With the holidays upon us, a commonly received gift is a lovely blooming plant. Here are a few tips that may help you keep yours at its best.
A poinsettia likes to have its soil moist but not wet – that means it needs good drainage so if your plant is wrapped in foil – tear out the bottom so that it can drain. Keep your poinsettia away from drafts and excessive heat; so placing it away from a heating duct is essential. If possible move it to a cooler position at night. For a more detailed description of care and how to get your plant to bloom again next year – take a look at my blog.
Cyclamen, like poinsettia, prefer cooler temperatures – 70 degrees is ideal for many houseplants. If your cyclamen gets too hot (see vent note above) the leaves will yellow and the blooms will stop. Your cyclamen should have as much light as possible – this will help it to encourage bloom.
If you continue to keep it well-watered it should continue to bloom for about a month or so. Now, since we are lucky enough to live in southern California – you can even pop your cyclamen into your planter bed, or in a potted design after you have finished viewing it in your home. It grows from a bulb, so don’t pull it from the ground when it warms up and the leaves wither – simply trim them back and wait for its reappearance in the cooler months of next year!
Taking care of Christmas cactus is pretty easy, water your cactus only when it is dry and you will usually have a healthy plant. If, however, you wish to have it bloom again next year at the proper time, here are some steps you can try.
Since it needs four weeks of extended darkness you can try placing it in a dark room or keep it covered for 12 hours per day. When the buds appear you can discontinue the darkening schedule. Once you are ready to display your cactus move to where you want to display it gradually so you avoid quick lighting and temperature changes.
My only best trick for orchids is to water them only once per week and actually I don’t even “water” them, I place three ice cubes in the container weekly. I get all my growing tips from Just Add Ice Orchid’s website and so far… so great!
Julie Molinare is a Certified Landscape Designer living in the Santa Clarita for over 15 years. Julie taught the Introduction to Landscape Design Class at CSUN – Tseng College of Extended Learning and is owner/designer of The Grass Is Always Greener Landscape Designs.
For more information, please call 661-917-3521 and visit www.thegrassisalwaysgreener.net.