Perfect Poinsettias

December 2015 www.minnesotagrown.com

There are a variety of things that just scream that the season has arrived. trees, blankets of snow, and holiday music are a start, but it’s the scores of perfect poinsettias that round out the season. It’s not just here in Minnesota. Nationwide, Poinsettias are the most widely sold potted plant and consumers pick up over 34 million of them annually. It is no surprise then that they are by far the most popular Christmas plant as most of these sales come within the six-week period leading up to that holiday. Sure, red is most popular, but there are 16 Minnesota Grown producers in our online Directory that offer additional shades from white and pink to apricot or marbled. You might just be able to find one that is blue and covered in glitter! Whatever your holiday style, Poinsettias are the perfect finishing touch. No flower says Christmas like the beautiful Poinsettia!

The Poinsettia is actually indigenous to Mexico and Central America and is very well known for its red and green foliage. In Mexico, the Poinsettia is a perennial shrub that grows 10- 15 feet tall. Today, the flower is known in Mexico and Guatemala as “La Flor de la ” or Flower of the Holy Night. So how did it come to be such an important part of Christmas floral displays here in the US? Poinsettias received their name in the United States in honor of Joel Roberts Poinsett, who introduced the plant into the country in 1828. Poinsett was a botanist, physician and the first United States Ambassador to Mexico. He sent cuttings of the plant he found in Southern Mexico to his home in Charleston, South Carolina. Because it is named after a person, the word Poinsettia is traditionally capitalized.

Growing a plant originally found wild in tropical rainforests in Minnesota takes some strategy. Plants are cultivated as an indoor plant where it prefers good morning sun, and shade during the hotter part of the day. To produce the beautiful colored leaves, plants must have daily periods of uninterrupted, dark nights followed by bright sunny days for about two months during the autumn. This is done in a greenhouse! Paul Ecke Jr. is considered the father of the poinsettia industry in the United States due to his discovery of a technique that caused seedlings to branch. The Ecke family had a secret technique that caused every seedling to branch, resulting in a fuller plant. In 1991, a university graduate student published an article that described the method, and the industry flourished! Even today, many growers get their starter cuttings from the Ecke stock!

Caring for your Poinsettias

A big thank-you to Bachman’s Floral & Ohio State University for some of the information below.

Selecting a Healthy Poinsettia: To select a healthy, beautiful poinsettia, look for lots of dark green foliage, even down low. Choose plants that already have lots of color, since it won't develop much more color in your home unless you have lots and lots of light. The actual yellow flowers in the center of the colored bracts should be small and bright. Be sure to look the plant over for any signs of insects and avoid plants with spotting on the leaves.

Once your floral display is set, make sure your Poinsettias last all season long with these tips!

Water: Examine the soil daily, and when the surface is dry to the touch, water the soil until it runs freely from the drainage hole in the container. If a saucer is used, discard the water that collects in it. Poinsettias do not like to be in freestanding water! Overly wet soil will lead to root injury. A wilted plant may drop its leaves prematurely so check soil frequently. Poinsettias that are exposed to high light and low humidity require more frequent watering. If wilting occurs, water the plant the recommended amount, then again 5 minutes later.

Light: Keep your plant in a sunny window where it will have the most available sunlight. A window facing south, east or west is better than one facing north. Do not let your plant touch the cold window pane to avoid injury.

Temperature: To keep your plant in bloom, keep it at a temperature about 65 to 70 degrees F during the daylight hours. If possible, you can move it to a cooler place at night. Avoid exposing the plant to hot or cold drafts of air to avoid leaf drop.

Poinsettias can also be kept outside in cool weather and will last through the season. Just don’t let them freeze!

Re-flowering: Many owners of Poinsettias wonder about re-flowering the following Christmas season. This can be done, but a yearlong schedule of care must be observed in order to achieve beautiful results! Continue normal watering of the soil until the first of April, then allow it to dry gradually. Don’t let it get so dry that the stems shrivel! Following the drying period, store the plant in a cool (60 degrees F), airy location on its side or upright.

Mid-May: Cut the stems back to about 4 inches above the soil, and either replant in a pot 1 to 2 inches larger in diameter or shake old soil off the roots and repot in the same container, using a new soilless mix. Water the soil thoroughly after potting; wait five minutes and water again. Then put the plant near the window that is exposed to the most sunlight. Keep the plant at a temperature of 65 to 75 degrees F, and water when the

Minnesota Grown- Pick of the Month December 2015 surface of the soil is dry to the touch. After new growth appears, fertilize every two weeks with a complete- analysis, water soluble fertilizer at the rate recommended on the label for flowering plants.

Early June: Leave the plant in the pot, move it outdoors, and place it in a lightly shaded location. Continue watering and fertilizing the plant while it is outdoors.

Early : Pinch each stem (remove 1 inch of terminal growth).

Late Summer: Between August 15 and September 1, cut or pinch the new stems back, allowing three or four leaves to remain on each shoot. After this second pinch, bring the plant indoors and again place it near a window with a sunny exposure. If the plant is not pinched, it will grow too tall and be unsightly. Keep the plant at a temperature of 65 to 70 degrees F at night and continue watering and fertilizing.

Autumn: Poinsettias are short-day plants, which means they flower about 10 weeks after the daylight shortens to about 12 hours or less. Therefore, to have the plant in full flower by Christmas, keep it in complete darkness between 5pm and 8am from the first part of October until Thanksgiving. During this period, any kind of light exposure between 5pm and 8am will delay flowering. A closet, opaque box or opaque cloth will keep the plant in darkness during those hours. Remember to put the plant near a sunny window in the daytime. Continue fertilizing the plant until mid-December.

For more tips on caring for your perfect Poinsettias, check out this great information from member growers at Bachman’s Floral. Find your beautiful Poinsettias and pick up a piece of the holidays from a Minnesota Grown producer near you. Choose from one of 16 local producers in the online Minnesota Grown Directory!

Happy Holidays!

Minnesota Grown- Pick of the Month December 2015