Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news!

Subscribe I am already a subscriber

You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker).

As we provide the news for free, we are relying on revenues from our banners. So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.
Thanks!

Click here for a guide on disabling your adblocker.

Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news!

Subscribe I am already a subscriber

Colombia: Poinsettias are good source of income for small plant growers

Poinsettias are coveted throughout the Catholic world as the year draws to an end and the holidays approach; their leaves add a magnificent splash of forest green and crimson red is evoking the Spirit of Christmas. And in Colombia too.

In an article in the Colombian Journal, El Tiempo a Colombian flower-farming veteran with over 20 years of experience in the floriculture sector, Juan Humberto Espejo, explains the planting process and how - almost by magic- the crown of the plant turns crimson red, just before the holidays. He left the world of flowers to grow potted plants, most particularly poinsettias and is doing this with his wife for 15 years now.
 
“This year’s poinsettias come from Mother plants that arrived on our farm two years ago. They reach their peak a year after being planted and then provide the cuttings for our July planting.” “Then, the plants get moved into their pots. Each mother plant produces around 80 cuttings, which grow into 80 plants”, explains Espejo.
 
Four or five months later, they are full-grown and begin to flower for the Holidays, as their crown begins to turn Christmas red. The leaves stay red for two or three months, then turn yellow and fall off. But, a well cared-for potted poinsettia plant can last until the next Christmas rolls around.
 
The president of the Association of Colombian Nurseries ‘Colviveros’, Jairo Cadavid, told El Tiempo that the largest area of production in Colombia can be found in the San Antonio del Tequendama region in the Department of Cundinamarca, where poinsettias positively thrive thanks to a uniquely suited dry niche nestled at 1,500 meters above sea level.
 
The poinsettia market in Colombia consists of either a formalized channel in supermarkets and warehouses, or a more direct market at roadside stands, nurseries or marketplaces. Some growers say that this season will move no less than one million poinsettias. This puts the 2016 market value at between $15,000 and $30,000 million pesos (USD45 million-USD90 million): depending on size and appearance, a poinsettia costs between $15,000 and $30,000 pesos.
 
The poinsettia plant is native to Mexico and from there, was made popular throughout the United States, where it was patented and genetically modified before journeying south again. Nowadays, in Colombia, the poinsettia is a significant source of income for small ornamental plant growers.
 
Source: www.eltiempo.com
Publication date: