The poinsettia or poinsettia is a plant that many like. When December arrives it is possible to find it for sale in many places, and I do not mean only in nurseries and garden stores, but also in supermarkets. It is very easy to get a copy on those dates, but not so easy that it arrives alive in spring.
And it is a plant that has been living in conditions that it will hardly have at home. Why? Because neither the humidity nor the interior temperature will be the same as what it had in the greenhouse where it grew. Therefore, it is normal for problems to arise. But don't worry, I'll explain to you next how to retrieve a poinsettia that he is not going through his best moment.
Identify the problem
La poinsettia It is a plant that, really, is not as delicate as it appears. But since it has been very pampered for several months to arrive in bloom for Christmas, which is also when it is already cold in the northern hemisphere, has become very sensitive to changes. Although its natural flowering time is winter, it is often forced to coincide with the month of December, that is, with the month of Christmas.
And that's not to mention that it is probable that a constant and pleasant temperature for her was maintained in the greenhouse, and a sufficiently high humidity so that its leaves do not dry out.
For all these reasons, it is important to know what problems our poinsettia may have and how to identify them:
- Excess irrigation: The lower leaves turn yellow and dry quickly, and in more severe cases the branches rot and mold appears.
- Lack of irrigation: First, the tips of the newer leaves turn yellow, and if not watered, they turn brown as the whole leaf turns yellow. And some may fall if they dry out completely.
- Burns: if you are right in front of a window the leaves can burn. This problem is easy to identify as we will only see burns where they are most exposed.
- Air currents: When you are near the air conditioner or a window that is open for a long time, the tips of the leaves will turn brown. It can be confused with the symptoms of lack of watering, but when the problem is drafts, all the leaves will be affected unless it is in an area with a lot of passage, in which case we would only see symptoms on the leaves on one side .
- ColdPoinsettia is not prepared to withstand freezing temperatures for long. In a garden where there are very weak frosts (down to -1º or -2ºC) and occasional, it can be fine if it is protected, but it is better to keep it indoors during the winter if it is colder. When it is having a bad time for this reason, we will see that the leaves fall quickly.
- Fall of leaves: if the leaves fall off the plant but we see that it is fine, we do not have to worry since the poinsettia is deciduous; that is, it runs out of them at some point in the year (after blooming). But if you have had a problem with irrigation, or with drafts, then we will have to take action.
Get your poinsettia back
Once we know what problem our poinsettia has, we can act. But first of all it is important to know that sometimes, especially in serious cases, it is not possible to recover it. For example, if it has been watered too much and the fungi have already started to damage it, it is difficult to save it. Even so, and since the last thing that is lost is hope, let's see what we can do to make it well again:
If it has been watered too much
La Euphorbia pulcherrima is very sensitive to excess water, so much so that It is advisable to plant it in light and well-drained soil, and if it is in a pot, choose one with holes in its base.. In this way, the risk of rotting will be lower, although all this will be useless if we water it frequently.
When you have problems due to over watering, we have to do the following:
- If it is on the ground we will suspend the watering temporarily, until the ground is dry again. It must also be treated with a fungicide that contains copper, since the fungi will want to harm it.
- If it is in a pot, we will extract it and wrap the earth bread with absorbent paper. If it gets soaked right away, we'll take it off and add another. Then, we will leave the plant like this one night, and then plant it in a new pot with new substrate (in the video we explain how it is transplanted). We will treat with fungicide that carries copper, and we will cut the stems that are rotten if it has any.
If you are going thirsty
Although it is a serious problem, it has an easy solution: you just have to pour the water -to the earth- until it is very wet. If it is in a pot, we will take it and immerse it in a basin with the precious liquid for a few minutes. And from then on we will increase the frequency of irrigation so that you do not get thirsty again.
Of course, if it is in a pot and we see that the soil is very compact, it is best to plant it in one with light soil, and that it has perlite so that the roots can grow well.
Burns
A leaf that has turned yellow or brown will no longer be green, but It is possible to prevent the problem from getting worse by moving the plant away from the windows, or by taking it to an area protected from direct sun if it is outside.
And it is that the poinsettia needs a lot of light to grow, but since our plant has been in a greenhouse throughout its life, protected from the star king at all times, if we are going to have it outside we cannot just take it out in the sun, yes not that we have to get used to it little by little.
For that, we should expose it to sunlight for a little while every morning, and increase the exposure time by half an hour or an hour as the weeks go by.
Air currents
Drafts can cause the leaves to fall for no apparent reason as they dry out. Because, it is important that it is kept in a room where there are no fans, air conditioning, etc.. Likewise, it should be avoided to place it in passageways, especially if these are narrow, since when passing next to it we generate a current of air that can cause the tips of the leaves to dry out over time.
If the plant is outdoors, it supports the wind better, as long as it is not very strong or blows frequently.. And it is that if it is in a particularly windy area, it is convenient to keep it in a sheltered corner, such as in a corner of the garden, or in a pot on a patio with a roof.
Cold
The poinsettia is a shrubby plant of tropical origin, which does not tolerate temperatures below 0 degrees. If we have it outside and precisely that day there is a frost, the next morning we will find it with very damaged leaves: brown and / or fallen.
To try to save her, what we will do is remove the leaves that are very bad, and put it at home.
Fall of leaves
Finally, if the poinsettia leaves start to fall, we need to see if it has a problem. As we have seen, there are several causes that can make you run out of them. But If it is apparently fine, and it has finished flowering, we should not worry since being a deciduous plant it is normal for it to lose them.
Now, if you have watered a lot, or a little, or if you are close to drafts, then we will have to act so that your situation does not get worse.
