Poinsettia is a beautiful or Christmas star: photo of flowers, is it possible to keep the most beautiful euphorbia at home and how to take care of a plant in a room?

Poinsettia (poinsettia) was named in honor of a high-ranking official of Mexico, Poysett, an lover and connoisseur of rare and extraordinary tropical flowers. Euphorbia Beautiful - the most colorful and vibrant variety of all the variety of milkweed.

In our article we will try to tell all the most interesting and important about this amazing flower. You will learn about how to grow it and take care of it at home. You can also watch a useful and interesting video on this topic.

Botanical Description

This evergreen species native to Mexico and Central America, is considered to be a representative of the vast Molochaev family. In nature, the height of the bush can reach up to 2 m. Indoor decorative varieties grow to 30 - 50 cm in height.

The leaves are saturated - green, large, up to 15 cm in length. The shape of the leaf is elliptical, the edges of the leaves with characteristic notches, spiky.
The stems are straight, practically do not branch.
The flowers themselves are small, formed in inflorescences - rosettes, located on the top of the stems.

The flower is very photophilous, does not like dampness and cold. Euphorbia most beautiful has many consonant names: the poinsettia is the most beautiful, the Christmas star, the “New Year’s flower”, the euphorbia is the most beautiful, etc. Such plant names are obtained due to the shape and brightness of the bracts.

Attention: Bright bracts of red, pink, salmon and other shades distinguish this variety from other hybrids. After 1.5 - 2 m after flowering, the bracts wither and gradually fall.

Is it possible to keep a plant at home?

Euphorbia most beautiful is grown mainly in offices, official institutions, but you can breed these varieties at home. Poisonous plant or not? Many experts believe that this euphorbia is poisonous, especially this is assumed during flowering. The plant has a rich chemical composition: resins, alkoids, ascorbic acid, tannins, euphorbin, etc.

Benefit and harm

This plant is used in both folk and traditional medicine. Milk juice contains mineral salts, biologically active components, organic acids, alcohol compounds. The properties of these components are used in the excretion of corns, warts, and the treatment of skin diseases.

In cosmetology, it is used to make skin whitening cream. In pharmacology, emetic and laxative drugs are used for severe poisoning. Herbalists use as anticancer and blood purifying agents. But the use of decoctions, tinctures, drugs should only be under the supervision of a doctor.

Overdoses cause allergic reactions, dermatitis, irritation of the gastrointestinal tract. Milk juice may cause burns if it comes in contact with skin or eyes.. When caring for a flower, it is advisable to carry out all work in special rubber gloves. After work, wash your hands well with soap.

Species and varieties - description and photo

Next, you can familiarize yourself with the varieties of Poinsetia the most beautiful, or the Christmas star, see their photos.

White

Bracts - hybrid varieties bred by breeders:

"Whitestar". Differs in snow-white coloring.
"Cortez White". It has a shade of ivory, and on the leaves of "Sonora White" there are pale green veins.
"Silverstar White". The undersized bush grows compactly, forming soft white bushes.

Red

This is the classic color of poinsetia; there are more than 30 bred varieties.

Pink

Soft pink bracts have a terry and smooth leaf structure.

The most popular varieties:

"Cortez Pink". Has a gentle salmon tint on a pink background.
Hybrid "Carousel Pink". Terry gently pink leaves with green lines - streaks.
"Da Vinci". Bright pink with white spots.
"Jester Pink". Marked with a greenish fringing of pink bracts.

Mix

In order for the bushes to be variegated and bright, you can plant different varieties of poinsetia in one container or pot.

It is recommended to plant the most variegated varieties for group plantings:

"Strawberry and cream". It is considered the most decorative - light purple tones are combined with a white border of leaves.
"Sonora White Glitter". The most colorful variety, a harmonious contrasting combination of white and red.
Variegated "Jingle Bells Sonora". Marked with dark purple bracts with soft white strokes.

How to care at home?

Temperature

Poinsetia in the summer can tolerate heat up to 25 - 28 ° C. In winter and autumn, the optimum temperature of the flower is up to 16 ° C.

Important: Avoid sudden temperature changes, when the air temperature drops to 10 ° C, the flower may die.

Watering

Variety likes moderate hydration. Watering should only be done with soft, clean water that has been left standing for at least 2 days.

In summer, watering is 1–2 times a week, in autumn and winter watering is reduced by 2–3 times. Humidity should be moderate, 40 - 55%. In strong heat, morning spraying of bushes with warm water is permissible. You can install pots on pallets with wet stones or wet expanded clay.

Shine

The beautiful euphorbia is very fond of light, it is better to choose southeastern places in the apartment. On southern windows in the summer at noon, it is better to use light shading so that the leaves do not get burned. The flower does not tolerate drafts and cold air, you can not put pots near air conditioners.

Pruning

For the formation of a dense and lush bush, the flower needs pruning. The flower is usually cut 2 times a year - in early spring and before dormancy, in autumn. Also cut bushes for further cuttings. Too elongated stems are shortened so that up to 5-6 buds remain on each branch.

Watch a video on poinsettia pruning:

Top dressing

Beautiful euphorbia does not require a large amount of fertilizer. You need to feed young seedlings for better rooting and adult bushes during the growth period - spring - summer with an interval of 1 time in 12 to 14 days.

For the best effect, flower growers recommend alternating organic fertilizing and mineral - nitrogen, potash, etc. In the fall phosphorus fertilizers are required.

Fertilizers are best applied through irrigation, strictly observing the dosage. In winter, you should not fertilize the substrate, the flower can lose buds.

Pot

The pot should not be too deep and large in diameter. Commonly used medium-sized planting pots. When transplanting, it is advisable to increase the pot volume by 3-4 cm in diameter, so that the root system is well strengthened and developed.

Transfer

Young bushes are replanted annually, adult plants are renewed once every 3 to 4 years. The best time to transplant is the end of winter, when flowering will end.

Transplant Procedure:

The substrate in a pot is well moistened.
The plant is carefully removed.
Bushes are transplanted into a container larger by 2 - 3 cm in diameter.
The substrate is moistened.
The temperature of the content is not less than 18 - 20 ° С.

All the details of home care for Poinsettia can be found here.

Watch the video on the correct transplant of poinsettia:

Growing

Seeds

Growing seedlings through sowing is not practiced in home floriculture. This method is laborious and time consuming, requires special conditions. Hybrid milkweed varieties, as a rule, do not produce seeds. In the greenhouse, seeds are planted in the spring:

Seeds are slightly pressed 1 cm deep into the substrate at a distance of 15 - 20 cm from each other.
The substrate is moistened.
Shoots appear in 10 to 12 days.
Young seedlings take root in a bright, warm place.
Air temperature for seedlings - at least 22 ° C.

Tip: The substrate should be light, loose, in composition - sand - peat. In landing tanks, a drainage layer and small openings for outflow of water are mandatory.

Cuttings

The most common and easy way to propagate poinsetia is the cuttings, which are carried out in early summer. The composition of the soil mixture:

leaf humus-1 h;
river sand - 1 hour;
dry manure - 1 h;
drainage - layer 2 - 3 cm.

The procedure for rooting cuttings is simple, carried out sequentially:

Cuttings are cut up to 8 cm long.
Each seedling should have 3 to 4 buds, a section is made under the node of the stem.
Cuttings are lowered for 20 minutes in warm water to stop the juice.
The base of the handle is treated with root.
Drainage, moistened substrate is poured into the pot.
Cuttings deepen into the soil by 1 - 2 cm.
The greenhouse is covered with a transparent film, the seedlings are ventilated daily.
The air temperature for rooting is at least 25 ° C.
Cuttings root within 3 to 4 weeks.

Watch the video about the cuttings of poinsettia:

Read about the care and reproduction of Poinsettia in this material.

Briefly about diseases and their treatment

From the dampness of the substrate, the leaves and bracts of a beautiful milkweed can fade.
At low temperatures and in a draft, the flower may lose its leaves.
From a lack of humidity, the leaves turn yellow at the edges, and then fall off.
Leaves can dry from damage by a spider mite, thrips. Here, the treatment of the bush with soapy water or spraying karbofosom will help.
Fungal lesions of leaves and stems, gray rot, fusarium are treated with antifungal drugs (phytosporin, scor).

Flowering - when and how?

The plant must be switched to a 12-hour dimming mode in September. In the evening, the pots are covered with a dense cloth or rearranged in a dark place. This procedure takes 4 to 8 weeks. Air temperature should be reduced to 15 ° C. Only in such conditions will the buds begin laying and further flowering.

Poinsettia blooms with white, yellow, pink flowers, depending on the sub-variety. In order for the Beautiful Euphorbia to grow up in a beautiful bush, not to lose its decorativeness, proper care, timely pruning and transplantation are required.