Evening star., 1950-12-31
Christmas Plants
By Following q Few Simple Rules, Your
Potted Gifts Can Be Made to Last Longer
By Wilbur H. Younqmun

BY Wilbur
Several of the so-ealled Christ
mas season plants are strictly cool
weather dwellers and to move
them into hot. dry room is to
shorten their life span. Living
plant gifts should last; some
should be good for a period of
years. A little thought in their
placing and care will lengthen
their life and keep the home
bright, perhaps colorfu1. long after
the holidays.
The poinsettia is undoubtedly
the No. Christmas season plant.
It does well near a sunny window
where the day temperature sell
dom exceeds IS to 10 degrees and
the night temperature does not go
below 60 degrees. This is a rather
narrow range for a tropical plant.
And, worst of all, it cannot with
stand draughts, especially chill
ing breezes every time the door
is opened. A sheltered corner
away from draughts is really most
important for a long life, other
wise the leaves will be dropped
within a few days. The poinsettia
should remain in good condition
for two or three months before
taking the normal rest period.
The poinsettia likes a window,
or at least to be near enough to
one to get some sunlight each
day.
Humidity for the poinsettia is
easily created by placing the pot
on a gravel-filled saucer. Evapora-
ton from the gravel keeps an
aura-like cloud of humidity
around the foliage, but it does
not supply moisture to the root
ball, which will need to be moist
ened once or twice a week. Water
ing from above, if the soil in
the pot is porus, will be salts
factory, care being taken to keep
it from becoming soggy wet-the
poinsettia will not thrive with
wet feet"
Reduce Watering.
Along in February or March the
poinsettia is likely to begin to go
dormant and drop it's leaves.
Water should be reduced until the
foliage has fallen. The pot may
then be laid on its side in a cool
dry place in the basement.
In May the tops should be cut
back and the dormant plant set
out in the garden in a partially
shaded place where it will soon
begin to grow and develop into
well-branched bush plant. In
September the plant should be
lifted and potted for its indoor So
journ. Care in potting and feed
ing from that point on is i'm
portant tc a successful Christmas
display.
The size and brilliancy 6 the
colored bracts (blooms) depends
upon long nights. Some IA to Is
hours of darkness are necessary.
Do not leave the plant in a room
where lights burn late at night,
for while the light may not be as
intense as sunlight there will be
enough to prevent the coloration.
The cyclamen, another of the
Christmas season plants, requires
a lower temperature than the
poinsettia. Kept in a cool room
where it receives a few hours of
sunlight each day it should re-
main in bloom for two or three
months.
The gravel filled saucer is of
value in keeping the cyclamen in
good condition and if the pot rests
on a wood block. much of the
watering problem is solved. The
wooden block acts as a wick. Wet
foliage is apt to result in disease
foliage and crown. Watering
from below is safest. Some sue
cessful growers keep the pot rest
ing in water but most flower low
ers prefer to dip the pots in a pan
of water every two or three days.
The cyclamen needs much more
moisture than most other Christ
mas plants.
Can Grow All the Year.
After the Towering period is
finished the plants may be dried
by reducing the amount of water
and finally stored in a cool situa-
ton in the basement. However,
during the growing period of flow
ering they need to make good
growth so that the CORN has
strength and vitality for another
seasons growth. Resting is not
always necessary, as some gar
deners keep their cyclamen in
growth throughout the year.
However. the usual practice is to
withhold water after Towering
and to start the CORN into growth
in the spring, preferably in a
cool, shady situation in the gar
den. Leave the CORN in the pot
which may be buried up to the
edge of the rim.
The forcing of aza,eas for the
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