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Detailed Guide to Poinsettia Planting Methods and Key Technical Points

Growing Techniques By Emily Carter 0 views
Shrubs


Poinsettia, an evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub of the genus Euphorbia in the family Euphorbiaceae, is also known as ivory red and laolai jiao. Its flowering period coincides with Christmas, hence the name poinsettia. The leaves are alternate, ovate-elliptic, oblong-elliptic or lanceolate, green, with entire, shallowly lobed or undulate-shallowly lobed margins; the leaf surface is covered with short pubescence or is hairless, while the leaf underside is pubescent; the bracts number 5-7, narrowly elliptic, 3-7 cm long and 1-2 cm wide, usually entire, very rarely with shallowly undulate-divided margins, vermilion. The inflorescences are arranged in several cymes at the branch tips.

Position

As far as possible, do not place it under streetlights or below, otherwise the red bracts will turn green again. In autumn and winter it generally grows well on a balcony with full sun or partial sun; when kept indoors, it is best to provide scattered light.

Soil
A loose sandy loam rich in organic matter and with good drainage is preferable.

Water
In autumn and winter, watering once every 1-2 days is sufficient; if it rains and the weather is cold, then supply water, otherwise the roots are prone to rotting. When watering, do not let water accumulate on the bracts; a saucer can be placed under potted flowers kept indoors to prevent water from leaking onto the floor and also to keep the soil moist.

Sunlight
Poinsettia poinsettia likes sufficient light, and in autumn and winter it can grow well under full sun or partial sun; during the flowering period it can be enjoyed in a bright indoor spot, but if the light is insufficient, the poinsettia will begin to yellow and drop its leaves.

Temperature
The suitable growing temperature for poinsettia is 15-25 degrees; in winter it should not drop below 10 degrees, otherwise leaf drop will occur, but it is also not tolerant of high temperatures, so it is not suitable for growing in southern summers.

Fertilizer: base fertilizer should be mixed into the potting soil. Because poinsettia grows quickly and needs more fertilizer, it is best to supplement phosphorus and potassium fertilizer by the little-and-often method and reduce the supply of nitrogen fertilizer, so as to ensure smooth flowering.



Pest and disease control: During poinsettia cultivation, it is often harmed by pests and diseases, which hinders its growth and extremely reduces the ornamental value of poinsettia. In several years of cultivation and management, it has been found that the most common insect pest is whitefly, and the diseases are root rot and stem rot. Below we briefly describe the control methods for these pests and diseases:
    (1) Whitefly is the most common insect pest in poinsettia cultivation and can occur throughout the year in greenhouses. When whitefly causes damage, white patches or chlorosis appear on the leaves. The control methods are: 1) do a good job of the surrounding environmental sanitation: remove surrounding weeds and dead branches and fallen leaves to block the source of the pest; 2) yellow sticky traps can be hung in the greenhouse to determine and monitor the activity of whitefly; 3) chemical control: the main insecticides used include methomyl, buprofezin, and profenofos.
    (2) Root rot and stem rot. This disease is most likely to occur during the seedling stage when temperatures are low and humidity is high. The symptoms are brown rot appearing at the roots and stems, the outer skin of the roots sometimes falling off, the lower leaves of the plant turning yellow and dropping, and in severe cases the entire plant damping off and dying. The control measures are: 1) remove infected plants; 2) disinfect the substrate; 3) use fungicides for drenching or spraying at planting time; the main agents include hymexazol and root fungus clear.
    No matter when or where poinsettia is cultivated, growers should attach great importance to environmental sanitation, and managers must work hard on cutting, management, flowering period control and other aspects in order to cultivate first-class poinsettia.


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