. Florists' review [microform]. Floriculture. GROWING POINSETTIAS. For Commercial Purposes. The poinsettia is botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima and popu- larly as the Mexican flamc-lcaf; the latter name is derived from the fact that the plant is a native of Mexico and from the flaming red bracts which it produces. The poinsettia is the popu- lar Christmas plant, because its color is so symbolic of the good feeling and cheer which pervade the atmosphere at Yuletide. The plant is not difficult to grow, but it requires careful attention to many little details. The temperature of the hous
. Florists' review [microform]. Floriculture. GROWING POINSETTIAS. For Commercial Purposes. The poinsettia is botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima and popu- larly as the Mexican flamc-lcaf; the latter name is derived from the fact that the plant is a native of Mexico and from the flaming red bracts which it produces. The poinsettia is the popu- lar Christmas plant, because its color is so symbolic of the good feeling and cheer which pervade the atmosphere at Yuletide. The plant is not difficult to grow, but it requires careful attention to many little details. The temperature of the houses must be kept almost constant and the watering of the plant must be looked to with care. Cold drafts or too much water will cause the foliage to drop, thus ruining the plants' com- mercial value. It might bo well to ex- plain here that the commercial value of the poinsettia dejieuds upon the de- gree of perfection which the grower at- tains in bringing the foliage of the plant to a full and healthy develop- ment. If this is done, the color of the bracts will usually take care of itself. For decorative purposes the poinset- tias may be used as cut flowers with two or three feet of stem, or as pot plants. The latter method is more sat- isfactory, because the bracts and fo- liage often wilt badly when out. This may be remedied to a certain extent by cauterizing the stems when first cut; that is, plunging them into boiling water and then into cold water. Dipping the stems in melted wax or burning with a hot iron is not desirable, because the absorption of water is interfered with. The comparatively simple culture of the poinsettia adds to its popularity. The plants require a long period of rest, being dried off for a period of ten to twelve weeks. The old plants, after flowering in January, are placed on their sides in a temperature of 45 to 50 degrees and kept in a dormant con- dition until April or May. At this time they are shaken out of their old pots and repotted into new, r
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecad, booksubjectfloriculture, bookyear1912
