Make Your Christmas Houseplants Last Longer

Tue, 20 Dec 2011

Should the deep red leaves of the poinsettia you got for Christmas already be dropping or the fragrant hyacinths you wished would last past Boxing Day have fallen over, you may need to apply a magic touch with your houseplants .

Yet you only need to make a few changes to perk up your festive houseplants to ensure they last into the New Year.

If your hyacinth has fallen and the flowers have turned brown, the most you can hope for is that they will return to life when you replant them outside next autumn.

Should your poinsettia be wilting and losing leaves, you have most likely overwatered it. The surface of the compost in the plant may have been dry prior to you having watered it and you have not allowed the plant to stand in water.

Should you have under-watered it and the compost around the roots is dry that can cause the same problem.

Should the plant suddenly lose its leaves without wilting, the poinsettia could have been placed in too cold a position, or it has been exposed to draughts or has poor levels of light.

This plant prefers a bright spot, out of direct sunlight at a constant temperature of between 18-24C (64-75F).

Another festive plant is the Christmas cactus, with its spreading foliage and colourful flowers .

Keep the plant watered regularly, but do not let the plant sit in water.
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