How to make a punching bloom? Indoor flowers: care, content

Now in flower shops such a choice of ornamental plants, including exotic ones, comes from the tropics, which can just be lost. But to buy a vintage flower is still half the battle, I want to prolong his life as long as possible after buying. And for this information is needed: about care, transplantation, features and requirements of the plant. Fortunately, there is no problem with this at the moment.

Basic information about punching

Poinsetia is an ornamental plant native to Mexico and Central America. Generally speaking, in natural natural conditions this is an evergreen shrub of the eelgrass family up to 3 m in height. In the middle zone, it is grown at home, in pots. Poinsetia at home rarely grows above 50 cm. This plant has other names, such as: euphorbia, spur, the most beautiful or beautiful, Christmas or Bethlehem star. In European countries and America, this flower is considered one of the symbols of Christmas: it is widely used to decorate festive tables, churches, halls of shopping centers. From pots with blossoming punch are building impressive pyramids-trees, indispensable this spurge in various festive floral arrangements and Christmas wreaths.

Such a flatter name and specific application of the plant has received due to its spectacular view during flowering. No, his flowers are just plain, small, yellowish-green, but the bright rim of leaves around them, designed to attract insects for pollination - is beyond praise. These leaves are called bracts, they are located around the inflorescences in the form of a star, and this unusual plant blossoms on Catholic Christmas - hence its name. Poinsetia (photo below) - the plant is smart and festive thanks to its bright stars against the background of elongated jagged leaves of a saturated dark green color.

Varieties of punching

There are several dozen different forms of poinsetia. Thanks to the efforts of breeders, many varieties of literally all conceivable hues are displayed: white, cream, lemon, all tones of pink and red, orange, blue. There are also bicolour bracts - with veins and patches, with a gentle "spraying". There are varieties with an unusual arrangement of bracts, creating a double effect. If interested poinsetia, a photo of a variety of varieties is easy to find in the reference books. However, to make a choice between grades - the occupation is not easy, this flower is so good and unusual.

It is clear that connoisseurs and lovers of indoor plants who have acquired this flower, will certainly want to know how to make the blossom of a ponce for Christmas. And since the plant is thrown out after flowering, as sometimes in the west, Russian florists are unlikely to want, other information will not be superfluous: about care, reproduction, watering, transplantation. Well, let's begin.

Care of the flower

Acquiring a punch in the store, it should be taken into account that she does not like big temperature changes. This plant is tropical, the temperature below 12 ° C is generally fatal. So the first thing to do is take care that the flower is not damaged during transportation home. At home the flower should be placed somewhere. It is then useful information that although he loves bright lighting, but it must be scattered, so that from the direct sun it is better to protect it, at least through the curtains. Drafts of pianism are contraindicated, in this it is capricious.

As for watering, in the summer it needs a lot of water, and sprinkles are regular, the flower likes humidity. In autumn and winter, you can water the plant sparingly, and during rest after flowering - even less. With sharp temperature fluctuations, the leaves of the punch can turn yellow and fall off, and this, too, must be remembered. She will not feel comfortable and at higher temperatures in the room - more than 25 ° C.

Peculiarities of flowering

If the owner of the plant in time to worry about how to make the blossom punchset by the end of December, so that she, along with Christmas garlands, served as a decoration for the house, it will certainly work, as there are specific instructions for that. The fact is that under natural conditions the punch is prepared for flowering with a short light and a long night. Therefore, it is necessary to simulate these conditions artificially for it. At the end of September, with the approach of the evening, it is necessary to completely protect the plant from artificial lighting, covering it with dark polyethylene, some opaque capacity or simply transferring to an absolutely dark place. In total, within a day the flower should be out of light about 12 hours or slightly more.

Such a regime, close to the real conditions of plant development, contributes to the fact that the punchet first forms buds of flowers, and then produces bright bracts. The darkening should be as complete as possible, otherwise the bracts will not be evenly colored, and stains will appear on them. Usually eight weeks of this content is enough to make the plant blossom by the New Year holidays, and you can go to the usual content of the plant.

In general, this is an interesting experience for lovers of home ornamental plants: not only to provide the flower with the due care, but also to know how to make the blossom poignantly blossom exactly when you want the owner.

The rest period

Blooming punch is pleased with its spectacular bright stars of the hosts throughout January and February. Then she needs peace. When the bracts withered, and the lower leaves began to fall naturally, all the stems should be cut off, leaving only a third of the bush in the pot, and remove it to a dark place. Water should be so that the land does not dry up - that is, rarely. In April, the refreshed pausetia room is ready for a new season. She is put on the most lit and warm window sill, waiting for the appearance of fresh shoots and watering a little warmed up soft water.

Transfer

In spring, after new leaves have appeared, the plant can be transplanted into the pot a little more, having arranged a good drainage and choosing loose soil. How to care for a punch after a transplant? Provide her with abundant watering and spraying, pruning shoots for branching and forming a bush of the desired shape. Days after 10-12 after the transplant, the plant should be fertilized with mineral fertilizer, and every two weeks it is necessary to supplement feeding up to autumn. We already know how to make the blooming of a punch for the next Christmas.

Reproduction

If poinsety is very fond of it, reproduction of it is quite realistic. This is done by cuttings. Usually on the bush leave at least 3 of the strongest shoots, and others need to be cut off. Here they can cut cuttings with 4-5 leaves. By the way, when dealing with pruning punch, it must be remembered that her juice, like all the milkweed, can cause skin irritation. Therefore, it is better to wear gloves. This milky juice should be washed off with warm water from the slices until it ceases to stand out. After this, the cuttings are rooted either in water or immediately in loose soil. It is better to arrange for them a greenhouse, covering with a transparent container, sprinkling and sprinkling daily. In a month it is usually possible to plant potted plants, but it is unlikely that they will blossom in the same year, it takes time for young punchets to grow stronger.

Interesting Facts

There is information that the punket was known to the Aztecs, who used its juice for medicinal purposes. From her leaves, they also extracted a dye for fabrics. There are several legends connected with the punch, the essence of which is that this child was presented with love to the Christ child with love, and only then it suddenly blossomed with bright colors.

In Europe, the plant was imported from America by travelers in the XIX century, and there it became popular due to its peculiarity to bloom in the winter, in the coldest. The name of the flower was given in honor of the US ambassador in Mexico, JR Poinsett. He, besides politics, was also addicted to botany, traveled a lot and searched for and collected unusual plants.