Plants as Christmas Presents
These plants must be allowed to dry out before watering. The general rule of thumb. Give it a good soak, and then let it dry out until the pot feels light when you lift it. Then give it a good soak again. How to care for these plants is one of the queries that I get most at this time of year. Remember that all parts of Poinsettias are poisonous.
AZALEAS:
Azaleas are the opposite of Poinsettias, in that they do not like the heat, and in no circumstances should they be brought into a centrally heated room. They will quickly drop their leaves and buds in temperatures above 60°F, indeed I like to keep them less than 50°F if at all possible. They should be kept in a well-lit room with the heat turned off and at no time should they be allowed to dry out. This is most important, for if Azaleas once dry out, they are lost, and no amount of coaxing will bring them back. The way that I keep them is to put the crockery pot (they are usually sold in crockery pots) in a larger plastic pot with moss peat and keep the peat moist at all times. The crockery pot will, by capillary action, draw moisture from the peat, and the humidity caused by the damp peat will stop the leaves from falling.
CYCLAMEN:
Now my favourites. Cyclamen require the same temperature as Azaleas but must never be watered from the top, the usual cause of failure. Stand them on a saucer as described for Poinsettias, and only water them from their own tray. Let them absorb water until the top of the compost is moist and then drain the tray. At no time should they be left standing in water. As with the others they should not be watered again until the top of the compost has dried out.
KALANCHOE:
Kalanchoe requires the same treatment as Cyclamen and should give a long and valued display. They are one of the easier plants to look after, and will stand a certain amount of neglect.
CHRISTMAS CACTUS:
Christmas Cactus, or Zygocactus, or Schulmberega or whatever they are called this week comes in a range of colours now, a far cry from when I first bought one of these plants. These new hybrids are much easier to handle than the original plants, which had a habit of dropping the flower buds if you moved them from their usual lighting
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