Most of us, at one time or another (usually Christmas), have had a poinsettia plant. Some of us have been known to keep them long after they have become green and leggy, and a few of us have even tried to get them to bloom again. The story always told is that they need 14 hours of darkness, and one stray light beam will ruin everything. When I worked at a research greenhouse back in my university days, we would force poinsettias to bloom by covering them for a certain amount of time each day. I tried to replicate this with my own plants by hiding them in the bathroom for hours, but they just died. I had given up on the idea of ever getting a poinsettia to bloom again, but I didn’t have the heart to throw them away.
Rich has gotten a poinsettia from our church organist for the last three years, and last summer I set them out in his garden, where the newer one died but the older one flourished. I brought it in for the winter and set it in his atrium area, where it gets plenty of sun along with my plants The Professor, Dr. Cheung, Jolly Bob, and Greg. Rich forgets about it, so I water it at the same time as my plants, more or less once a week, and otherwise we ignore it. Then an amazing thing happened: some of its leaves began to get red spots on them. I was afraid it was sick, but it looked very happy. Then it got buds! Now it is blooming, and I will try to get a photo soon to prove it. The leaves are smaller than when it was forced to bloom in the commercial greenhouse, but they are just as red. So I guess the secret to getting poinsettias to rebloom is to ignore them in a sunny room and keep the temperature cool! Who knew?
Famous Hat
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2 comments:
Who knew. Mine died a slow death and grew spindly green and then brown
Kathbert says hers is reblooming too so maybe it isn't that tricky.
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