These Pictures Will Help You Identify the Most Common Skin Rashes
Did You Know National Poinsettia Day Is Dec. 12?
Do you know what the icy road said to the delivery truck? "Wanna go for a spin?"
Trucks busily delivering merchandise to doorsteps might be a sure sign the holidays are approaching, but not nearly as recognizable as a bright poinsettia. The story of how poinsettias came to represent Christmas is intriguing, including the myth of the beautiful plant being deadly poisonous.
Did you know that Dec. 12 is National Poinsettia Day? Count the day lost you don't learn something new, and today's a good day, because I never knew there was a national celebration for the holiday plant.
In 2002, the House of Representatives created Poinsettia Day to honor the father of the poinsettia industry, Paul Ecke. The exact date, Dec. 12, was chosen to mark the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, the man responsible for first bringing the plant to the United States.
The poinsettia's association with Christmas began with Poinsett, who was an American botanist and our first ambassador to Mexico appointed by President John Quincy Adams. Intrigued by the colorful plant growing wild in its native Mexican habitat, Poinsett sent cuttings home to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1825, and began growing the plants in his greenhouse.
It wasn't until the early 1920s that the poinsettia became popular in American Christmas culture. Paul Ecke, a second-generation farmer in California, discovered a technique that caused poinsettias to branch out, making them attractive as a potted plant. In their native Mexico, poinsettias can become 15 feet tall, which is hardly suitable as a holiday gift plant.
Ecke began selling his potted Christmas flower at roadside stands, and his son, Paul Ecke Jr., later advanced sales through shipping and marketing, including worldwide, and the rest is poinsettia history.
According to the publication Floral Daily, it's estimated that almost 200 million poinsettias are now grown and sold worldwide, with the United States being the largest producer with 70 million plants, followed by Germany's 25 million, Mexico's 20 million and Italy's 15 million.
Along with the poinsettia's popularity, an unfortunate myth developed of the poinsettia being deadly poisonous. The misunderstanding started in 1919 when it was rumored that a 2-year-old child in Hawaii died after chewing on a poinsettia leaf.
The child did indeed die, but from causes totally unrelated to eating the poinsettia leaf. The false association was enough for authorities to officially declare poinsettias poisonous for the next 50 years.
Forum file photo
As recently as 1970, the Food and Drug Administration issued a press release indicating one poinsettia leaf could kill a child. In 1971, Ohio State University researchers tackled the poinsettia toxicity issue and conducted extensive studies in which lab rats were fed large quantities of poinsettia leaves.
The University demonstrated that there were no adverse effects to the rats, but they did, however, gain weight. Ohio State's research was the first scientific study that exonerated the poinsettia.
In 1974, a Canadian horticulturist ate the leaves of a poinsettia plant in front of members of the media to prove that poinsettias were non-poisonous, which further publicized poinsettia safety.
Although poinsettias aren't lethal, that doesn't mean they should be consumed like a salad. The plant's milky sap can irritate the skin and mouth, causing rashes and irritation similar to latex allergies in some people.
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What if cats and dogs chew or eat poinsettia leaves or plants?
The Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University answers the question in great depth: "Poinsettias are not poisonous to dogs, cats or people. Poinsettia's white latex sap in the leaves and stems is mildly irritating to the mucous membranes of the mouth and in some animals will induce excessive salivation and vomiting if the plant parts are swallowed.
"The hybrid poinsettias available today have very little irritating compounds compared to the native parent species. Unless a cat or dog eats a considerable amount of the poinsettia plant, the animal is not likely to show any effects. Although the modern-day poinsettias sold commercially during the holiday season are not a serious risk to animals, it does not mean that if a pet has a habit of chewing on plants that it should be allowed to."
Garden Help Desk: Handle Poinsettias Carefully To Avoid Latex Leaks
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If left alone, the latex on poinsettia leaves will dry into a small, dry spot that can sometimes be carefully and gently picked off.
Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension
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Jostling or brushing against a poinsettia can cause latex to leak from the leaf. Display poinsettias where they will be far enough away from foot traffic to avoid damage.
Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension
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The most effective control methods are used while the grasshoppers are small nymphs. By the time grasshoppers are mature, they are less susceptible to insecticidal sprays and other control methods.
Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension
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Grasshoppers also will lay eggs in the soil of potted plants and container gardens. Dump out and inspect the soil or cover the soil in the early spring with sticky trap cards to prevent those eggs from becoming a problem.
Courtesy USU Extension
❮ ❯Last year, my poinsettia kept getting crusty white spots on the leaves. Most of the time they weren't very big, and the plant didn't have any other problems, but I don't want this year's plant doesn't get the same disease.
You'll be glad to know that your poinsettia didn't have a disease. From your description, it sounds like your poinsettia had some small leaks of latex on the leaves. The fluid in poinsettias is high in latex and it sometimes erupts onto the leaf surface. If the small beads of latex are left untouched, the latex will dry into small crusty spots that can sometimes be carefully picked off.
The most common cause of latex leaks in poinsettias in a home setting is mechanical damage — something brushes against the leaves or the poinsettia is jostled, causing a tiny break in the leaf. You can reduce this problem by placing your poinsettia where it will be away from foot traffic and by handling your poinsettia carefully when you're relocating the plant or watering.
If any readers are growing poinsettias in a hobby greenhouse, they may have experienced a similar problem called latex eruption or poinsettia crud. It's related to greenhouse growing practices, especially greenhouse temperatures and watering habits. High moisture pressure in the plant can cause cells to rupture, forcing latex out of the plant cells and onto leaf surfaces and damaging surrounding tissues.
Here are some tips for preventing latex eruption problems in hobby greenhouses, but they're also basic good poinsettia care practices for home poinsettias.
Grasshoppers are always a nuisance. But in the last several years, they have invaded our landscapes, backyard gardens and small farms in very large numbers. Fortunately, we can take a little break from our grasshopper struggles for now, but we shouldn't assume we won't see these pests again next year.
Grasshoppers had good conditions for egg laying this fall, but winter conditions and very early spring conditions will affect how high the population will be next year. A cool, wet spring plus natural pathogens will reduce successful egg hatch. A mild winter, warm, dry early spring and drought conditions will favor a higher grasshopper population.
We can't do anything about the weather, and we can't control how our neighbors manage their landscapes, but that doesn't mean we can't take steps to reduce the egg hatch on our own properties.
Grasshopper eggs are laid about 1/2 inch to 2 inches down in the soil where they're hidden away from most predators. Two passes of fall tillage wherever you can safely turn the soil (best when soils aren't wet) will expose the egg cases to the elements and make it easier for predators to find them.
It may surprise you to learn that grasshoppers will also lay their eggs in container gardens. Dump out containers that are going to be replanted in the spring and check for egg cases. If you have containers with perennial plantings that can't be turned out, you can protect them by laying sticky trap cards over the soil to catch the new nymphs as they hatch in the spring.
Check back in the spring for tips on steps you can take to protect your yard and garden plants next year.
Poinsettias Are A Part Of Christmas Decor!
Published 8:59 pm Monday, December 2, 2024
"Of all the months of the year there is not a month one half so welcome to the young, or so full of happy associations, as the last month of the year." – Charles Dickens.
"To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold." – Aristotle.
"Kindness is like snow—it beautifies everything it covers." – Kahlil Gibran.
"Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection." – Winston Churchill.
"Christmas is like candy; it slowly melts in your mouth sweetening every taste bud, making you wish it could last forever." – Richelle E. Goodrich.
"Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone." – Charles Schulz.
"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is time for home." – Edith Sitwell.
The last month of the year, December, is here! And it represents the month that brings colder temps and festive times. It's the month for Christmas and all the festivities surrounding this time of the year.
Decorative trees, lights, nativity scenes, and holiday plants send Christmas cheer throughout our homes and communities with each passing week of the month. Of which, the poinsettia has long been recognized as such a plant, and its color and brilliance help bring Christmas cheer into our hearts and homes.
These brightly colored plants are a definite indication of the Christmas season and are very much a part of our Christmas decor. The shape of the poinsettia flower and leaves are sometimes thought as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which led the wise men to Jesus with the red colored leaves symbolizing the blood of Christ.
The showy colored parts of poinsettias are actually modified leaves (bracts) not flowers. The actual flowers (yellow) are located in the center of these colorful bracts. The poinsettia drops its bracts and leaves immediately after the flowers shed their pollen. Therefore, choose those plants with little or no yellow pollen showing for the longest duration of color.
Poinsettias are not poisonous – university studies have shown that 500 to 600 leaves would have to be ingested to have any side effects (upset stomach and vomiting). And, since the leaves are not very tasty it is highly unlikely that people or pets would be harmed from ingestion. However, many plants in the Euphorbiaceae family discharge a milky sap which could cause a skin reaction in people with latex allergies.
Poinsettias will not tolerate frost, but they will grow in temperate coastal climates (southern California) reaching upwards to 10 feet tall. The colors of the bracts are created through photoperiodism (darkness control) requiring darkness for 12 continuous hours at a time for at least five days in a row to change bract color. However, once poinsettias complete the process of photoperiodism, they require abundant light during the day for the brightest and most attractive color.
Over 100 varieties of poinsettias are available in the marketplace in colors of red, pink, white, yellow, purple, salmon, and multi-colors. The red poinsettia continues to be the color of choice with Prestige Red being a best-selling hybrid. Poinsettias are the most popular Christmas plant with most of them being sold within a six-week period prior to Christmas. Once Christmas day has arrived, the dollar value of those poinsettias remaining in the market drops immediately and drastically as stores re-open on Dec 26.
Poinsettias will last through the Christmas season and beyond. In addition to price, here are some pointers to follow in your selection process. Select a plant with dark green foliage down to the soil line or to the top of the container. Select a plant with bracts (modified leaves) that are completely colored. Select a plant which does not have a lot of green around the bract edges. Select a plant that does not have fallen or yellow leaves. Select a plant that looks full, balanced and attractive from all sides.
And, select a plant that is 2 1/2 times taller than the diameter of the container. Select a plant that is not drooping or wilting. Select a plant that is not displayed in paper or plastic sleeves since plants held in sleeves will deteriorate more quickly (the sleeves are for transporting only). Select a plant that has not been displayed or crowded close together (crowding can cause premature bract loss). Select a plant that has moderate soil moisture (if it's wet and the plant is beginning to wilt, this could be an indication of root rot).
And, select a plant that is pest-free (check the undersides of leaves for aphids and whiteflies). Select a plant that is mature (check the true flowers which are located at the base of the colored bracts – green or red-tipped flowers will have greater longevity than the ones with yellow pollen covering the flowers). After your purchase and placement in the home, be sure to cover it for cold protection if it is exposed to outside temperatures below 50°F.
The length of time that your poinsettia will maintain its color and vigor is dependent on the maturity of the plant, when you bought it, and how you treat it. If given proper care and maintenance, poinsettias should keep their beauty for weeks (some high-quality varieties will remain attractive for months). After you have made your poinsettia selection and purchase, be sure that it is wrapped properly because exposure to low temperatures (even for a few minutes) can damage the bracts and leaves. Enjoy poinsettias in your home this season!
Remember to read the Book of Luke (24 chapters) in the Bible beginning on Dec 1 and reading a chapter a night through Dec 24. All this to better learn and understand Who and why we celebrate Christmas. CHRISTmas is about Jesus and His Love and in these chapters you will read an entire account of Jesus' life. Loving and helping others should be our focus throughout this season and afterwards! Happy December!
"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Mark 11:25. "Whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:26. "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it." Luke 11:28. "For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the Body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself." 1 Corinthians 11:29. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship." Romans 12:1.
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