Pointsettias
- Thread starter jlabsher
- Start date
JLab, it so happens that Larry owns a wholesale greenhouse and his primary fall crop is.....poinsettias. Send him a PM and, after he tells you to just throw the damn things away and buy new ones, I'm sure he'll also tell you the best way to get a recolor on them.
Nosenheimer
New Member
Q: How do you get a poinsettia to bloom?
A: From the first of October until the colored bracts can be seen it should not receive any light at night. Cover the plant at dusk every evening with a light-proof bag and uncover about 8:00 AM in the morning. A closet may be ideal to put it in at night. Even a quick, short exposure to even dim light can prevent flowering.
Source:
Poinsettias
Hope this helps
Oh yeah .... Hi everybody!
A: From the first of October until the colored bracts can be seen it should not receive any light at night. Cover the plant at dusk every evening with a light-proof bag and uncover about 8:00 AM in the morning. A closet may be ideal to put it in at night. Even a quick, short exposure to even dim light can prevent flowering.
Source:
Poinsettias
Hope this helps
Oh yeah .... Hi everybody!
I agree wholeheartedly and thank you for doing your part!
Larry Gude
Strung Out
I second...
..what nose says BUT...depending on variety, initiation usually begins around mid September. (This means the day length shortened which is needed to start them towards reproduction, flower).
The closet routine is best as the bags reduce air flow.
Don't forget to shape them by (pinching), oh mid August.
Make sure nothing from outside, bugs or foliar fungi, have taken up residence in the soil or foliage.
Use a balance fertilizer, preferably nitrate based nitorgen, not nitrite, throw in a good dose of calcium every third time.
Night temps 65-68, day 75. heavy sun AM, not so much PM.
Or...you can always just...
Well. You know.
If you haven't started the night time black out by now, you probably won't make Christmas. If you do, I got a job for ya!
..what nose says BUT...depending on variety, initiation usually begins around mid September. (This means the day length shortened which is needed to start them towards reproduction, flower).
The closet routine is best as the bags reduce air flow.
Don't forget to shape them by (pinching), oh mid August.
Make sure nothing from outside, bugs or foliar fungi, have taken up residence in the soil or foliage.
Use a balance fertilizer, preferably nitrate based nitorgen, not nitrite, throw in a good dose of calcium every third time.
Night temps 65-68, day 75. heavy sun AM, not so much PM.
Or...you can always just...
Well. You know.
If you haven't started the night time black out by now, you probably won't make Christmas. If you do, I got a job for ya!
jlabsher
Sorry about that chief.
I started yesterday, of course moonlight will affect it some. Seems I remember starting around 11/1 last year and they were "almost" ready by X-mas. I've got them in a dark basement room with small window. Did the closet thing a few years back and kept forgetting to put them in the sun during the day.
Larry Gude
Strung Out
Good luck...
...most people who keep up with this simply enjoy the process and that's great. Plants are neat things.
The key is to get the initiation started. Once it starts it doesn't stop. It can only be slowed. The moonlight should have no effect as long as the plants percieve early 'night' or fall like conditions. In this case we're talking about a less than 12 hour 'day'.
We used to do point trees which have to be started in March. We had a real cloudy, dark spring several years back and did not supplement the day light so...they intiated! Then, you have to pinch off the growing tip to get them to stop reproductive. They'll go back to vegative but for our purpose we lost time and size.
Have fun and keep me posted as to when you start seeing color!
...most people who keep up with this simply enjoy the process and that's great. Plants are neat things.
The key is to get the initiation started. Once it starts it doesn't stop. It can only be slowed. The moonlight should have no effect as long as the plants percieve early 'night' or fall like conditions. In this case we're talking about a less than 12 hour 'day'.
We used to do point trees which have to be started in March. We had a real cloudy, dark spring several years back and did not supplement the day light so...they intiated! Then, you have to pinch off the growing tip to get them to stop reproductive. They'll go back to vegative but for our purpose we lost time and size.
Have fun and keep me posted as to when you start seeing color!