One of the usual purchases in homes at Christmas is the. This beautiful flower native to Mexico and Central America has become a Christmas symbol throughout the world. Its beautiful red leaves combined with the green ones make it an ideal ornamental plant for these dates. However, the poinsettia flower requires special care that must be followed to preserve it all year round. In this way, we will not only have a beautiful Christmas Eve flower for the following year, but we will also save a plant. Take note of these tips to care for the poinsettia and keep it beyond Christmas.

The origin of the poinsettia

The poinsettia flower also called the Christmas Eve flower or Christmas flower, is native to Mexico and Central America. It is found wild in humid climates and mid-high elevations, especially towards the coast, making it suitable for temperate climates. When it grows, this plant takes the form of a beautiful and large shrub, and it is usually found at the foot of ravines and rivers since it likes humidity. Over the years, it has become a houseplant, of which more than 100 different varieties are grown around the world.

How to care for a poinsettia correctly: 9 tips

As you can imagine from its natural habitat, this beautiful plant does not like to be very cold or very hot. For this reason, it has become a perfect indoor plant, as long as the appropriate care is taken with it.

1. It is important that it is kept in a lighted place in the house since it is necessary to maintain the red coloration of its flowers. However, direct sunlight could damage it.
2. It likes humidity, so if you live in a very dry climate you should impregnate the environment with a spray bottle of water, especially in the hottest season.
3. It can withstand up to 40ºC, but its ideal temperature is 20-22ºC during the day and 16ºC at night, so the ideal is to keep it away from heat sources such as heating. On the other hand, in summer try to keep it in a cool and illuminated place in the house.
4. Although it likes humidity, irrigation must be moderate, so as not to rot the root. Once or twice a week with moderate watering is sufficient. In addition, some advice is not to water it directly through the ground, but from the base, so an ideal way would be to leave it for about 30 minutes once or twice a week immersed in a dish with water so that the roots absorb the necessary water.
5. Precisely for this reason, it is good that your soil has a good drainage system so that moisture does not remain at the roots. The ideal is a substrate rich in organic substances with a little peat.
6. It does not tolerate drafts, so you must take this into account when you choose a place to place it.
7. For it to flower from one year to the next, after flowering it will need 12-14 hours of darkness per day. It will depend a bit on where you live, but in seasons in which the night lasts less, such as summer, you can cover it with a black bag at night and uncover it until a few hours after dawn.
8. After flowering, eleventh, you should prune it, leaving a stem of about 6 cm. Ideally, fertilize it with a fertilizer rich in nitrogen every 10 days until the flowering season.
9. If you live in a temperate climate, you can even have it in the garden, and its care will be much easier.