Tips to keep Christmas plants bright and healthy through the holidays
The poinsettias are out at every store, and they make great gifts to bring to parties and gatherings. Poinsettias, Christmas cactus, rosemary tree topiaries, etc., really bring festive atmosphere to the home during the holidays. Here are some tips to keep them bright and healthy.
Select a poinsettia that looks large for the pot and is thick and full. The colorful part, called bracts, which are modified leaves that surround the true flower, should be fully colored to the edge and not have green on them. To keep poinsettias happy, keep them away from drafts and water them properly but don’t overdo it - wait until the soil starts to dry out at the top of the root ball before watering. When needed, soak thoroughly in a sink with the decorative wrapper taken off. Let it drain well then place the wrapper back on.
Christmas cactus is a wonderful house plant that can live permanently in the home and rebloom year after year. In nature, it lives hanging up on jungle tree branches and prefers light, porous potting media mixed with sand and leafmold. After it finishes blooming for the season, water when the rootball dries out pretty thoroughly – don’t water too frequently. Fertilize with a balanced fertilizer during the spring and summer season and keep at a temperature between 70-80 degrees. Mist the plant occasionally with a water bottle to increase humidity around the plant.
If using a real Christmas tree select one that is fresh and healthy. Give the needles a gentle tug - they should stay in place and not come off easily. To keep it fresh, cut an inch off the bottom after transporting to the final location where it will be displayed and place in water immediately. Keep the basin full of water so the tree can readily absorb what it needs. This helps not only with appearance, but with safety – trees that dry out are more prone to fires.
Some choose to go with a living Christmas tree, one that is potted and can be planted outside after the holiday. The biggest challenge with living Christmas trees is that they do not do well indoors for long, so try and limit the time spend inside the home to 10 days. We are limited as to what kinds of evergreen trees will grow in the Concho Valley; Arizona cypress and Afghan pine are two examples that should do well.
Simple greenery is also very festive and can add a lot of beauty inside the home. Take cuttings of holly shrubs, junipers or rosemary from the landscape to make fresh wreaths and boughs for mantles, centerpieces etc. Just be careful to use good pruning techniques and don’t cut the plants back excessively.
Allison Watkins is the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent for horticulture in Tom Green County. Contact her at aewatkins@ag.tamu.edu.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Tips to keep Christmas plants bright and healthy through the holidays
