Rita LeBleu

rlebleu@americanpress.com

Enjoy your poinsettias through the holidays, into the new year and –if luck, the temperatures and your green thumb are good – maybe beyond the new year.

For starters, Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter Horticulturalist advises punching holes in the colorful foil that may be placed over the pot to allow the water to drain properly and keep the roots from becoming water logged.

The plants will need water and light Soil should be moist. Do not place near heat source or cold drafts. A thermostat set between 65 and 75 degrees is best. These plants like direct light, such as an eastern, western or southern window.

“Water with warm water when the soil surface is dry to the touch, but don’t let the plant stand in water.” (louisianablooms.com)

In the spring – if you’re able to baby it for this long period of time — when the blooms end, cut four to six inches from each stem to promote new growth. Fertilize with an all-purpose fertilizer that is cut to half strength. Repeat in six weeks.

Move outdoors after danger of frost, in May or in June to a shady spot.

Transplant in a larger container – about four inches larger — at the end of June. Fill the container with potting mix that contains peat moss or pebbles. Water with the fertilize mix every 30 days.

Here’s where it gets high maintenance. In the fall, place the poinsettia in a completely dark closet or box from evening until morning. Put it in a sunny window during the day.

When Thanksgiving rolls around, the plant could have its color. (Or not. Maybe you’ll just decide it’s better to buy a new one.) The poinsettia will probably never look as good as it does when it was first purchased. However, some folks have been able to keep it growing.

Shown here is the greenhouse at Greengate Shopping Center, full of poinsettias, Christmas cacti and many other plants.