Taking Care of Holiday Plants
By Jodi Torpey
As soon as all the presents are opened, it seems like the glitter of the holidays fades fast. Unfortunately, those beautiful and decorative holiday plants can fade quickly, too, without a little extra care. While some people consider holiday plants nothing more than a short-lived cut flower, it’s possible to extend their beauty a little longer.
Most seasonal blooming plants will do best if placed in a cool spot, with natural, but not direct light. If possible, keep the plant away from cold drafts and blasts of hot air from the furnace.
Remove the foil wrapper and any bows or decorations, and place the container on a saucer or dish to catch excess water. As with all houseplants, don’t let the plant container stay in standing water. Check for soil moisture every few days and water only when the first inch of soil is dry. Don’t allow the plant to dry to the point of wilting.
If you have one of these four common seasonal plants, here are a few tips to keep them healthy into the New Year:
Poinsettias like a cool spot, but these plants need bright light from a sunny window to help them hold their color. In a dry climate like ours, added humidity will help prevent the leaves from dropping off the bottom of the plant. Lightly spray with water daily.
Cyclamen is another seasonal plant that’s often given as a gift during the holidays. To keep blooming, these plants need sun. If you provide a sunny location and water, the plant should continue to send up flower buds from the crown. When watering, be sure to water at the edge of the container to keep the crown dry.
Norfolk pine is a small conifer that likes to dress up for the holidays. Enjoy the decorations and then store them for next season. Place your little tree in a cool spot, with indirect light and away from heating vents and drafts. The needles are delicate, so keep branches from touching windows and walls. Maintain good soil moisture, but make sure not to overwater. Discard any excess water that drains into the saucer. Wait until spring to add fertilizer.
A Christmas cactus can keep its flowers longer in a well-lit, cool location. Exposure to drafts or blasts of hot air will cause flowers and flower buds to drop. Like other desert plants, a Christmas cactus can tolerate some dry soil, but don’t allow the plant to wilt. Water when the top 1 inch of soil feels dry. Christmas cactus will stay healthier if fed with a houseplant fertilizer meant for blooming plants. Follow the recommended schedule for fertilizing.
Your Christmas cactus is different from other seasonal blooming plants because it can keep growing. Pruning helps with branching, and the pieces of stem that are pinched off can be rooted to propagate new plants.
The best practice for getting your Christmas cactus to re-bloom next December requires giving it long a uninterrupted period of darkness, about 12 hours each night. Start in October by placing the plant in a closet each night for about 6-8 weeks
(about 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.). An alternate method is to keep the plant in cool temperatures, about 50 to 55 degrees, starting in early November, and it should form buds and bloom again for the holiday.
With just a little extra TLC, you can help give your holiday plants an extra leaf on life.
