September is here, and it’s beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.
If you’ve read our January Article entitled “Keep Your Poinsettia Alive Until the Next Holiday Season”, chances are your poinsettia has not only survived but also thrived and grown beautiful new green leaves. Yes, green.
Where is the deep Christmasy red, you might ask? You see a poinsettia will only turn red when exposed to the right conditions. Otherwise, it remains green as any other plant. Luckily, we put together this ultimate guide to turn it red just in time for the upcoming Holiday Season.
Here are some of our readers’ poinsettias after months of care and love.
All in the Bracts, Not the Flowers
Poinsettias, also known as the flame-leaf flower, is native to Mexico and very well known for its colorful bracts.
What are Bracts?
Modified, usually small, leaflike structure often positioned beneath a flower or inflorescence.
You see, the “red flower” sought after is in fact made up of bracts, which are incredibly similar to petals. With their vibrant colors, these modified leaves attract insects to the flowers to eventually drop after pollination. The actual flowers called cyathia are yellow and center a cluster of bracts as illustrated in the picture below.
How to Make it Red?
Poinsettias change color in response to shorter winter days. This phenomenon is called Photoperiodism and can be summarized as the reaction of the plants when exposed or hidden from sources of illumination. When light is scarce, the leaves which are normally green gradually fade to red. In light of the above, here is the ultimate calendar to turn your poinsettias red in time for the holiday season.
September 21st
- Allow the plant to sit for 16 hours in uninterrupted darkness (either place the pot in a closet, basement or under a box) and 8 hours of light every day (Rotating it to allow all its sides to receive light).
- Make sure that night temperatures remain low, around 15 to 18 degrees.
- Do not neglect watering and fertilizing during this period.
November 21st
- Discontinue the short day/long night treatment.
- Put the plant in a sunny area that gets at least six hours of direct light.
- Reduce water and fertilizer.
- December 21st
You now have a beautifully colored poinsettia just in time for Christmas.
Poinsettias come in many colors
You can find poinsettias around the holidays to fit into almost any decorative scheme. They range from creamy white to pink to the traditional bright red. Some varieties have bracts with patterns in red and white, pink and white, or green and white and even bright orange.
Flower forms vary as well with some looking similar to a rose. You will also find unusually colored poinsettias such as blue or purple in garden centers. These are cream-colored varieties that are spray painted. They are sometimes sprinkled with glitter.