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Poinsettias

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pandora205
pandora205 Posts: 2,934 Forumite
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in Gardening
I was really pleased with myself for nurturing two poinsettias (one original, the second a cutting) since last Christmas. They are quite large and healthy looking but very green. I've been reading up recently and discovered I should have given them extended darkness periods overnight, which probably accounts for the lack of redness. I've not done much in the way of feeding either (if that makes a difference).

I accept that I'm probably going to be too late for Christmas but would welcome any tips to get them to 'flower' please. (I know it is actually to form bracts rather than flowers). Over the last few nights they have been in dark cupboards and out again in the day.

Thanks
somewhere between Heaven and Woolworth's

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  • missile
    missile Posts: 11,689 Forumite
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    I have one which is now huge, 3ft high. Apparently they can reach 12ft high :eek::eek::eek:
    https://homeguides.sfgate.com/make-poinsettias-leaves-turn-red-97461.html
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  • pandora205
    pandora205 Posts: 2,934 Forumite
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    missile wrote: »
    I have one which is now huge, 3ft high. Apparently they can reach 12ft high :eek::eek::eek:
    https://homeguides.sfgate.com/make-poinsettias-leaves-turn-red-97461.html

    Do you subject yours to long periods of darkness to encourage it to turn red? It seems that this is the thing to do.
    somewhere between Heaven and Woolworth's
  • Justagardener
    Justagardener Posts: 307 Forumite
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    They need approximately 16hrs of complete darkness in a 24hr period for about 8 weeks. Best to try and do this naturally from 4pm to 8am the next day. This should give you deep coloured braces 2 weeks before Christmas!:xmassign:
  • DiggerUK
    DiggerUK Posts: 4,992 Forumite
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    We have tried many times to keep a poinsettia from one xmas to the next with no success.

    At the moment our 2019 plant is looking as fit as a butchers dog, lush leaves, even some going red. It is on a north facing window ledge which we suspect has helped.

    Anybody else in the same situation or experienced this before. Ironic, we do nothing it survives well, we follow the palaver of putting it in secret dark places and they die..._
  • pandora205
    pandora205 Posts: 2,934 Forumite
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    Mine grew well but stayed green.  I wasn't very successful at keeping it in complete darkness (It was in a cupboard that had a door that didn't fit well) so partly my fault.  In the end I decided it was quite a dull plant and put it in the compost bin.  It's not as though they are expensive to buy in the autumn.
    somewhere between Heaven and Woolworth's
  • jackieblack
    jackieblack Posts: 10,316 Forumite
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    edited 19 July 2020 at 2:54PM
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    This is a poinsettia that my daughter bought me Christmas 2015, it lives on my dining room windowsill - I don’t have any curtains or blinds on this window, so it’s only in the dark when it’s dark outside at night.
    It randomly develops red ‘flower’ several times a year.
    I took this photo about 3 weeks ago 

     
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  • Apodemus
    Apodemus Posts: 3,384 Forumite
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    missile said:
    I have one which is now huge, 3ft high. Apparently they can reach 12ft high :eek::eek::eek:
    https://homeguides.sfgate.com/make-poinsettias-leaves-turn-red-97461.html
    When I lived on the equator, I used to prune my poinsettias back to about 8ft once a year at the end of the dry season.   They would then put on about 6ft of new growth during the rains before slowly turning red once again as the next dry season ensued.  I’m afraid I now view the potted poinsettias sold for Christmas a bit like the caged tigers at the zoo... really lovely but somehow not quite right! :smile:
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