poinsettia

Don my Ton

I bought three Poinsettia  (Princesettia)  smaller than those big red leaves ones.  The leaves did turn a reddy pink when i first had them.

I repotted them in John innes No3 because they were getting a bit big for their pots.

They look nice and healthy but stay green. Thing is will they ever turn pink again, is the soil to good for them.

rob.

Dovefromabove

Poinsettias (and I presume the variant that you have) need total darkness for more than half the 24 hour day in the autumn, preferably 15 hours of total darkness in every 24 - not even a crack of light or passing car headlights.  Try lining a large cardboard box with thick felty fabric - no cracks or gaps, and placing this over them at 5 pm every day and removing it at 8 am every morning.

That should make them colour up - but it will take a while.

Good luck

flowersforbees

Thanks for this Dovefromabove,  I too have kept a Poinsettia from last Christmas

and thought I was keeping it in total darkness until I read your post!  I have it in

a bedroom looking over the back garden (on the window ledge) and the garden is in

total darkness, but since reading your post I've suddenly realized that when my

next door neighbour sits in her conservatory (not often now the dark nights are

here thankfully) the light from that probably reaches the plant.  I do have about

four tiny red leaves (or are they petals?)  sprouting at the top of the plant, but

the rest of it is still green, so I'll put a box over it as you suggest to keep it in

total darkness.  Also Dove, I wonder if you could advise me if it's too late to

re-pot it?  I didn't bother to do it before, as I really didn't expect any red leaves

 - I've tried it so many times before and failed!  I would be very grateful for your

advice.  Thank you!  Also thanks to you Don for raising the question!  

Dovefromabove

The red (or cream) 'leaves/petals' are actually bracts - explained here 

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/petal_01.

 

I don't think I'd repot now, but you could try giving it some liquid houseplant fertiliser - not too much and don't overwater.

In the spring I'd cut back and pot on. 

flowersforbees

Thanks a lot Dove -  I'll do as you say - thanks for the link you gave me too,

I found it really interesting!