green poinsettia

[kate&rob]

i have managed to keep my poinsettia alive all year but there are no signs of the red leaves i would have liked. should i have done something special through the year?
it's still a miracle for me to have kept it all year if it doesn't flower but the red would be nice.

[Two_Sheds]

I think you have to force them to make them turn red.

[lynda66]

i'm sure you need to put them in a dark cupboard for a couple of weeks.

[zanussi101]

If you do a search for poinsettia you'll find there was a post on here ages ago that had a link to a site that told you how to look after one- I had a look at it but it seemed like a lot of hassle so I just kept looking after mine like I do all my other house plants. I've got 2 and they're both green although one is starting to get some red leaves now so I'm still hopeful they'll turn by xmas.

[lynda66]

Poinsettia the Christmas Plant. How to grow, care and cultivate them.

[Two_Sheds]

Yes - I just Googled this for you:
Poinsettias that have red bracts at Christmas have been forced by keeping the plants in the dark.
To do the sameat home you would need to prune your plant down to about 4in above the pot after the leaves fall off, February or March.
The plant must then be put in a mild, shady spot and kept dry until May when it should be watered and repotted and kept as warm and humid as possible.
At the end of September it must be provided with complete darkness for 14 hours a day for eight weeks. Then it is brought into the light and watered.

[kate&rob]

thanks for your help, seems like a lot of fuss though doesn't it. i think i'll just keep it in the corner where it seems to be happy enough and maybe buy another red one for xmas. thanks again for the advice.

[lynda66]

think thats why most people just buy a new one

[Alice]

The instructions for making them do the red bracts again are just a fiddle faddle and it's usually recommended just to buy a new one. But don't give up just yet. I had one that did it all by itself for 3 years then died. This pic of it was taken in the month of June.
I'll try and find the previos thread for you.

[Alice]

Link to old thread

I remembered the spelling was wrong in this old thread so maybe hard to find. Here it is. Might help with looking after them this year.
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tion_3783.html

[kate&rob]

thanks for everyones help