One of the main reasons poinsettias are often discarded after one season is that the houseplant does not develop new colored bracts. A little trick is enough to make the poinsettia turn red, yellow or purple again.
The poinsettia takes a few days to turn red again
Poinsettias are short-day plants
Poinsettias are native along the equatorial line. There they grow in deciduous forests that are heavily shaded and therefore do not get too much light.
The plant has adapted perfectly to the conditions. It only forms the colored bracts when it is in the dark for a long time. In any case, it has to be less than twelve hours a day.
If it stays light longer, the leaves of the poinsettia remain green. In Germany it is light much longer in summer, so that the plant does not turn red again without artificial darkening, but remains green.
Make the poinsettia dark
A poinsettia that is offered in the supermarket or the nursery has been darkened by the gardener. If you want to grow poinsettias for several years, you have to ensure a dark phase. Only then will the poinsettia turn red again in the next season.
Most people want the houseplant to be in all its glory at Christmas time. Basically, you can make the poinsettia blush at any time of the year.
Make sure he gets no more than 11 to 12 hours of light a day for 6 to 8 weeks beforehand. To do this, place it in a dark, not too cold cellar or storage room. If space is not available, cover the plant with a cardboard box or opaque bag to simulate darkness.
So the poinsettia turns red again
After the darkening phase, place the poinsettia in the desired location. This should ideally
- warm (more than 22 degrees)
- bright and sunny
- protected from drafts
being. In the coming days, the poinsettia will develop the desired colored bracts.
tips
The poinsettia is not considered to be particularly easy to care for. When watering and fertilizing, you need a little finesse. Here it is better to be stingy with water and fertilizer than to keep the plant too moist and nutrient-rich.