Many readers have bought or received Christmas plants in recent days. Let’s take a quick look at how to care for them so you can enjoy them for as long as possible.
During the holidays
These plants were designed to decorate your home, so let them do their job! During the holiday season, use them in your entryway, living room, as a centerpiece, etc. Don’t worry about their lighting needs, at least not yet.
However, keep in mind that flowers will last longer if the nights are cool. If possible, place them in a cool spot (5 to 15 °C, 41°F to 59°F) at night, even if it means moving them back to the center of the action during the day and evening.
Keep an eye on watering. Touch the soil with your finger twice a week. If the soil is dry, water thoroughly, but discard any excess water. If the soil feels moist to the touch, do not water.
Do not fertilize! Fertilizer can be fatal to a plant that is stressed by less-than-perfect conditions.
After the Holidays
Some Christmas plants will remain colorful for a few more weeks or months (poinsettia, Christmas kalanchoe, cyclamen, Jerusalem cherry, etc.) if you give them a minimum of care. Others can bloom again at a later date if you treat them properly (Christmas cactus, amaryllis, etc.). When the celebrations are over, place them in a well-lit area, even in full sun, as it is time to recharge their batteries with solar energy.
It’s fine if the location is a little cool in the evening, as all of these plants prefer a certain amount of coolness during the night.
Continue watering as needed when the soil is moist.
In spring and summer
Some Christmas plants are short-lived: a week or two after Christmas, they dry out and die. This is particularly true of chrysanthemums. However, it is possible to salvage most of them and even get them to bloom again.
In spring and summer, keep them away from very hot windows and place them inside the room, but always in a well-lit area. From around mid-March, you can start fertilizing at a quarter of the recommended dose. Any fertilizer, ideally organic, is suitable. Continue watering as needed, but you will notice that the frequency of watering will increase as the plant grows. If the plant starts to need watering more than once a week, it is time to repot it into a larger pot.
To make them bloom again
This is a more complex question, as each plant needs special care to bloom again.
Poinsettias, Christmas cacti, Christmas kalanchoes: Give them short days starting at the end of September by placing them in a room that is not lit in the evening.
Azalea, Jerusalem cherry: They will flower more profusely if placed outdoors during the summer months. In the case of azaleas, leave them outside even during the cool nights of early fall.
Cyclamen: The secret is to keep them cool. Place them in a cool spot at night starting in October.
Amaryllis: Stop watering them starting in September. When the foliage wilts, remove it. In January, or when a flower bud appears, start watering them again.
African violet, streptocarpus, peace lily, orchid: They usually rebloom well without any special care.
Happy holidays and good luck with your flowering plants!
Larry Hodgson has published thousands of articles and 65 books during his career, in both French and English. His son, Mathieu, has made it his mission to make his father’s writings accessible to the public. This text was originally published in the newspaper Le Soleil on December 30, 2006.
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