I've had reasonable success with almost all the house plants I've tried to grow but when it comes to poinsettias I'm a serial killer. I've just been given a real beauty but I know it will be leafless/dead by Christmas. Can anyone help the poor thing before I murder it, please?
The only thing I know is that they hate too much water.
Thank you, Barnowl! I'm a great waterer! That's probably where I've been going wrong. Poor thing will probably die of thirst now! ::)
I think the key with any houseplant is that they don't like direct light but do like to be kept in a bright spot. Which something like poinsettia....they have very thing leaves and thin edges to their flowers......so keep it away from radiators and also from cold draughts as the sudden changes in temperature can cause it to drop leaves.
If you can manage it.....mist it in the morning......if not keep it in a saucer or tray full of gravel and keep that topped up with garvel so it had a high level of moisture around it.
and yes...as barnowl said don't over water. just have a look at the soil.....only water if the top 1cm of soil is dry.......if it isn't...leave it.
hi, my book also said place them upto 14hrs aday for a couple of months in a dark room or black plastic bag to make the bracks (leaves) colour up red for xmas (which is a bit late i know) sorry ::) wahaj and barnowl are correct in all they say, :D
windy ;)
When you buy them at the shop, if it is too cold, they will be dying before you get them home. Grown in a nice warm place, bunged on a cold lorry, stored in a cold warehouse, back on the lorry shoved into the chilly loading bay until they are put on the shelf, kept by the draughty entrance of the shop, then transported back home in the cold and shoved in a nice warm room that will be cold when you are asleep.They don't stand a chance.
And that is exactly why I have stopped buying them Ace. I know people treat them almost like cut flowers, bin them after Chrimble, but I hate to see the poor things pegging it! Can you grow them from seeds????
We've kept the one in our office alive since last December (sent by a Swiss associate) - benign neglect I think.
No nice red brachs (if that's the word) because it's been on a windowsill all that time.
I agree with you ACE, by the time you get the plant home, the damage has almost certainly been done. There must be loads of people each year, thinking like Grandma, that it must be something they have done. They are a tropical plant. If you go to Tenerife, they could almost be classified as a weed. They grow to more that 6' tall.
Having said that, I have managed to revive them, and get them sprouting again with a bit of tlc.
I have also kept plants for several years, in the past, and they produced the flowers and bracts in July/August. Wasn't bothered about them being ready for Christmas, just delighted that they had done it.
Thanks, Wahaj. All my windows downstairs have radiators under them so I've moved it from the window sill into the room a bit - hopefully it will still get enough light. Tomorrow I will sit it in a saucer of (moist?) gravel, mist it in the mornings and I promise not to drown it!
Quote from: Grandma on November 29, 2006, 20:11:06
Thanks, Wahaj. All my windows downstairs have radiators under them so I've moved it from the window sill into the room a bit - hopefully it will still get enough light. Tomorrow I will sit it in a saucer of (moist?) gravel, mist it in the mornings and I promise not to drown it!
Yea put about an inch or gravel in if you can. if not then don't worry....just make sure that the water is just under the top of the gravel. the surface of the gravel needs to stay dry so that it heats up and causes the water underneath to evaporate and make a humid environment.
If you're using the gravel system...you don't actually need to mist it aswell. just make sure the gravel doesn't run out of water. actually if you use the gravel it'll probably absorb excess liquid and keep the plant from having wet feet :)
Lots more lovely 'helpers' arrived while I was posting the last message! Thank you all. :)
Windy:- It already has all its lovely red brachs/bracks/bracts(?) so I won't have to give it that much intensive care - I just want it to hang on to the coloured bits throughout the Christmas period if poss! Ace, Emma Jane and Valmarg:- I'm sure you're right - who knows what suffering they've endured before I get my hands on them! (But other people do seem to keep them looking presentable for a bit longer than I do so I still think I'm responsible!) Barnowl:- I like the sound of 'benign neglect' but I'm probably too soft-hearted to do it properly! :-* :-* :-*
See what I mean, Wahaj! I was going to do both the mist and the gravel bit!!! I obviously kill them with kindness. :-[
ooh if it's the colour on the bracts that you want to keep...one thing you could try is feeding it once a fortnight. personally i use tomato feed on everything because it promotes strong, disease free growth and flowers in masses.....but if poinsettias are acid loving, you need to give them acid feed to keep their red colour.
But i'm sure someone will be able to tell you what sort of feed they need and i just went looking i can't seem to find anything on what sort of feed it needs.