Friday, January 29, 2010

Poinsettias


I always buy a Poinsettia before Christmas and when it wilts in January, I replace it with a sequence of hyacinth bulbs. The scent of the hyacinths lifts my spirits when I enter the house. This year, unusually, the Poinsettia remains robust and reigns over the dining room whilst the hyacinths are beginning to sweeten the hall. I was idly wondering whether the dream of keeping the Poinsettia going until next Christmas could be a remote possibility and found this advice on the internet:


Poinsettia is a native of Mexico, so it is likely that because of our reduced light levels in this country your plant will get some yellowing and leaf fall. To keep the plant in good condition do not let temperatures fall below 13°C (55°F). Place in a well lit location. Water thoroughly but wait until the compost is quite dry before watering again. Overwatering is the most common cause of failure in poinsettia.
To make the plant bloom again for next Christmas, in early spring, cut back the stems to 10cm (4in). Keep the compost almost dry, place in a cool shady position. In early May, water and re-pot the plant, shoots will then soon appear. Remove some of the new shoots to leave 4-5 stems

As the plant requires careful light control to make the plant bloom again, in September cover the plant with a black polythene bag from early evening until the next morning so the plant is in total darkness for 14 hours. Continue daily for eight weeks, then treat as normal and hopefully the plant should flower for next Christmas time.


It sounds a lot of hassle but I'll try it.

7 Comments:

Blogger Angus said...

Good luck. We've been trying for 30 years to no avail. If you ever stop over in Vancouver en route to Shanghai you'll discover the worlds largest poinsettia farms.

5:34 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

the flower shop at £9.99 next festive season sounds also attractive

4:39 am  
Blogger Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I think it's worth a try. I love poinsettias.

12:17 am  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

That is not a good omen, Angus

True, Anon!

Vediamo WL

9:11 am  
Blogger Eurodog said...

Very poisonous plant for dogs!

10:17 am  
Blogger kinglear said...

Verdi amo = I love greenery?
Or I love Verdi??

11:55 am  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

I didn't know that, ED

amo, amas, amat it again, KL

8:47 am  

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