Holiday Plant Care

The Christmas season is a festive one, with many decorations - both live and artificial. If you've brought some live plants into your home or office for the holidays, here are some tips to help those plants look their best for a long time - and possibly even for holidays to come.

Basic care
When you've just purchased a plant - or Christmas tree - and are taking it home, keep the outside temperature in mind. If the weather is cold, protect the plant by wrapping it in paper; if it's hot, keep the plant out of direct sunlight. In either case, get the plant home as soon as possible. Some holiday plants are tough, but others aren't, and even a relatively short exposure to an extreme temperature can damage them.

Once the plant is home - or in your workplace - make sure the bottom of the pot can drain (by cutting holes in the wrapping if necessary), then place the pot in a saucer and put it in a bright location that isn't too warm. Generally - except in the cases mentioned below - keep the soil moist but not sopping wet, and make sure you water until the extra drains out the bottom holes into the saucer. Then empty the saucer so the plant isn't standing in water. Keep the plant maintained this way, and remember to remove faded flowers and dead leaves.

Specific care of Christmas trees
If you've obtained a cut tree, recut the trunk about an inch up from the original cut once you get it home; this will help the tree absorb more water and keep it fresh longer. Then put the trunk in its stand, and keep the stand filled with water the whole time the tree is inside. Keep the tree away from direct heat and keep the room it's in as cool as possible.

If you have a living tree, remember that this kind of tree is supposed to live outside; inside temperatures are just too high for it to withstand for long. So keep your tree inside for no more than 10 days, then plant it or donate it to a park or school so that it can beautify your surroundings for many years to come.

Specific care of amaryllis plants
Amaryllis bulbs, with their big lily-like flowers, are easy to start and will grow quickly. They need direct sunlight for at least four hours a day, and room temperatures of 70 to 75 degrees, until they start blooming. After that they should be placed in a bright area that doesn't get any direct sun, and the temperatures should be slightly cooler - about 65 degrees. Their soil will need to be kept moist, and the pot will need to be turned periodically because the leaves - and flowers - will reach toward the nearest light source.

It is possible to get your amaryllis to bloom again next year. Once the flowers have faded, cut them off, but let the leaves grow until they turn yellow. Then cut them back to about two inches from the bulb, take the bulb out of the pot, and give the bulb a rest in a cool (no more than 50 degrees) dark place for six to eight weeks. Then repot the bulb and start the process all over again!

Specific care of Christmas cacti
Christmas cacti are not real cacti, but they are relatives; they like things a bit drier and warmer than many other plants. Keep them in a warm location, and don't water them until the soil in the top of the pot is dry. Like the amaryllis, they'll need to rest before they can flower again, but their resting time is earlier in the year - in February and March. Then they'll start growing again.

In the fall you'll need to keep them in a cooler spot (50 to 55 degrees at night). If you can't get the temperature that low, you'll need to protect the plant from all artificial light by completely covering it for 12 to 13 hours every night. Doing this from September to November will encourage your cactus to bloom again next Christmas.

Specific care of cyclamens
Cyclamens like things much cooler (50 to 65 degrees) than many other plants, and they don't like direct sun. Water them when the soil gets dry, and avoid getting the crown (the part where the stems come out of the soil) wet - it could rot otherwise. The best way to water this plant is actually from the bottom - put water in the saucer and wait for the soil to soak it up.

Cyclamens aren't the easiest plants to grow, but if you can meet their temperature and water needs you could be rewarded with flowers from early fall to late winter.

Specific care of poinsettias
Poinsettias are ever-present during the holidays in the U.S., and now come in a wide range of colors besides the original red. They've also been bred to last longer; with ordinary care you could have a poinsettia blooming until the beginning of summer. And with a little extra attention, they can be "re-bloomed" the following year.

During the holiday season the poinsettia should be kept in a location that gets some direct sun but isn't so hot - or cold - that it will damage the plant (for example, don't let the plant's leaves touch a cold glass windowpane). When the soil gets dry, water it until the water drains into the saucer, then empty the saucer. Keep the plant in temperatures of 65 to 70 degrees during day, and a bit cooler at night.

Somewhere around the beginning of April, begin drying the plant out (by watering it less), then put it in a cool (about 60 degrees) area with good ventilation until the middle of May. Then cut the stems way back - to about four inches - repot the plant in fresh soil, and put it back in the sun at 65 to 70 degrees. Once it starts growing again, keep an eye on it, and pinch out new growth (at the tops of the stems) a couple of times to keep the plant from getting too spindly. Then, from the beginning of October to about Thanksgiving, treat the plant like a Christmas cactus and keep in completely in the dark for 15 hours every night (be sure to bring it into the light during the day, though). That should encourage it to set flowers again in time for the holidays.

Most holiday plants don't need a lot of care, so you don't have to add to your stress level worrying about what to do for them. But if you can meet just a few of their needs, you'll have a plant that is not only festive during the holidays, but a beautiful part of your decor during the rest of the year as well.