0 °C, so it is only cultivated as a houseplant can be. The botanically named plant (1833 by the director of the Berlin Botanical Garden) Euphorbia pulcherrima is a species of the genus spurge (Euphorbia) and the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). These spurge plants are divided into around 240 genera with approx. 6000 species distributed throughout the world from temperate to tropical regions, but have only developed large tree and shrub forms in very warm tropical climates.

In their homeland, older, branched poinsettias bloom almost all year round, but the main flowering season continues quite naturally punctually in November, beautifies the Christmas festival and stays until January or February receive. As the keyword "older" suggests, these poinsettias are not thrown away after the festival, but instead develop the blooming splendor every Christmas, for many years.

The poinsettia and temperate climates

Because the ornamental value of the plant is so unique, breeders have been working to develop small specimens for a long time. As you know, they managed to do this a long time ago, and we trade the results around eight weeks before Christmas until just before the holiday. This was not initially the case when the poinsettia was in Alexander von Humboldt's luggage at the beginning of the 19th century. century was brought to Europe. The tropical plant ended up in our botanical gardens and was observed, but it should be quite disappointed because she didn't even think about developing beautiful red leaves just before Christmas (or. to bloom at all).

Because there is a special mechanism behind the main flowering period from November to February:

• Euphorbia pulcherrima belong to the short-day plants
• These plants will only flower if they receive less than 12 hours of light per day
• That makes sense at the natural locations not far from the equator
• Autumn/Winter is the only time when there is less than half of the day bright sun
• For a large-leaved plant with profuse evaporation, the best time to bloom in hot climates
• The first European cultivars of the beauties did not know this
• Others obviously didn't either, the poinsette only became popular at the beginning of the 20th century. Century in California, when German emigrants promoted her to the "Christmas Star".
• So in a climate where, without manipulation, the bracts turn red at Christmas
• Because e.g. B. in California City daylight from 1.10. falls below 12 hours

In the course of breeding compact indoor forms, the breeders/gardeners then also discovered the trick with the short days: in the Central European nurseries, where the poinsettias are grown in greenhouses, the plants will be ready from the beginning of October darkened; Depending on the location of the greenhouses, by operating the main light switch in the corresponding hall or artificially with dark foils.

Color the poinsettia red again

If you have "summered" the poinsettia at home, you don't actually have to do anything to give it a dark phase of at least 12 hours "to be missed" if he was standing outside: In Berlin, to the north, we're off 26. September less than 12 hours of daylight, in Freiburg to the south from 25. September. But he is not outside, at least not for long because of the cold, and there is not 12 hours of darkness inside. Our apartments are bright, especially in the evening after work; and even if the bedroom is only used for sleeping, it is lit for an hour in between or for a book/television much longer.

So the poinsettia still gets “red Christmas leaves” on time:

• If a room is available that is dark from early evening, the poinsettia will move there in early October
• If not, it will be covered opaquely for at least 12 hours a day from that time onwards
• With a bucket, a box, solid dark foil, dense dark fabric
• Really opaque, even weak light in the dark phase can thwart flowering and bract coloration
• For a good 6 weeks, the Poinsette should be shaded for half the day to ensure flowering is induced
• If the cover is consistently carried out daily from October, colored bracts will appear in time for the festival
• In general, a balcony or terrace would be perfect locations from the end of September until the temperatures drop below 14 °C
• There, too, you can only save a while from uncovering and uncovering when it is dark in the evening
• This is rarely the case because these "open-air rooms" are almost always illuminated from the inside
• If it is not covered, the tropical plant needs a very warm and bright location.

Proper care must be natural

If the poinsettia is to be "summered", it needs good care before and after Christmas:

• Cultivate from purchase until spring at room temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees in a bright location
• Drafts at the location or a place directly above the heating are poorly tolerated
• Water moderately, preferably with room-warm water
• after approx. Remove water from the saucer for 15 minutes.
• Or dip instead of pouring and drain well
• Reduces the risk of waterlogging even more, Euphorbia pulcherrima does not like waterlogging at all
• Do not fertilize pre-fertilized poinsettias from the trade before and during the flowering period
• Home-grown poinsettes get some fertilizer in the irrigation water once or twice a week during the flowering period
• Pruning for the first time in April, shortening by about a third
• All withered bracts and flowers also fall
• If necessary, transplant it into a larger pot now
• Then put it outdoors if possible
• Not in the full midday sun, but sunny

Green leaves grow back all summer long, but the color only comes back after the special treatment described above. If the plant has been in the dark for at least 12 hours a day from October to mid-December, you should not suddenly expect it to have 16-18 hours of light a day. Uncover the plant more and more over a few days and just as carefully get used to a possible new location in the Christmas room.

Poinsettes can get old

If a poinsettia is well cared for, it can last you for a long time. You can already influence the longevity when you buy it - varieties with dark foliage are said to be more durable than light-leaved ones. Light foliage can not only occur because a cultivar develops lighter foliage, but also as a result of too rapid a greenhouse cultivation. In terms of longevity, however, such poinsettias are not recommended either (you can be happy if they last through the holidays).

Later, it is particularly important that you do not prune the poinsettia excessively radically, which is often the case for good reason: the poinsettias in the trade should be Selling should be as compact and dense as possible, the young plants are usually root cuts, usually the young plant also gets a growth inhibitor irrigation water. These influences eventually grow out, the better you care for the poinsettia, the better faster and you have a thriving tropical crop that can really get going. You shouldn't remain idle for long: if after a while your poinsettia "like wild outgrowth”, you should almost stand by with the scissors in order to point this growth in the right direction point. From then on, a vigorously rampant poinsettia can best be pruned a little in spring and autumn to keep it in shape.

"Summer Christmas Stars"

Breeders are imaginative and keen to experiment, which is why nowadays there are no longer just the rich red poinsettias. Rather, you can purchase Euphorbia pulcherrima cultivars that are pink, lemon yellow, creamy white, Bordeaux red, pink, apricot or rosé, two-tone marbled or multi-colored variegated "blossom"; and every year new cultivars come onto the market. A little foretaste of the varieties:

• Euphorbia pulcherrima 'Barbara Ecke Supreme' shows bright red bracts
• E pulcherrima 'Ecke's White' turns the bracts into an elegant creamy white
• E pulcherrima 'Rosea' displays a pale pink type with darkly highlighted leaf veins

However, you hardly get such beauties from the bulk goods seller around the corner, he has poinsettias in red and in the Fashion color of the season (and if it's blue, black or turquoise, it's artificial with plant-friendly varnish generated). Poinsettias in unusual colors can be found at nurseries or from growers specializing in euphorbia have specialized, such nurseries and breeders can be found via tips from a specialist nursery or, of course, via the Internet.

Since our summer offers the poinsettia roughly the same temperatures as it has in its homeland during the winter bloom, you can gradually switch the plant over to summer bloom. The short-day plant simply needs day lengths of less than twelve hours to start flowering, in our climate that does not meet its requirements anyway, it can also be later in autumn and then in the Winter will be darkened if you have pulled the end of the six-week cover into early summer, the poinsettia blooms in summer, not just for pink-flowered Euphorbia pulcherrima more appropriate.

Conclusion

If you've said goodbye to the unecological, needle-throwing real Christmas tree or plan to, the poinsettia offers the possibility of a real exciting alternative: place many poinsettes on a cylinder that tapers upwards (geometrically cone or cone, just "fir tree-shaped", made of a stable Cardboard / plastic material with holes for hooks, homemade), the red splendor will "represent" the Christmas tree with or without Christmas tree decorations so well that visitors can open-mouthed in amazement. A bit much and a bit expensive? Grow the many poinsettias yourself, Euphorbia pulcherrima can be easily propagated from cuttings. Or you save the plants from the next public compost - around 32 million poinsettias are sold every year and most of them are disposed of after the festival.

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