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Keeping Christmas Plants Throughout the Year |
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Poinsettia
Certainly one of the most popular symbols of the Christmas season, they are available in a variety of colors, sizes, and forms. One major downfall is that it’s more difficult to get them to rebloom. However, with proper care and patience, you will be able to enjoy their vibrant display every year.
Available colors: The bracts – the colored part of the plant – are actually modified leaves. They’re available in various shades of reds, cream, pink, salmon, apricot, multi-colored and marbled. The actual flowers of a poinsettia are green or yellow and can be found in the middle of the bracts. Since poinsettias are a photoperiodic plant (their growth and development depend on the amount of daylight they receive), they form colored bracts and flowers when the days are shorter and when they do not receive more than 10 hours of daylight per 24-hour period.
Light and temperature: Keep in diffused full sun or indirect
sunlight for at least six hours a day, preferably at 64ºF/18ºC
to 70ºF/21ºC. Avoid placing in drafts, and protect
from cold winter winds when transporting home to prevent premature
dropping of flowers and leaves.
Soil: Well-drained indoor soil mix (combination of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite).
Water and fertilizing: Water plants sparingly from late spring to late fall (allow soil to dry out between watering). Fertilize every two to three weeks with a balanced all-purpose fertilizer (20-20-20) during the summer months only. Do not fertilize your plants when in full bloom. Do not allow them to sit in standing water; ensure soil is well drained.
Encouraging reblooming: After the colorful bracts have fallen or dried up, the poinsettia can easily be cared for throughout the year and forced in the fall to rebloom for Christmas.
| • | Cut the branches back – leaving six to eight inches above the surface of the soil – by late March or early April. By the end of May, new growth should be visible after regular watering and fertilizing. |
| • | Place plants outdoors during warm spring and summer months.
(Night temperatures should average approximately 55ºF/13ºC
or above with no danger of frost). |
| • | Water and fertilize plants sparingly from late spring to late fall. |
| • | Maintain the even shape of the plant by pinching new growth (cutting new shoots down to the next leaf node) to create a bushy and compact form. Do not prune after September 1 – this may jeopardize flowering. |
| • | When transplanting, make sure to select a pot that is not more than twice the size of the original. Amend the potting soil with peat moss for good air circulation and water retention. |
| • | Starting the first week of October, plants must be kept
in complete darkness for 14 hours every night at 60ºF/16ºC
to 70ºF/21ºC. To achieve flower buds and colorful
bracts, place the plants in a dark room or under a box.
Be careful not to expose them to any light – this can prevent
them from properly changing colors. |
| • | Keep plants in a bright sunny location for six to eight hours each day. Continue watering and fertilizing regularly. |
| • | Care for plants in this manner for eight to 10 weeks to encourage blooming before Christmas. |
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Other Articles from this Issue |
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