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Poinsettias prefer perfect conditions

You may acquire a poinsettia or two over the holidays. Here’s how to keep them healthy throughout the season.

Poinsettias like lots of bright, indirect sunlight. They are sensitive to extreme temperatures, so it is best to keep them away from cold drafts and heat vents and protect them from cold outdoor temperatures when bringing them home.

Daytime temperatures of 65 degrees Fahrenheit work well for prolonging the display of the colored bracts. Water plants thoroughly when the soil is dry to the touch. There is no need to fertilize them during the holiday season.

Either remove decorative foil from the bottom of gift plant pots or punch holes in the foil to allow water to drain properly. Standing water and moisture that can build up under a pot without a saucer can damage wood furniture surfaces.

Get the most out of your live tree

If you prefer a live Christmas tree for the holiday season, here are a few tips to help make it last.

Select a tree with firm needles that don’t drop off when the tree is raised up a few inches and dropped to the ground. A small needle drop is normal.

The bottom of the stump should be moist with some sap present. Trees that were cut many weeks or even months ago will drop their needles shortly after being brought indoors. I avoid purchasing trees that have been painted to improve their color.

Once the tree is at home, cut another half inch or more off the stump and immediately place the tree into a stand with water. Make sure the stand is full of water each day. A freshly cut tree can take up as much as a gallon of water in a day, so you may need to refill the basin more than once daily for the first few days after installing the tree inside. If left in a stand without water, the tree will form a seal across the stump that prevents it from taking up any more water.

Dry trees can become serious fire hazards. Keep live Christmas trees away from heat sources such as fireplaces, radiators and furnace vents and check daily for water to maintain the tree in the best possible condition.

About those outdoor trees

Evergreens lose some needles in the fall. If the drop is not excessive, and the overall color of the remaining foliage is a normal shade of green, you should not worry. Generally, needles fall from the center of the tree. A bald cypress tree — which looks like an evergreen — is a deciduous conifer and loses its leaves in the fall.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.

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