By James Romer
Horticulturist
Iowa State University Extension

Many Iowans have purchased Christmas trees or received plants as gifts this holiday season. Now all that remains is figuring out what to do with them. There are several ways to dispose of, recycle, or save your plants. Some suggestions are:

Christmas Trees
If you can't use the tree yourself, contact local government offices, such as the Public Works Department, or your sanitation service. Most communities have some type of Christmas tree disposal program. Some have central collection points, others collect the trees at curbside.

Place the tree in the yard or garden for use by birds and other wildlife. The branches provide shelter from strong winds and cold. Food can be supplied by hanging fruit slices, seed cakes or suet bags on its branches. You can also smear peanut butter and seeds in pine cones and hang them in the tree.

Chip the tree and use as mulch around trees, shrubs or in flower beds. Prune off the branches and place the boughs over perennials as winter mulch. Conservation groups may be another option. Some hunting and fishing groups collect trees and use them to provide habitat for fish and wildlife.

Remember, before recycling your Christmas tree, remove all tinsel and ornaments.

Poinsettias
If given proper care in the home, poinsettias should retain their colorful bracts for two or three months. Toss the poinsettia when you grow tired of it or it becomes unattractive.

For those home gardeners who enjoy a challenge, it is possible to get the poinsettia to bloom again next season.

Cut the stems back to 4 to 6 inches above the soil when new sideshoots develop below the bracts or when the bracts fade in March or April. The poinsettia also may be repotted at this time. When new growth appears, place the poinsettia in a sunny window with temperatures of 65 to 75 degrees F. Water the plant when the soil surface becomes dry to the touch and fertilize every two weeks with a houseplant fertilizer.

In late May, move the poinsettia outdoors. Harden or acclimate the plant to the outdoors by placing it in a shady, protected area for two to three days, then gradually expose it to longer periods of direct sun. Once hardened, dig a hole in an area that receives four to six hours of sunlight (preferably morning sun and afternoon shade) and set the pot into the ground. To obtain a compact, bushy plant, pinch or cut off the shoot tips once or twice from late June to mid-August. Continue to water and fertilize the plant outdoors.

The poinsettia should be brought indoors in mid-September. Place the plant in a bright, sunny window. The poinsettia is a short-day plant. Short-day plants grow vegetatively during the long days of summer and produce flowers when days become shorter in the fall. To get the poinsettia to flower for Christmas, the plant must receive complete darkness from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. daily from early October until the bracts develop good color, usually early to mid-December. Protect the plant from light by placing it in a closet or by covering with a box. During the remainder of the day, the poinsettia should be in a sunny window.

Christmas Cactus
Christmas cacti, along with Thanksgiving cacti and numerous hybrids, are popular gift plants. After flowering, place plants in a cool area (60 to 65 degrees F) and water sparingly. Water the plants more frequently during their active growth period from spring through summer.

Also, fertilize Christmas cactus approximately once a month during the growing season. Flowering of Christmas cactus is controlled by temperature and day length. In the fall, place plants in a cool location (60 to 65 degrees F) that receives only natural daylight. Flower initiation will occur under these conditions and plants will bloom sometime between late October and January.

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