Pruning of the poinsettia at homePruning and reproduction of poinsettia at home helps to prolong the life of the flower. In time and properly cut perennial gives excellent planting material, and after the rest forms young shoots and blooms profusely. A special feature of poinsettia is the winter flowering, accompanied by the appearance of a rosette of brightly colored leaves-bracts. Thanks to them, the plant received a second name - Christmas Star. It is not surprising that poinsettia in many countries is presented as a gift for the winter holidays. But when flowering is completed, the compact shrub loses decorativeness.
Beginning flower growers sometimes take foliage as a sign of death and ruthlessly get rid of the flower. Do not rush!
The plant only needs a rest period of about two months, which is obligatory for the poinsettia, and then the leaves and the decorative stipules that surround the owl flowers reappear on the shoots.
Pruning poinsettia at home
The first pruning after purchasing a poinsettia at home is waiting for a flower after the withering of bright leafy sockets. Before the plant goes into retirement, it is cut, leaving 3-5 healthy buds on each of the shoots. They will provide new growth and will be the basis of future flowering. On rest, poinsettia is transferred to a cool, dry room. At a temperature of + 14–16 ° C, under the scattered rays of the sun the pot remains for 2 months.
While there are no signs of awakening on the stems, the poinsettia practically does not need watering. If the soil is moistened, then very carefully, in order to cause rotting of the roots and the aerial parts.
In May, the rest period of Punsettia ends. Left buds awaken. As soon as this happens, the pot is transferred to a warm bright room and the active watering is resumed, making sure that the top layer of the soil dries out a little between the procedures and no water accumulates in the pan under the pot.
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In order to bloom as lush and strong as possible, no more than 5–6 strong shoots should be left on the flower. In the future, the green parts of the flower can be pinned until August, when the buds of future inflorescences are laid at the ends of the shoots.
Parts of the stems, which have become unnecessary after pruning, during reproduction of poinsettia at home turn into excellent cuttings.
Reproduction of poinsettia cuttings
Most often growers use the possibility of vegetative propagation. Best of all, cuttings from 10 to 15 cm long, obtained after trimming poinsettia, take root at home and in spring and early summer.
As the plant secretes the milky juice, which interferes not only with the drying of the cut, but also with the root formation, before planting the pieces of the stems into the ground:
- they cut off the lower leaves;
- place the cut for a few minutes immersed in water;
- then get wet with a paper towel;
- stem tips priprashivayut stimulator of rooting.
Now shanks intended for reproduction of poinsettia are ready for planting. A light, breathable mixture of washed sand and perlite can be used as a substrate. The root system of young plants is not too large, so at first and before transplanting poinsettia for permanent residence, you can use very small pots or cups with a capacity of up to 250 ml.
A drainage hole is made at the bottom of the container. In the soil the cutting is immersed to a depth of 3 cm, this is enough. Seedlings are placed in the room greenhouse. Next, the young poinsettias require:
- watering as necessary;
- bright but not direct light;
- constant temperature in the range of 16–22 ° C;
- regular airing.
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This care is enough for the tops of the stems to give up the roots in 45-60 days and be ready for transfer to permanent pots. For poinsettia transplantation, tanks with a diameter of 7–10 cm are taken, at the bottom of which a layer of drainage is made, and then filled with substrate on the basis of sheet and turf soil with the inclusion of a small amount of peat, cleaned from inclusions, and sand.
With the beginning of active growth, the top of the seedling is removed. Such pruning poinsettia at home allows you to immediately get a branching bush with several bright buds.
Likewise, transplants of poinsettia that had already flowered in the previous season are transplanted. The procedure is carried out in the second half of spring after trimming a home plant.
Reproduction of poinsettia seeds sami
Few people know that for reproduction of poinsettia at home pruning is not so necessary. Self-pollinating tiny flowers, you can wait for the formation and maturation of rounded, almost black seeds.
It is more convenient to transfer pollen using a cotton swab or a thin soft brush. At the same time, it is important to touch each flower and make sure that the grains hit the fat where necessary.
After a while, greenish seed pods appear in the place of flowers, resembling small onions.
When the foliage begins to fall, the boxes are collected and stored in a paper bag without moisture. Dried, turned brown boxes easily open, and ripe seeds roll out.
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To push the formation of sprouts, poinsettia seeds, spread out on wet soil and lightly sprinkled with soil, are sent to a household refrigerator for stratification for three months.
Germination begins in heat and takes several weeks. All this time crops should be moderately moist. We must not allow the appearance of mold or rot, so the greenhouse must be regularly aired.
Caring for seedlings is not very different from other household crops. The small seedlings first dive, and then, when they get stronger, transplant poinsettia into spacious pots.
Diseases and pests of poinsettia
Problems faced by a grower during transplantation, reproduction and pruning of poinsettia at home are associated with violations of the rules of care. Although this plant can not be called capricious, the flower can be attacked by insects, pathogenic fungi and dangerous bacteria.
Among the diseases and pests of poinsettia, all kinds of rot cause the greatest harm, provoked by non-observance of the irrigation regime and flower maintenance in an excessively hot or excessively cold room. Infection with fungal infections and soil pests, such as nematodes or mealybugs, cannot be ruled out if the flower is transplanted into a substrate that has already been used and has not been disinfected. The plant, which is in dry air, willingly attack spider mites.
However, insects do not always wait for poinsettia at home. Often already from the manufacturer on the window sill the flower gets infected with the whiteflies hiding on the back of the leaves.
Poinsettia disease and pest control consists in normalizing the conditions of detention and treating the source of the problem with fungicides or insecticides. In this case, the parts of the plant affected by the fungus should be removed, and the damaged soil must be replaced.
Interesting Poinsettia - Video
