Poinsettias

Poinsettias

The brightness of the well cared for poinsettia can extend the colors of the holiday season for several weeks. With proper care, poinsettias will look good for a month to six weeks.

“Select the poinsettia carefully,” said Paul L. Smeal, Virginia Tech Extension horticulturist. Beware of those plants in which the true flowers, the small yellow flowers in the center, have dropped off.

Protect it from bruising and chilling. Sudden drops in temperature to 50 degrees Fahrenheit or below are likely to cause the leaves to wilt and the bracts (the showy red, white or pink leaves) to drop.

Correct watering is essential. The plant will not stand over or underwatering.

“When the soil appears light in color or feels dry when toucnecl, ft 9 should be watered thoroughly,” said Smeal, a member of the faculty of Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

If the pot is wrapped with decorative metal or plastic foil which covers the bottom of the pot, punch a hole in the bottom to allow excess water to drain away. If excess water does not drain away it will drive the air from the soil which causes the roots to die from lack of oxygen. Check the plant daily.

Display the poinsettia where it will receive the most sunlight. A window that faces south, east, or west is more desirable than one facing north.

“Many home gardeners will try to keep the poinsettia and have it bloom again,” said Smeal. Approximately one month to six weeks after the main poinsetta-selling season, the leaves will fall and it will go into its dormant period.

Those home gardeners who want to keep the plant should gradually reduce the amount of water until it gets only enough to keep the stem from shriveling. Place it in a cool location, where the temperature is about 40 to 45 degress Fahrenheit.

In April cut the stems back to four to six inches above the soil and repot the plant in a soil mixture of equal parts of sand, peat moss and garden soil. In the spring, after the last frost, place the plants in the soil outdoors. Rotate each pot occasionally to break off the roots growing through the drainage hole.

Care for them as other plants.

To get a low-branching plant for the following Christmas, prune back the stems to within four to six inches from the ground about July 1. Allow new shoots to develop and as six to 5 seven leaves form on these shoots, prune or pinch back the tips of the s shoots, leaving four true leaves on each branch. To get flowers by Christmas, do not pinch after September 1.

Before frost, or when night temperatures drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the plant should be brought indoors to a well-lighted I window.

Poinsettias form flowers when nights are long. Poinsettias will not bloom if they are in a room where electric lights are used at night during the period when the flower buds are being formed.

From October 1 to November 15, the plant should receive eight hours of light a day. Place it in a dark room at 5 p.m. and bring it back into sunlight at 8 a.m. If a dark room is not available, cover the plant with a cardboard box or other material that will keep out the light. ^ treatment may be

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