Poinsettias

Hi again!

Am going to share with you a bittid about Poinsettias; and a big 'Thank You' to 'Flowers Growing' (a blog/website). Would like to share some of their helpful information about the tidbit care of these festive Christmas plants; as some of you may appreciate the knowledge as well!

Poinsettias

"This flower is one of the most used present in Christmas Eve.
The length of time your poinsettia will give you pleasure in your home is dependent on the maturity of the plant, when you buy it, and how you treat the plant. With care, poinsettias should retain their beauty for weeks and some varieties will stay attractive for months. But you have to now first that is a beautifull flower for not a long time.
After you have made your poinsettia selection, make sure it is wrapped properly because exposure to low temperatures even for a few minutes can damage the bracts and leaves. The leafs are very fragile.
Unwrap your poinsettia carefully and place in indirect light. Six hours of light daily is ideal. Keep the plant from touching cold windows.
Keep poinsettias away from warm or cold drafts from radiators, air registers or open doors and windows.
Ideally poinsettias require daytime temperatures of 60 to 70°F and night time temperatures around 55°F. High temperatures will shorten the plant’s life. Move the plant to a cooler room at night, if possible.
Check the soil daily. Be sure to punch holes in foil so water can drain into a saucer. Water when soil is dry. Allow water to drain into the saucer and discard excess water. Wilted plants will tend to drop bracts sooner.
Fertilize the poinsettia if you keep it past the holiday season. Apply a houseplant fertilizer once a month. Do not fertilize when it is in bloom.
Getting poinsettias to reflower is not easy, but with some patience and care it can be done.
Late Winter - Early Spring
Cut back each of the old flowering stems to 4 to 6 inches in height. Do this in February or early March. This will promote new growth.
Late Spring - Summer
Repot into a 2-3 inches in diameter larger pot. Make sure the soil mass is moistened and place in a sunny window. When all danger of frost has passed and night temperature are above 60°F the plant can be placed outdoors. Place the poinsettia in a shady location for two to three weeks to allow it to become acclimated to the new environment. Then sink the pot in a sunny protected outdoor flower bed. Light shade during the afternoon is okay.
Turn the poinsettia pot regularly to prevent rooting through the bottom hole. It is suggested that a quarter turn each week will prevent this and will also help to keep the plant growth even all around the pot. If the pot is not turned, one side may get more sun than the other.
If you prefer a short plant with many flowers, pinch out the growing shoots to encourage branching. Pinching should produce more flowers and a nice bushy plant. This should be done at 3 to 4 week intervals, according to the speed of growth. Pinch out the top 1/4 inch by hand. Two or three large fully expanded leaves should be left below the pinch; this serves as a guide for knowing when the shoots are ready for pinching. Continue this practice until mid- August, when the plant should have a satisfactory shape and number of shoots.
Keep the plant growing actively all summer by regular watering and feeding every two weeks with a complete soluble fertilizer (20-20-20).
Fall
Before night temperatures fall below 55-60°F at night, bring the poinsettia indoors to a sunny location. Check for pests and diseases and place poinsettia in a south window.
Flowering is “photoperiodically” induced in the poinsettia. This means that flowers begin to form when the days are a certain length, or, more accurately, when the nights are long enough. The poinsettia is a short-day or long-night plant. Without long nights, this plant will continue to produce leaves and will grow but will never flower. You must make certain it receives no light from any source.
Very short periods of lighting at night may be enough to prevent or interfere with flowering. Even light from a street light can stop flowering. If the plant is to be grown in a room that is lighted nightly, cover it completely at dusk (5p.m.) every day with a heavy paper bag, a piece of opaque black cloth, other light-tight cover or place in a dark closet.
Flower initiation begins in late September and early October. Dark periods longer than 12 hours are necessary for flower set. Flowers mature in from 60 to 85 days depending on varieties, temperature and light intensity.
Because flower initiation depends upon the length of the dark period, your poinsettia must be kept completely dark from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. The time to give this treatment is from the end of September until December 15.
Once you can see the flowers developing in the growing plants, i. e., when the floral bracts start to show definite color, it is not as important to continue giving the dark period, though it is advisable to continue until the bracts are almost fully expanded.
Temperatures should be no less than 55°F at night, but not more than 70°F. During the day give the poinsettia as much sunlight as possible.
Reduce the amount of fertilizer given after bringing the plant indoors. Growth is slower in the lower light intensity inside the house.
High night temperatures, coupled with low-light intensity, low nutrition, dry soil or improper photoperiod may delay maturity."

Personally, I LOVE poinsettias! They are always so 'special!'. Normally, we enjoy a handful of them; however, this year we prudently bought only one - a tiny tid red poinsetta; and it looks great in a bit brass pot in front of our cosy fireplace. When we light a fire, we move the fragile plant to a more protected bittidz location!

In the meantime, our elderly neighbour who is going away for Christmas, has given us her HUGE poinsetta plant to care for; and WOW (and a THANK YOU!) is all I can say! It is in a gorgeous pot; and that in itself is a decorative Christmas touch! Managed to clear a tidbitz spot for this gigantic and majestic red plant; and her kind gesture, has totally made my day! At the same time, she has not been able to get through to the airport via phone or online to check her flying status. As mentioned in today's earlier post, we have a lot of snow! Plus, she has not been able to get a taxi! Alan just took her now to the airport; and all being well, she will be united with her family later this evening, for the Christmas season.

Tidbit - Do random acts of kindness; even if it is just giving a smile, is so uplifting to others! The expression", 'what goes around, comes around' is certainly true!

Bittid - Be genuinely grateful for ALL your Blessings. Today, we have received a few unexpected Blessings; and I am joyfully 'Praising Him In ALL Things.'

Also, in my December 15th post, I mentioned 'snow scenes' as gifts, that we gave to our twin grandsons. The correct word for a 'snow scene' is a 'snow globe'. That is what our city looks like today; like a beautiful Christmas 'snow globe!'

Merry Christmas!

God Bless.