The poinsettia, also called Christmas flower, Christmas plant, Christmas plant, Christmas flower, Christmas Eve plant, federal star, poinsettia or Euphorbia pulcherrima, its scientific name, is a very typical plant of these dates in many countries. Its large red bracts give the plant the appearance of having very showy and large flowers, much appreciated for their vivid color.
Unfortunately, many people believe that the poinsettia is a seasonal plant and get rid of it after these dates, but your poinsettia can survive its bloom and even bloom again in the following seasons with proper care. One of the most basic and necessary is to transplant it. if you want to learn how to transplant poinsettiajoin us in this EcologíaVerde article.
When to transplant the poinsettia
The first thing to consider is when are poinsettias transplanted, that is, what is the best time to do it. When winter ends, the poinsettia loses its flowers and leaves as it no longer needs them, but this does not mean that the plant has died. After careful pruning, the poinsettia will have its rest period until the arrival of spring, which is when the poinsettia can be transplanted. By adding a new suitable substrate, we will encourage the plant to develop new shoots, which will grow throughout the summer and autumn months.
If you just bought your poinsettia, it can also be a good idea to transplant it now to a suitable pot and with a quality substrate, especially if you are not very sure of the one you just bought. These plants are sold a lot at this time, and at very cheap prices in some cases, so their substrate is designed to sustain them for only a short time. Even so, the poinsettia transplant it will be an aggressive process for this one, which at that moment is in full bloom. If your Christmas flower is not in poor condition, wait until February, when it loses its flowers, to repot.
Poinsettia Transplanting Tools
Before learning the details on how to transplant a poinsettia or Christmas plant, we recommend making sure you have the right tools. This is the material to transplant the poinsettia:
- Pot with drainage holes slightly larger than the previous one.
- Gravel.
- Coconut fiber.
- Earthworm humus.
- Peat.
- Vermiculite.
- pearlite
- A spatula or thin knife (it does not need to be sharp).
We will use gravel, coconut fiber, vermicompost (worm humus) and vermiculite and perlite to make the plant a suitable substrate, something very important if we want it to survive flowering and accompany us for several years.
How to transplant the poinsettia step by step
With this brief guide we tell you how to transplant the Christmas plant step by step:
- The first thing, as always in these cases, will be sterilize the spatula or knife that we are going to use to separate the root ball from the pot in case it is very stuck. The idea is not to cut the roots of the plant at any time, but sterilizing it will prevent accidents that make your poinsettia sick.
- The new one poinsettia pot It should be somewhat larger than the previous one, but the difference need not be huge: with 3 or 4 cm more diameter than it had, the roots will have enough space and soil to continue growing and feeding. Drainage holes are also vital, as good drainage is essential to the health of your Christmas flower.
- To make the substrate for the poinsettia, mix one part of coconut fiber with another part of earthworm humus and another part of peat. This substrate base creates a mixture that is very rich in nutrients and with healthy microorganisms, which is also very light and has excellent drainage.
- Prepare at the base of the new pot a bed of gravel to further improve drainage and prevent possible waterlogging. After this, separate the root ball from its pot very carefully, and remove the large pieces of soil that are not held by the roots, always without damaging them.
- place the root ball in the center of the pot and fill the space with the prepared substrate mix, to which you must add the vermiculite and the perlite to improve its properties with a final touch.
- Finally, place the pot somewhere away from drafts or heating and do not put a saucer under it except to water it. If you do it out of necessity, make sure to empty it 10 to 15 minutes after watering it so it doesn’t hold excess moisture.
Although these are the guidelines for transplanting it to a new pot, it is also possible to transplant your poinsettia into garden soil if there are no hard frosts in your area.
Poinsettia care
To finish, we will tell you how to grow the poinsettia with these basic tips:
- Location: away from sources of heat or artificial drafts.
- Light: High brightness. It needs 12 hours of darkness a day after summer to flower.
- Irrigation: every 3 or 4 days, when the substrate dries up. It is best to water the Christmas plant by immersion using a dish of water for 20 minutes. Learn more about watering the poinsettia: how often and how to do it.
- Temperature: between 16 and 22ºC approximately. Does not tolerate changes well.
- Pass: only at the beginning of spring and in autumn.
- Pruning: very necessary after flowering. In this guide you will see more about when and how to prune the poinsettia.
Here we tell you more about the care of the poinsettia or Christmas plant and also about how to make the poinsettia turn red.
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