Is it a lost cause? Your poinsettia needs a long period of darkness each night in order to turn the distinctive red color we associate with Christmas. In the morning, put the plant in a place where it can receive eight hours of indirect sunlight.
Ideally, you should have started this light-restriction regime in early October to get the poinsettia to turn red in December. Although most people think the red on a poinsettia is a flower, the color is actually created by the top leaves of the plant turning red. Poinsettias are native to Mexico and Central America, where they can grow up to 16 feet tall. Box , Medford, OR ; by fax to ; or by email to youasked rosebudmedia.
Let me know how it goes turning red this Christmas. I just repotted my Pointsetta from last Christmas. Thanks for the tips and wish me luck! Funny you should ask that! I have been thinking about adding that to the post. This is just the push I need — I am going to add how to propagate a poinsettia now.
I am so proud to say that we were able to keep one poinsettia healthy from Christmas to !!!!! We have about 5 clusters that are still thriving!!! I love this! All of a sudden I understand what is happening with the Red Leaves. My plant is nearly 1m tall and quite lush , but no red leaves. After reading your articles I now know how to fix that. I was wondering if you can take cuttings of it and have 2or 3 smaller ones.
If that is something that can be done, please let me know the procedure. Glad I can help! You can propagate poinsettias from stem cuttings. Your question has me thinking I should write an article about it! But, here are the basics: Use healthy new stems cut from vigorous plants. The old stems that flowered this year are not the best cuttings to use.
To get new stems, cut the old stems back and keep the parent plants warm, consistently moist, and in a bright location. When the new stems are about four inches long, you can take new cuttings. Cutting should be inches and have mature leaves.
Treat the base of each cutting with rooting hormone , then place it in a pre-made, moistened hole in clean potting soil. Put the pots with cuttings in plastic bags to keep the humidity high and place in bright, but not direct sunlight.
In around three to four weeks your cuttings should have decent roots and can be put into bigger pots and treated like your other poinsettias. Let me know how it turns out! Thank you for this great info space; have mine which neighbor gave me. She does this every year but first time I kept so long. Did not have info until today but will print more. Hi Alice- I am going to have to check out that movie.
Glad you are going to keep that poinsettia going — and what an awesome neighbor to give you one every year. I bought 2 poinsettias last year and one of them died but the other one lived and none of the leaves, green or red fell off.
In fact there are still a couple of red leaves still on there but they are turning slightly greenish now. It never gets direct light there either. I think you need to start the process of keeping it in a dark, humid environment for 14 hours a day. Then in 4 weeks it should turn red again… a little late for Christmas, but it will add some cheer to winter! I have never put it in the dark but it grows well and is quite lush.
It gets a little direct sunlight each morning, but otherwise has a lot of indirect light. It does have some another plant in with. The plant has clusters of little white flowers that are commonly seen at Christmas potted with poinsettias in Canada. Good question! I think it must just be part of its natural cycle — it is getting ready to bloom.
The long nights of winter must have prompted it to turn red in preparation for flowering. Thank you for the information since my plant is big and cant carry big object can I cover at night a dark cloth please replay. I think covering it will work. I was placing my miniature poinsettia in my desk drawer over night at work because my office has lights on overnight. Mel, Thanks for your post, very helpful. I am trying to bring a poinsettia back in bloom for the first time.
I have what was last year a somewhat scrawny poinsettia plant from Home Depot. Even though it dropped leaves some time after Christmas I kept nurturing it. In the summer I set it outside and omg it flourished, probably tripled in size. Anyway, if it works, great. Let me know how it works!
I know how hard it is to prune something that is doing so well. The first year with 1 plant in a 2-inch pot and the second year I added a new plant about the same size. This spring they were both nothing but dried up leafless twigs and I just started watering them after I cut back the twigs to 2 inches. All summer I watered them and fertilized regularly on my patio. This worked last year with moderate results. Please report back with how it works. The idea of a poinsettia advent calendar is genius.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Blog Post. Prev Article Next Article. Keep the plant in bright light, but not in direct sunlight, for at least 8 hours a day. Keep the plant in a warm room where the temperature never gets below 50 degrees F.
Blooms can last for months on the plant, but they will eventually fall off. So will the plant leaves. This is the time to prune it. Cut all stems back to six inches and continue routine plant care.
New leaves will emerge. Help your poinsettia to turn red by placing it in total darkness for 14 hours each day, starting eight weeks before you want to display it. During the day, the plant needs bright light, but it should be placed in complete darkness every evening. You can keep it in the same place as your mushroom log! Even the light from a small night light or street light shining through a window can disrupt the process of turning a poinsettia red again.
The plant will need a little extra humidity during this stage. Remember, it is from southern Mexico! An ideal way to get the poinsettia to turn red is to place it in a closet every evening one that is never opened along with a bowl of water. The bowl of water will increase the humidity level inside the dark closet. In about four weeks the bracts will begin to turn red.
Continue the nighttime darkness routine for four more weeks until plant reaches its full red color. My four poinsettia l bought this past mid Dec still has all the pinky red leaves on it today April I had planted it in full sun here in central Fl, but dug them up March1 to transplant to north side of house where they are loving it.
I was shocked that they still look beautiful. In tropical countries they can even grow to shrubby heights, too. Hi Leanne! Well, actually, there are a few steps you can do: Place your poinsettia in a cool room. This will lead to old leaves falling off. Keep the soil dry for a full month. Nice way to have color around when most other plants are dormant.
Thank you Gaspard! This info was really helpful. The stems on the plant are already reddish but the leaves are still green. Any other advice with regards to watering, like would the rain wetting be good for it and when would be the best time for watering? If i just started putting my poinsettia plant in the dark, just the ending of November, would it still turn red?
It might not be a complete flush of red, but it will nicely mix reddish center with green crowns, which is also pretty Christmas-y, too. Thanks you Gaspard! That brings me to my next 2 questions. Is the night the best time to put it in a dark room for hours? Do i need to take it out of the dark room and put it outside to get fresh air and natural sunlight but not direct? Sure thing! Yes of course night is better. Say 6 pm to 8 am or 5pm to 7am. Yes, to give it light. Keep it cool but not freezing cold.
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