Tips for treatment, legends and myths

In the mainly white furniture of winter, there is a flower that delights you with red and large flowers, right during the holidays. It concerns Christmas, a flower that you can certainly see in winter in all flowers and shops.

If you intend to buy one, it is good to know that they are quite pretentious plants, which require a certain type of care. We explain below how you should use it, where you can place it at home and what to do to flourish again. In addition, you will find out what the story is behind this plant and where the Christmas name comes from.

What is the legend of Christmas

Christmas was grown for the first time in Central America, southern Mexico, in an area called «Taxco del Alarcon». The Aztecs called this «Cuetlaxochitl» flower and used the leaves to create a paint for clothes and seva – as a medicine to treat the fever.

If you ask yourself where the name of Christmas comes from, find out that there is a legend that starts from Mexico and explains the appearance of the flower.

It is said that there was a poor girl named Pepita, who did not have a gift to give to the Child Jesus at the Christmas service. The girl was very sad, but her friend, Pedro, tried to pull her to rejoice by saying: «I am sure that Jesus will be happy with a smaller gift, as long as someone who loves him».

Pepita did not know what to offer, so he took some weeds on the roadside, made a bouquet and then shone in the church. On the road to the altar, he remembered what his friend told her and began to feel better. Then, he kneeling and confidently put the bouquet near the scene of the birth of the Lord.

Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds flourish, incredible everyone with its big red flowers. Those present were convinced that they were only witnessing a miracle and since then the name «Flores de Noche Buena» (in Romanian, the flower of the Holy Night or Christmas remained).

The shape of the flowers and leaf leaves recalls a star and for this reason it is associated with the Steaua of Bethlehem, which brought the three Magi to Jesus. The red leaves symbolize the blood of Christ and the white ones – its purity.

What a Christmas looks like

When you think about Christmas, you probably imagine a small red flower. But its color can also be orange, pale green, cream, pink or white and the height can vary between 0.6 and 4 meters.

Although it looks like flowers, the upper part of the plant is also formed by the leaves, with the size between 7 and 16 centimeters. In fact, the flowers are those in the middle of the group of leaves, they are very small and have a yellow color when they bloom.

Tips to take care of Christmas

Christmas is a rather demanding plant, it needs a long period of exposure to the sun for its leaves, does not support low temperatures and the soil must be well drained. We explain below what you can do to guarantee optimal growth conditions.

What to be careful when you buy it

You can grow the plant from the seeds, but the process is more lasting. If you want to enjoy Christmas during the holidays, it’s easier to buy it from a flower shop or a shop. See what you have to be careful:

• Since the plant is sensitive to cold, make sure it has been stored in a hot space;

• Small flowers should have a yellow-green and non-flourishing or fallen color;

• Do not buy a plant that has scratched or brown leaves.

Where to sit

First of all, you have to pay attention to how to transport the plant. Christmas does not resist at low temperatures, so it is good to use a thick package around the pot or even a blanket to wrap the plant.

Since Christmas grows mainly in Central America, they are used to receiving a lot of sun and not being exposed to the strong wind. Give these considerations, here are some tips to choose the best position in the house:

• The ambient temperature must be between 16 and 22 degrees Celsius;

• The plant should not be close to the radiator, glued to a cold window or in places where the wind blows;

• During the day, Christmas must receive indirect light from the sun;

• Try not to change the place of the plant very often, so that it is not exposed to sudden variations in temperature.

Christmas will seem spectacular during the holidays, so it is the perfect element to decorate the Christmas table. In addition to the face of the table with snowflakes and snowmen, you can place the plant in the center the dining tableTo create a perfect holiday atmosphere.

Read also: 10 plants that resist without a lot of light. Can embellish the darker rooms e.

How to water

The advantage of having a Christmas is that you will not have to use it very often, only once a week. Before using it, it is good to check their soil with your finger:

• If the soil is dry in depth, it is time to use the plant;

• If the ground is dry only on the surface, wait for another day to use the plant;

• If the water has been collected in the tray under the pot, throw the water and wait a week to use the plant again; If the roots are immersed with too much water, there is the risk that Marcino.

  How do you do Christmas to strengthen

  Christmas maintenance depends a lot on the period of the year. If during the period January-Marzo it should be kept in light and watered when the ground is dry, in April you will have to use it less and after two weeks to move it to a dark room.

  In the middle of the month it is good to move it to a new pot and you can move it immediately, because the temperatures will be quite high. In July, when the new stems grow them, you have to cut about two centimeters of each.

  In August, he brings the plant to the house and starts fertilizing it every 30 days. Until now until November you will keep the plant in indirect light the day, but between 17:00 and 08:00 Christmas must remain in a dark room or covered by a box, to start the flowering process.

  If you respect these instructions and use them periodically to maintain an optimal level of humidity, you will enjoy the following year a wonderfully increased plant, with many colored leaves.

  Read also: Top 15 the easiest to cultivate and take care of aromatic plants.

  How to be fertilized

  After Bloom in December, at about six weeks you will notice that the top begins to wander and fall. Now it’s the right time to fertilize it using the right substances purchased by Phytopharmaia.

  In May, when new stems begin to appear, it is necessary to fertilize the plant again, I dilute the fertilizer as follows: half substance, half water. In June, when removing the system outside, use the same amount of fertilization solution.

  From this moment in December, when the plant blossoms again, you can fertilize it every 30 days, to make sure that the plant is developing healthy.

  How to multiply

  Multiplication can be performed in two ways: from seeds or in the head. The first option is more complicated and lasts longer. If you already have a plant that is at least six weeks, you can start the multiplication process immediately after the new stems begin to grow, that is about June. To obtain new plants, follow these steps:

  • Prepare a bowl of hot water;

  • stalks cut between 10-12 centimeters from the base of the plant;

  • Insert the stems into the bowl to remove the lactiginous lymph that secrete, called latex; This lymph prevents the formation of the root and must be eliminated before inserting the stems into the ground;

  • In a spacious container, prepare a mixture of peat sand in which you will put the stems;

  • The roots should form in about a month, after which it is possible to move the plants to the pot.

    The best known myth of Christmas

    Many people believe that the plant is poisonous. Fortunately, this is only a myth that appeared in 1919 and that perpetuated over time. Legend has it that an officer who was in Hawaii discovered that his two -year -old boy died under a Christmas. Since the child had a leaf from this plant in his hand, everyone thought he was dead because he ate from the plant.

    According to the Poisindex index, the plant is not a danger for children or animals if ingested. For example, so that a 22 kilograms child is influenced by toxic compounds at Christmas, they should eat 500 leaves. Even if this is unlikely, you should still keep the plant at a level in which the little ones cannot easily reach.

    Instead, the plant secretes a lactiginous lymph, called latex, to which some people may have allergy. For this reason, you should wear gloves when you touch the plant, so you don’t risk irritation.

    Cactus Christmas

    Because they have the same name and bloom in the same period, Christmas (Euphorbia beautiful) and the cactus Christmas (Schumbergera has truncated) are often tangled. Sometimes called «it did not annoy me», the plant is practically not a cactus, but it remembers one, because it is strongly flattened and segmented.

    Cactus Christmas is a plant from Brazil and affects with spectacular flowers that may vary between white, pink, red, purple, yellow and orange. Because it blooms during Christmas, it is a popular gift during the holidays.

    The holidays would not be complete without a little color that creates a relaxing atmosphere. In addition to the Christmas tree, you can also decorate your home with a Christmas, because the red leaves are fantastic with the rest of the ornaments of the holidays.

    Photo source: Shutterstock, Elvila