Getting the most from your holiday plants

By Hilary Groutage Smith
The Salt Lake Tribune

Live plants add warmth and color to holiday celebrations, but every poinsettia, live Christmas tree, Christmas cactus and amaryllis carries with it a question: What happens when the celebrations are over?

• Live Christmas trees are becoming a popular alternative to fresh cut or artificial trees. A fresh tree can be planted outside right after Christmas if the ground isn't frozen, said Utah State University Extension horticulturist Maggie Wolf. Plant the tree as soon as you can dig a hole that is as big around as the root ball and three times as wide. If planting immediately is not an option, keep the tree in a place that gets plenty of light inside.
• Christmas cactus are most forgiving houseplants. Mine is more than a decade old and was a large, beautiful, blooming thing when it arrived as a gift. It has been moved, bumped and forgotten during watering rounds more than a few times since then, but always comes through with at least a handful of blossoms for Christmas. Extreme temperature change causes the buds to drop before they open. Keep the plant in a sunny spot with a fairly constant temperature.
• The huge onion-like amaryllis bulb can be coaxed to bloom again easily. When the flowers fade, cut the stalk off, not the leaves. Water and fertilize the bulb regularly. Next September, stop feeding and watering and let the bulb dry out. In November, clean and repot the bulb and water it regularly. The big, showy blossoms should show up within six weeks.
• Nothing says "What now?" quite like a poinsettia on Jan. 2. While it is possible to make them bloom again, it's a trick and probably more trouble than it's worth. To attempt reblooming, place the poinsettia outside when the danger of frost is over. Water and fertilize them until nighttime temperatures fall below 60 degrees, then bring the plant inside and keep it in a completely dark closet or room from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., or until color starts to appear on the bracts (blossoms). Fudging on the time, even a few minutes, will throw the plant off and delay or prevent blooming, Wolf said.

Suddenly, the economics of the poinsettia are clear: It's a really good deal to let someone else grow them.

hgsmith@sltrib.com