So you received a lovely plant as a Christmas present from a family member or close friend. What is next? It is simple to keep these plants happy and healthy throughout the Christmas season; the challenge is in getting them to endure and even rebloom.
Foil
Many seasonal plants, such as poinsettias, Norfolk Island pines, and cyclamens, have decorative foil covering their pots. The foil may stay up throughout the Christmas season. Just remember to remove the plant from the packaging, water it, and drain it before putting the foil cover back on. For the long term, you should take off the foil and repot the plant into a durable container with drainage holes.
Light
Most Christmas plants thrive in a window facing north, like strong indirect light. Pull the plant several feet away from the window or use light-filtering drapes if the only window you have is an eastern, western, or southern-facing one and the light is too intense.
Watering
When a plant needs water or more humidity, the leaf will feel brittle and dry, as in the case of lemon cypress or tiny potted juniper and spruce.
While cyclamen, lemon cypress, and anthurium demand more water, poinsettias, Christmas cacti, and Norfolk Island pine prefer a drier environment.
More difficult are orchids. Avoid overwatering to prevent the roots from rotting from ongoing moisture. Water your orchid when the top of the soil starts to dry up. Shrunken leaves indicate that the orchid is going too long without watering.
You should water bulb-type plants like cyclamen, amaryllis, and paperwhites from the bottom up, leaving the top of the bulb dry.
Humidity
During the winter months, when a furnace’s hot, dry air may rapidly decrease humidity, plants are often presented as a present. Either group the plants or place them on a tray of wet stones to boost the humidity. Natural water evaporation from the stones will result in a humid environment.
The frosty fern is one seasonal plant that demands very high humidity. If the environment is dry, bring out that tray of pebbles or, even better, place this one inside a terrarium to retain moisture.
Pruning
You may deadhead wasted flowers, pluck off or cut off yellow or damaged leaves, and clip off any brown tips to keep your Christmas plant neat.
Pick dead blooms from the roots of plants like cyclamen and peace lilies.
Pruning of Norfolk Island pine trees is more stringent. This plant should be trimmed to remove dead or diseased branches, often on the bottom. Never trim the main upright branch since doing so will destroy the pyramidal form.
Potting/Planting
Many of these plants will thrive for a long time in their original container. Even Christmas cactus loves to have their roots a little bit congested and confined.
When it comes time to repot your festive plant, use a regular potting mix that drains well in a container with drainage holes. An orchid-specific bark mixture is needed for orchids.
Fertilizer
Over the winter, these plants will not need any fertilizer. Sometime in the spring, you may start often feeding as the length of the day lengthens. The suggested dosage of a standard houseplant fertilizer should work.
