I know it's a daft question, but....

[Creemteez]

Why is my Christmas Poinsettia not dead yet????
It still sits, resplendent, where I placed it two weeks before Christmas on an east facing window sill in my living room. It has dropped a few leaves , but otherwise looks very healthy with bright red brachts (sp) still intact and perky - AND showing signs of new growth from the centres of them! Apart from giving it a drop of water when the pot felt light and dropping in a couple of those slow release plant food tablets, I haven't given it any special treatment. all my previous Poinsettia purchases have died a death a respectable couple of weeks into the new year.
So now I feel duty bound to keep it going till this Christmas. I've looked it up and most opinion seem to suggest that it is pruned, then put outside after the last frost, bringing it in in the autumn and putting it in a room that is unlit after sunset.
But should I fix it if it ain't broke? Pruning seems brutal and I might forget to water it if I put it outside. Should I pot it on? If so, will bog-standard potting compost be ok???...Oh, the decisions! Suggestions anyone?

[rustylady]

As you said - if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Well done on keeping it alive for so long.

[Creemteez]

I wish I could take credit, RL, but I think it's more luck than judgement!

[mothhawk]

You prune it to keep it within bounds - in its native Mexico it grows into a fifteen foot tree - bit big for the windowsill! It will put out new growth happily. Probably best not to prune and re-pot at the same time so it's not trying to grow new shoots and new roots all at once. I tend not to put house plants outside for the summer, as they seem to come back in for the winter bringing plagues of pests with them.

[mothhawk]

I was given a poinsettia last Christmas. I re-potted it in Feb and it's now twice the size and very healthy on the south windowsill.

It was a gift from a neighbour so I didn't think I could chuck it out after Xmas was over but I'm not overly fond of them. And I can't remember how long you have to give it twelve hours of darkness for to get it to flower and to produce the red bracts. Is it 3 months, less, or longer? Can someone tell me please?

[mothhawk]

I really miss seeing Creemteez's wonderful cakes on the vine

[vixylix]

Mine is still going too... entirely from neglect I might add! Loads of new leaves but nearly entirely green now. I had no idea I needed to do something to get it to turn red - I just assumed it would when it gets colder!

[mothhawk]

Well, I've had a goggle and this is what I found -

"Here is the tricky part - getting your poinsettia to bloom again.

When fall temperatures begin to drop, bring the plant indoors.
From October 1 to December 1, (or for at least 40 days) a poinsettia will need a strict light/dark regimen to produce color. Provide 13 to 16 hours of complete and uninterrupted darkness daily. At dusk, place the plant in a dark room (or closet) or cover with a box or paper bag. At dawn, move or uncover the plant to allow 8 hours of sunlight.
This is a pretty labor-intensive process, but if you are lucky, you will have a healthy, colorful plant for the holidays."

And I've learned a new word - rebloom - it's a verb, as in, this is my poinsettia, I rebloomed it from last year