Sauk County Gardener: Christmas plants, Christmas birds
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…” ~Meredith Willson
Once again, I am amazed at all the beautiful and different poinsettia one can find in the stores and nurseries. This native plant of Mexico is America’s most popular flowering holiday plant and, aside from the Christmas tree, is considered a symbol of Christmas. There are over 100 known varieties of poinsettias available in the marketplace. As a traditionalist, I favor red ones, but I also admire the many different colors they come in ranging from white, pink, red to even yellow. The colors can be solid, streaked, marbled and multicolor. With so many choices, it’s difficult to choose just one.
Once you’ve finally narrowed in on the poinsettia(s) you want, it’s time to get it home. Take special care as it’s a tropical plant and doesn’t like the cold. Protect it from cold temps and chilly winds on its journey from the store to the car to your home. It won’t be happy if you leave it in your cold vehicle while you run one more errand.
Once you have your poinsettia at home you must find the right location, so it stays beautiful. It needs about six hours a day of bright, indirect light or its color will fade. Most homes have the right temperatures (65 to 70 degrees F) but avoid drafts. The most common cause of death is overwatering. Only water when the soil is dry and don’t let it sit in water. Many times, the purchased plant comes wrapped in beautiful foil, but it tends to hold water. If that’s the case, take the plant out of the foil and place it on a plant saucer so it can drain well. If the pot is plain and you wanted to display it in its colorful wrapping, simply cut holes in the bottom of the foil and then place the pot on the plant saucer to collect the water. You’ll still have a beautifully displayed plant, and it will be happy as well. There is no need to fertilize while the poinsettia is in bloom.
Once the holiday season is over, many of us simply toss out our poinsettias after their blooms fade. As tropical plants, it is difficult to get them to rebloom but not impossible. If you’re up for the challenge, here are some steps to note on your calendar. Keep watering your plant as usual through March. In early April, decrease your watering so the soil gets very dry, but the stems don’t shrivel up. In late April, place the plant in a dark area that doesn’t get sunlight for 12 to 15 hours and the temps are about 60 degrees F.
We have an exposed, finished basement and that is where I house many of my plants that need to go dormant. The plants get some light and we keep the temps cool down there as we don’t use that part of the house except during parties and family get-togethers. Cut the stem back to about four inches in May and repot in fresh potting soil. Then move it back to a well-lit window, start watering and fertilize every two weeks. Move it outdoors to a partially shaded area when the temps stay above 50 degrees. In July, start to pinch back each stem about an inch to make it bushier and compact. Leave about three to four leaves on each branch of the new stems. Once August comes, move the plant back inside to its well-lit window, continuing to water and fertilize. In October, it needs to experience long nights of complete darkness to initiate flowering. Put it in a closet or a box from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. and water sparingly. During the day, put it back in the window. By December, it should start to get buds. Then you can stop the dark treatment. By mid-December (or when it starts to bloom), stop fertilizing. It’s a lot of work but some have successfully managed to get their poinsettias to rebloom. I’ve tried several times, but I haven’t had success as I tend to get busy and miss the important steps. Someday when I’m not so busy, I might be successful. Until then, I’ll just enjoy them during the holiday season.
On a side note, if you’re love looking at the birds or want to find different ways to get outdoors during the cool weather, consider participating in the Audubon’s 122nd Christmas Bird Count. The count occurs every year from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5. As it is a real census, you do have to sign up ahead of time to participate: www.audubon.org/conservation/join-christmas-bird-count. If you didn’t sign up to participate in the Christmas Bird Count, mark your calendar for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) that occurs every President’s Day weekend each February: www.audubon.org/conservation/about-great-backyard-bird-count. No signup is necessary. Until then, you can practice your bird watching skills and even attend the Winter Bird Watching event held at Devil’s Lake State Park on Saturday, Dec. 18, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., lead by the park’s naturalist.
Jeannie Manis is a Wisconsin-certified Sauk County Master Gardener volunteer. If you have any gardening questions, please contact the Extension Sauk County by emailing to trripp@wisc.edu or calling the University of Wisconsin Madison Division of Extension Sauk County office at 608-355-3250.
