- Findings along my way - (1)
An interesting story of how to become a dwarf...
The "Bico de papagaio" / Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a plant often used in Christmas decoration, in small vases. But to take advantage of this, it requires preparation. She is a giant plant that becomes dwarf. If grown naturally, it can reach 6 m in height.
To make it fit the pots, farmers use a chemical that stops the growth of the plant at an early stage of its cycle.
It is also known as the "Christmas flower", can have various colors on the upper leaves -- called bracts --, but red is the market's favorite, precisely because that color is associated with Christmas.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the hue occurs naturally, as the plant begins to receive less light during the winter. In Brazil, however, the effect is achieved in greenhouses with controlled sunlight.
The beginning of production occurs between March and April. Seedlings are extracted from mother plants in the period between July and August. In September, when they have taken root, they are transferred to permanent pots of varying sizes.
During a period that varies from four to five weeks, they remain in greenhouses, receiving normal sunlight. It is from October that the Poinsettias enter the decisive stage.
During the following nine weeks, the ambient lighting is controlled by an automatic “curtain” that is placed on the roof of the greenhouse. The technique keeps the plants for 14 hours in the dark, daily. In the remaining ten hours, they receive light normally. With this procedure, they exchange the greenish tone for red or another tone.
- Findings along my way - (1)
An interesting story of how to become a dwarf...
The "Bico de papagaio" / Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a plant often used in Christmas decoration, in small vases. But to take advantage of this, it requires preparation. She is a giant plant that becomes dwarf. If grown naturally, it can reach 6 m in height.
To make it fit the pots, farmers use a chemical that stops the growth of the plant at an early stage of its cycle.
It is also known as the "Christmas flower", can have various colors on the upper leaves -- called bracts --, but red is the market's favorite, precisely because that color is associated with Christmas.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the hue occurs naturally, as the plant begins to receive less light during the winter. In Brazil, however, the effect is achieved in greenhouses with controlled sunlight.
The beginning of production occurs between March and April. Seedlings are extracted from mother plants in the period between July and August. In September, when they have taken root, they are transferred to permanent pots of varying sizes.
During a period that varies from four to five weeks, they remain in greenhouses, receiving normal sunlight. It is from October that the Poinsettias enter the decisive stage.
During the following nine weeks, the ambient lighting is controlled by an automatic “curtain” that is placed on the roof of the greenhouse. The technique keeps the plants for 14 hours in the dark, daily. In the remaining ten hours, they receive light normally. With this procedure, they exchange the greenish tone for red or another tone.