Page 36 - AreaNewsletters "Jan2023" issue

So you have
Holiday Plants
Many plants that are grown and given as gifts in
Poinsettias, Amaryllis, Zygocactus
(aka Christmas/Thanksgiving/Easter cactus), and more. Perhaps you were given a plant as a gift last month; perhaps you purchased one.
the holiday season are treated
Now what?
as annuals and thrown away with the tinsel and wrapping paper. With a little care though
(in some cases, very little indeed) you can have a rewarding plant for years to come. Which plants are worth the effort? That part is up to you. Here are three that I think are
worth keeping.
Poinsettia
January 2023 • Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters” 36
Wild poinsettias (Euphorbia
pulcherrima) grow in seasonally
dry forests in Central America.
While never achieving what most
people might call “elegance” in
form, they are tougher than what
their potted descendants might
lead you to believe. With the right care, the cultivated forms can be pretty tough, too. The number one killer of poinsettias in homes is overwatering, which leads to several possible rotting diseases. If you treat your poinsettia like a succulent, you’re likely to have better success. Put your poinsettia in bright light and let the soil dry somewhat between waterings. If the plant wilts, don’t panic, just water it and remember to water a bit sooner next time. Rather than relying on appearance or feeling the soil surface, judge the soil moisture condition by the heft of the pot. Unless you want to grow a medium-sized shrub, consider cutting back your poinsettia after the colorful bracts have dropped—usually around April. The pruning can be quite severe if needed; a lighter hand will give you a larger plant. Begin fertilizing the plant regularly and pinch the new buds out as needed to create the form you’re looking for. Once nighttime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees you can put the plants outside for the summer. Just know that if you put them right in the sun after being indoors, you might cause the plant to drop all
H O ME & G A R D E N