Polk County Master Gardeners
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Poinsettias
Yes, I know that you are not supposed to be able to keep those beautiful
Christmas Poinsettias so they will bloom again next year, but I seem to have the
same reaction to “you can’t” that the bull has to the red flag. I just have to
try. So after a little research, here’s how it is supposed to work.
First, to keep them pretty as long as you can, put them in a sunny window
(but not touching). The best temperature for long life is 60 to 70 degrees in
the day and about 55 at night, preferably without drafts. Not too easy, right?
Water them thoroughly when they are dry; remove the foil covering so they can
drain; pour the excess water out of the saucer. Don’t let them wilt before
watering! Fertilize with a water soluble houseplant fertilizer once a month.
About February or March, when the bracts (those things that look like red
flowers but are actually modified leaves - the flowers are the little yellow
berries) fall or fade, it’s time to cut them back to about 4 to 6 inches. In
late spring or early summer (when the night temperature is above 60 degrees
outside), replant in a pot about 2 to 3 inches larger than the one they came in,
using a good commercial potting soil. Put the plants outside in the shade for a
couple of weeks to let them get acclimated and then you can sink the pot in a
sunny flowerbed. Light afternoon shade is okay.
It’s a good idea to turn the pot weekly so the roots don’t take too firm a
hold in the surrounding soil and the plant grows evenly. Also it is a good idea
to pinch them back by about ¼ inch every 3 or 4 weeks so the plant will be
bushier. Fertilize lightly about once a month.
Now comes the tricky part. Before it gets cooler than 55 to 60 degrees at
night, bring your poinsettias back in the house, after checking them for pests.
It is not fun to bring in aphids or spider mites or any of those other wonderful
things from the flower bed outside. Put them in that sunny window again and cut
back on the fertilizer because they will not grow as fast in the house with
lower light than outdoors. About the first of October, you should begin giving
them over 12 hours of complete darkness every night. You can do this by putting
a large heavy, light-proof bag over the plant or by putting them in a dark
closet that you will not open until the next morning. From about 5:00 pm until
8:00 am should do it. Even small amounts of light will keep them from flowering.
Now if everything has gone well, you haven’t forgotten to keep them dark some
night, and you are really lucky, you should have beautiful poinsettias about the
middle of December plus the satisfaction of doing what they said you couldn’t.
On the other hand, after seeing what is required, you may just decide discretion
is the better part of valor and consign them to the compost pile when the
flowers fade.
By Barbara M. Tobias
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