I have kept a small poinsettia in the house from last Christmas. It is
healthy but all the leaves are now green - I lost all the red flower leaves.
Does anyone know how to get the plant to create new red leaves (or flowers?)
for this Christmas?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I live in the Vancouver area of B.C. if climate is a concern.
Many thanks.

In article aSW7d.577137$M95.455397@pd7tw1no, Athena
writes
I have kept a small poinsettia in the house from last Christmas. It is
healthy but all the leaves are now green - I lost all the red flower leaves.
Does anyone know how to get the plant to create new red leaves (or flowers?)
for this Christmas?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The red leaf colouring is stimulated by hours of darkness. I can't
remember the details. But try keeping it completely drk for 12 hours
each day from now on.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Kay wrote:
In article aSW7d.577137$M95.455397@pd7tw1no, Athena
writes
I have kept a small poinsettia in the house from last Christmas.
It
is healthy but all the leaves are now green - I lost all the red
flower leaves. Does anyone know how to get the plant to create new
red leaves (or flowers?) for this Christmas?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The red leaf colouring is stimulated by hours of darkness. I can't
remember the details. But try keeping it completely drk for 12
hours
each day from now on.

But what you can't get is the original compact form of the plant,
which is produced by artificial means. I've kept them over from one
year to the next just for the fun of it; but the coloured bracts were
much smaller -- though there were more of them -- and the whole
plants, though more "natural", weren't as decoratively "Christmassy".
Under oath, I suppose I'd have to confess they actually looked a bit
scruffy; better gardeners than I can no doubt make better plants,
though.

Mike.

Athena ) posted:

snips
I have kept a small poinsettia in the house from last Christmas.
Does anyone know how to get the plant to create new red leaves (or
flowers?) for this Christmas?

Poinsettias initiate flower-buds (and showy bracts) as a result of night
length. I'm nor sure how many hours of darkness are required, or just when,
but understand that they're fussy (when a new highway went
through south of here (Los Angeles) commercial growers had
problems with scheduling blooming because of automobile headlights
sweeping over the fields at night near curves in the road). You might
decide to settle for having it bloom whenever it decides to (which is
often well after Christmas here in southern California.

Don Fitch

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