The euphorbia is beautiful, poinsecja - Euphorbia

The euphorbia is beautiful, poinsecja - Euphorbia

The plant has upright stems, containing milk juice, large leaves, elliptical at the edges slightly lobed. Flowers reduced to stem-shaped, green and yellow tracks, while the leaves underneath them are decorated with red color, salmon, and less often white - the whole thing looks like a flower. It blooms at the end of December and is therefore called the "Star of Bethlehem". It is an excellent material for interior decoration, because both in pots (not very tall copies) as well as cut with shoots above 60 cm in length stays fresh for three weeks , and even longer.

Poinsettia can only be grown then, when a warm greenhouse is available, in which the temperature can be kept above 20 ° and in which there is a water pool - poinsettias should be watered with warm water at air temperature.

Multiplication. Poinsettias are propagated from cuttings. Mother plants are selected during flowering by labeling the varieties. After flowering, they are trimmed to a height of 20-25 cm, stays in a greenhouse at a temperature of 16-18 ° C and watering is limited, for poinsettia comes in a period of rest. In early April, the plants are transplanted to fresh soil and watered more and more, especially since the sun heats up the greenhouse more and more. On sunny days, the plants are slightly shaded

1 we spray. New shoots appear.

Planting is carried out from June to the end of July. Plants obtained from cuttings prepared too early shed their lower leaves, even if they are properly cared for. The cuttings are cut from the tops of the shoots; they should be 10-12 cm long and approx 5 leaves, which is shortened to half. There is still some left on the mother plant, 2—3 leaves, so that new shoots can grow from their corners. The cut location does not matter, but immediately after cutting, the cuttings must be dipped on 10 minutes to hot water, to prevent the leaking milk juice from coagulating. The seedlings are placed individually in pots with a diameter of 5-6 cm and placed on the table in the multiplier, and then is covered with windows. Sand mixed with peat in the ratio is used as a substrate 1:1 and sterilized. If the temperature is 25 °, and the air is saturated with water vapor, this poinsettia takes root after 2 weeks.

The seedlings should therefore be sprayed 3-4 times a day and shaded on sunny days.

Further cultivation. Rooted plants are planted in pots with a diameter of 8-9 cm, to the land frame from 1/3 peat supplemented 2 kg superphosphate i 1 kg of potassium sulfate per 1 m3 and place in a greenhouse with a temperature of 20-24 °. Poinsettia thrives at high temperatures; temperatures below 16 ° cause the leaves to turn yellow and fall. It is sprinkled with warm water 2-3 times a day.

When the root ball is strongly entwined with the roots of the plant, transplant into pots with a diameter of 10-12 cm. Too large pots should be avoided, in which poinsettias do not thrive, sheds leaves and rots. If the seedlings were prepared in early June, when transplanting, the tops of the shoots can be cut off and used for cuttings, and then the poinsettia will develop several shoots, which will be used as a cut flower. In mid-September, these plants have to be transplanted back into pots with a diameter of 12-14 cm. Plants from seedlings prepared in the second half of July remain in 10-12 cm pots.

During the period of intensive growth, the poinsettias should be fertilized once a week with slurry or faeces diluted in the proportion 1 : 30. The dark green color of the leaves is an indicator, that the plants have received a sufficient amount of nitrogen.

In October and November, when the day is shorter than 12 hours the poinsettia sets flower buds, which unfold at the end of December, i.e.. after about six months of cultivation (5-7 months). In order to harden the plants and obtain a more intense color of the flowers, the temperature is reduced to 16 °.

Cutting flowers. Well-developed poinsettia flowers should be surrounded by the wreath above 10 colorful leaves regularly distributed in all directions. Immediately after cutting, the flower shoots are placed in the first leaves in water at 80 °, so that the milk juice drips out of the stem. If this is not done, the juice cooling in the air will block the vessel and the poinsettia will wither from being unable to take in water..