Today it has become fashionable to give living potted plantsplants. Moreover, for each holiday, enterprising flower sellers offer us to make, so to speak, purchases on the theme. For example, on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, the shelves of flower shops are decorated with the most beautiful poinsettia, which is popularly called the Christmas star. And if you received such a luxurious flower as a gift, then by the beginning of spring, or even soon after receiving the gift, you may suddenly find that your beautiful poinsettia has shed its leaves. But even if this does not happen suddenly, improper care and maintenance conditions, as well as pests of indoor plants can lead to the poinsettia shedding its leaves. Let's find out about the reasons for such an undesirable phenomenon, as well as how to prevent it and how to fix the situation.
Natural causes
In favorable conditions for itself, poinsettiawill delight you with its unusual flowers for a long time. However, poinsettia is characterized by a dormant period, which begins immediately after flowering. During this time, the plant sheds its leaves, which is a completely normal process. Therefore, if at the end of February or at the beginning of spring your poinsettia sheds its leaves, do not panic. It is necessary to cut the stems of the poinsettia exactly in half and move the flower pot to a cool place with dim lighting. However, you cannot completely deprive the plant of light, as well as forget about watering. The temperature in the temporary shelter of the sleeping poinsettia should not fall below ten degrees, and the earthen lump should not dry out under any circumstances. The plant will remain in this state for about a month and a half. And by the beginning of the last month of spring, your sleeping beauty will begin to wake up. Transplant the flower into a new pot, take it out to a warm and bright room and begin to water it intensively and regularly feed it. An awakened flower usually produces a lot of young shoots, but you need to leave only four or five of the strongest sprouts.
Care and maintenance errors
The reasons why poinsettia sheds leaves may be due to errors in care and maintenance:
- sharp temperature drop;
- overmoistening and drying out of earthy coma;
- lack of lighting;
- dry air.
As you can see, the reasons are banal.And if you water the plant on time during its active period, keep it in a warm and bright room, regularly feed and spray, the flower will feel quite comfortable. However, some care mistakes can cause not only leaf fall, but also the death of the flower. If you freeze the poinsettia, for example, during transportation, then it will be impossible to revive the flower. First of all, its leaves fall off, and then the roots die. With excessive watering, the poinsettia's roots also begin to rot and the leaves fall off. And it will also be very difficult to save such a flower. But the poinsettia tolerates minor drought steadfastly. And even if it sheds its leaves for this reason, it can quickly be returned to shape by simply observing the correct watering regime. The flower also reacts poorly to dry air in the room, as well as to drafts or low temperatures. But, in addition, dry air can contribute to pest infestation of the plant. And then the poinsettia also sheds its leaves.
Pests
Poinsettia loses leaves due to spider mitespider mites. These are very small red spiders that settle on the underside of poinsettia leaves and cover them with a thin white web. Washing the leaves with tobacco infusion and dusting with ground sulfur will help get rid of this pest. In addition, you can use special insecticidal preparations for indoor plants. In addition to spider mites, scale insects and mealybugs are dangerous pests for poinsettia. Mealybugs and scale insect larvae feed on the juice from the poinsettia leaves. For this reason, the leaves weaken, turn yellow, dry out and fall off. If poinsettia is affected by these pests, it is also necessary to wipe the leaves and stems of the plant with a damp sponge, mechanically removing the pests. First, the flower is treated with a soap solution, and then the leaves are thoroughly washed with clean water. If such procedures do not help, then use special preparations. So, for the comfortable existence of poinsettia in your home, it is necessary to create conditions close to natural:
- moderate temperature,
- moderate and regular watering,
- sufficient lighting during the active period;
- sufficient air humidity.
And if you also protect the poinsettia from drafts andsudden changes in temperature, it will shed its leaves only during the dormant period. And this, as we have already said, is a completely normal phenomenon and a natural process. Follow the rules for caring for and maintaining poinsettia, and by the New Year holidays, a living Christmas star will shine in your home. Good luck! We recommend reading:
