Post-purchase poinsettia care and propagation: how to breed a Christmas star at home, how to grow a flower from seeds and cuttings?

Poinsettia or a Christmas star, euphorbia, euphorbia is an evergreen shrub on which red, pink, yellow and white flowers grow of incredible beauty.

Such a plant has become especially popular due to the fact that it blooms in winter and decorates apartments and houses on New Year's Eve.

Read in our article how to choose and prepare the soil for the Christmas star propagation, so that in the future it will delight you with lush and bright flowering.

How to propagate a flower at home?

Under natural conditions, poinsettia is propagated by seed. But at home it is better to use the method of propagation by cuttings. This can be done in spring or summer. The second method will be most preferred, since it is easier in terms of labor and speed.

Reproduction or transplantation should be carried out at least 3-4 weeks after the purchase of poinsettia, and preferably 1-1.5 months, during the period of adaptation to new living conditions, the plant needs special care, especially if the purchase was made in the winter.

If in the near future you are not going to propagate it, it is worth making potassium-phosphorus fertilizer so that the plant does not disappear. Due to constant feeding, the flower retains greenery and pleases with beautiful flowers.

Soil selection and preparation

Like other milkweeds, poinsettia loves light soil, which passes moisture well. Water stagnation or drought affects it negatively. The best solution would be to use a mixture of soils:

3 parts of turf land.
2 parts of leafy soil.
1 part peat.
1 part of sand.

The presence of excellent drainage is a prerequisite for growing poinsetia.

When planting, an important role is played by flower soil. It must be loose, so that when watering, moisture gets to the roots and nourishes the plant. Acidity should also not be forgotten - an indicator from 5.8 to 6.6 pH will be optimal.

You can buy land for planting in a special flower shop. Soil suitable for decorative green plants will be very helpful.

If there is such an opportunity and all the necessary ingredients, the soil mixture can be made independently. To do this, simply mix the turf land with the leaf, and also mix peat with sand. The proportions are indicated above. Before you plant a flower, you need to sterilize the soil. For this, a solution of manganese is suitable.

Sometimes crushed brick is added to the ground - so useful elements will be absorbed in a larger volume with each watering. In addition, the brick absorbs moisture well and helps to avoid waterlogging.

Seed use

Not everyone knows that in order to propagate poinsettia, it is not necessary to trim. After pollinating small flowers, you can wait until rounded black seeds form.

It is convenient to carry pollen with a cotton swab or brush. It is important to take it from each flower, and make sure that all the grains are in the right places. After a while, in the place of the flowers, seed boxes will appear that look like bulbs.
When the leaves fall off, the boxes are carefully cut and put in a paper bag. It is important to store them in a dry place. The dried brown boxes open easily, and the seeds roll out.
To make sprout formation faster, you can spread the seeds on wet soil and send them to the refrigerator for three months for stratification.
Germination originates in warmth and takes only a few weeks. During this time, you need to moisten all crops. Do not allow the formation of rot and mold, so ventilate the greenhouse as often as possible.

Caring for seedlings is practically no different from caring for other home crops. Small plants dive first, and when they get stronger, they are transplanted into spacious pots.

Step-by-step landing instructions

Follow these guidelines:

Seeds should be medium in size, have a smooth shell.
They can be obtained from a flowering plant or bought in a store.
Soak them before planting for 15 minutes in a potassium permanganate solution.
Plant them in the ground and water a little.
Cover the pots with cling film to sprout faster.
Do not forget to sometimes moisten the soil and slightly loosen it.

Is it possible to breed euphorbia with cuttings?

How is poinsettia propagated in tropical latitudes? The flower uses seeds. But at home, this method is not too convenient and not always effective. That is why propagation by cuttings has become so popular. So simple and hybrid varieties can be propagated, while the plant will not lose its properties.

How to plant a flower with cuttings? You need to act according to the scheme:

Cuttings are cut in June. Their length should be more than 7 cm. On each branch there are 6 buds. Cut the cuttings below the knot.
After they are placed in a bowl of warm water. Water helps to remove the poisonous juice of the plant.
When the juice is completely released, the sections are lubricated with a root stimulant and sit in a prepared soil. It includes sand, dry manure and humus.
Sprouts are covered with a film and left in an illuminated place where the air temperature is above 24 degrees.

It is necessary to open the film from time to time in order to provide the sprouts with fresh air and to avoid drying of the cuttings. They can also be sprayed with a small amount of water when ventilating. At home, cuttings often take root. Sprouts feel good even at low temperatures, but it should not be below 16 degrees.

In the fall, they will turn into full-fledged plants. It is important not to miss the moment when they are transplanted into pots. Universal soil from the store would be a good solution. And, as for flowering, the young poinsettia will please you with beautiful flowers only after a year.

You can sprout cuttings both in the ground and in an ordinary glass with water. Such a simple technology has its own characteristics. The glass should not be transparent, since the root panicle on the handle in bright light may not hatch. If you do not have a transparent container, you can wrap the glass with film or black paper.

Change the water periodically - do not let it become cloudy. When root panicles appear on the cuttings, you can start planting. Do not use separate containers for this. It is better to plant 5-6 cuttings in each container. This will make adult plants more lush and beautiful.

Watch the video on how to propagate poinsettia with a cuttings without roots:

How to grow a Christmas star in the open ground?

To ensure good growth, poinsettia should be planted on drained soil:

The plant does not like direct sunlight, so partial shade is best for planting.
The pit should be small. The area around is important to be thoroughly mulled.
If the soil on which the planting is carried out is fertile, then you need to fertilize it once a month using phosphorus and potash fertilizers. Feeding is carried out at the beginning of the growing season.
Watering is carried out at the base as the soil cover dries. It is important to prevent stagnation of water, as this will cause the development of fungal disease. After watering, it is important to loosen the root section along the diameter of the crown.
Pruning is carried out in the fall, and in winter the plant can be in the ground until the temperature outside is -7 degrees. Then it is dug up and stored indoors.

Plant care after planting

Recommendations for caring for poinsettia will be as follows:

Lighting and location. Place the pot in a place with diffused lighting. In the summer it can be a balcony, and in the winter - a window sill.
Temperature. A temperature of 18 to 25 degrees is considered comfortable. In winter, it should not fall below 14 degrees. At rest, it should be at the level of 12-15 degrees.
Watering. In hot weather, it should be plentiful and frequent. In winter, it should be minimal - once a week, no more. Filtered water at a temperature of 30 degrees is suitable for irrigation.
Humidity. The plant feels good in a room where the humidity is at the level of 40-60%. Dry air can cause pests. It is important to maintain an optimal level to avoid the appearance of a red spider mite.
Top dressing. Fertilizer should be carried out in the spring 2 times a week. With the onset of the rest period, feeding should be done no more than once a month.

We suggest reading about how to care for red poinsettia in this material.

Professional Tips

Pay attention to the following tips:

Creating the right climate. If your region has mild winters, then cultivation can be carried out in the open field. This does not harm the plant. If it’s hot in summer and severe frosts in winter, indoor maintenance is exactly what you need. Otherwise, the plant will simply stop flowering.
Quality care until spring. Even if you bought a flower in winter, this does not mean that until spring you do not need to take care of it. Timely watering and fertilizing will positively affect growth and appearance.
Choose the right seat. If you still decide to plant a flower in the open ground, make sure that it is a light shadow. In the sun it will quickly fade, and in a strong shadow it will gain a lot of green without flowers.
Watering during the growing season is very important. Check your mail for moisture with your finger - the soil should be moderately moist, otherwise the development of harmful plants will become inevitable.

Summing up, we can conclude that growing poinsettia is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. Reproduction is better done by cuttings than seeds - this method is more effective and simple. Listening to all the recommendations, you will be able to achieve the goal and grow a beautiful plant on a window or in a summer cottage.