POINSETTIAS AFTER CHRISTMAS

Poinsettias, those cheerful yuletide plants, are once again beautifying homes around the world this Christmas season. Over 50 million are sold annually in the United States alone - more than all other flowering potted plants combined.

Most of them end up in the garbage after the season has passed, but don’t get rid of yours.

After they have bloomed, you can plant your Poinsettias outdoors in the garden and help beautify the environment, or you can grow them as potted plants.

In either case, make sure that, they are not exposed to any artificial light at night after September, because they are light-sensitive; they require nine to ten hours of daylight followed by fourteen to fifteen hours of darkness every day for six consecutive weeks for blooms to develop.

IN THE GARDEN When planting out your poinsettias, find an unlit area that is well drained or raised. Dig holes at least double the size of the root balls of the plants and fill with a mixture of soil and organic material such as manure.

Prune the plants in April and again in August and you will have beautiful compact bushes for Christmas.

Do not fertilize until the end of January as the plants are usually fed before sale with a slow release fertilizer. You can then start feeding them with a complete general fertilizer.

IN POTS To grow your poinsettias as potted plants, prune them to about half their height and feed them every two weeks with a complete general fertilizer.

By June, when there should be a lot of new growth, transfer the plants into pots two inches wider than the ones they were in, and prune back the new growth leaving two to three leaves on each new shoot. Pinch back all new growth until late September; then let the plants grow out making sure that the regimen of bright light alternating with total darkness is instituted. By the end of November, blooming should be well underway.

Pests and Disease White flies are the main pests of Poinsettias. They feed on the plant’s sweet sap, which gets onto the leaves and encourages them to turn black with sooty mold, a fungal disease. Control the white flies and prevent sooty mold by using a fine strong spray of water from the garden hose to wash away the eggs and immature insects.

PROPAGATION

Poinsettias are propagated very easily by cuttings. As they have to be pruned at least twice a year, there will be no shortage of cuttings available. Let these cuttings rest for a couple of days before placing them into a rooting medium, and before long, you will have an abundance of poinsettia plants to create a natural Yuletide atmosphere every year when they burst into bloom

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If you have any gardening news or tips you would like to share, or if you are having a problem in your garden, e-mail me at thehappygardner@tstt.net.tt

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