PRESERVE YOUR POINSETTIAS FOR NEXT YEAR

By Patricia Diaz, from the December 2002 Newsletter

Last January we featured an article on how to save those holiday poinsettias so that you’ll have beautiful blooms for the next holiday season. Unfortunately, some readers had already disposed of their plants and asked that we feature the article again, but earlier. So here it is. (Of course I wrote the article last December and then our computer died so I’m rewriting the article and it won’t be exactly the same wording.)

Poinsettias are native to Mexico and came to this country in 1828 with U.S. Ambassador Joel Roberts Poinsett, for whom the plants are named. Most are grown in greenhouses for the holiday season. While we usually see red poinsettias, they actually come in a variety of colors – white, pale yellow, salmon, and other beautiful shades.

To preserve your poinsettia, keep it in a sunny window, protected from the cold. Don’t let any of its parts touch cold windowpanes and be sure to shield it from cold drafts. If you’re purchasing the plant on a really cold day, cover it with a shopping bag to help shield it from the cold. You should do the same thing if you’re delivering poinsettias as gifts, and it’s really cold outside.

They like moderately dry conditions, so when the top layer of soil is dry, water them. Don’t let the roots be in soggy soil, so provide drainage holes and pour off any excess water after watering them.

The red (white, salmon, etc.) “flower” parts are actually leaves, or bracts. The true flowers are the little yellowish-green clusters in the center of the plant. The color of the bracts will fade but you can bring the color back for a repeat showing the next season. To do that, you will need to start preparing the plant in spring.

Cut back the stems to four to six inches to help promote new growth. Continue keeping the plants in a sunny window, protected as mentioned above. In early summer, transfer the plant to a larger container. When nighttime temperatures are consistently above 55 degrees, and there is no threat of frost, take your poinsettia outside. Place it in a sunny location that gets some afternoon shade. Every three to four weeks, pinch back the top one-inch of the new shoots but stop doing that in early August.

When the cooler temperatures of autumn arrive, bring the poinsettia back inside and place it in its sunny window location. To encourage the plant to flower for the holidays, you need to adjust its daily clock to mimic shorter winter daylight hours. Place the poinsettia in a dark room or closet for 14 hours each night starting October 1st. It has to be absolute darkness too, so you might want to cover the plant with a large bag or box if you don’t have enough darkness. During the day, return the plant to its sunny window and keep the soil a bit drier than usual. After about ten weeks, the bracts should be back to their original beautiful color.

Pat Diaz lives on six acres in the woods east of Moscow. She is enjoying the gardening respite but is dreaming of next year’s garden.

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