Roots 'n' Ramblings

Care for your poinsettia

Submitted by Joyce Bryon, Bobcaygeon Horticultural Society

What a wonderful plant to have for the Christmas season and, if you have followed the

rules, you will still have your poinsettia blooming. Hopefully when you brought your plant home, you did not leave it exposed to the cold for more than a couple of minutes. Otherwise, the leaves will drop off. With proper care, your poinsettia will last all winter and into the next season.

Make sure it is in a room with bright natural light but not where the sun will shine directly on the plant. The plants like temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees. Don’t place beside a heat vent

or near any cold drafts. Water thoroughly when the soil is dry to the touch; do not let it sit in standing water.

Remember to keep the plant up high enough to be out of the reach of children and animals.

You might be lucky enough to have your plant bloom again next year. When the colour fades

in April, keep near a sunny window and fertilize when new growth appears. Cut back stems to

20cm.

In June, repot if necessary, fertilize with a 20-20-20 mixture and continue to water when dry.

You can move the plant outside in light shade if the temperature does not fall below 50 degrees.

In late August, take inside to a sunny window, cut the stems back, leaving three or four leaves per

shoot, and water and fertilize as needed. From September to the first of December, keep the plant in light from 8am to 5pm.

Good luck. If you follow these instructions, you should enjoy bloom for next Christmas

The Bobcaygeon Horticultural Society is taking a short winter break. Our first meeting is Thursday, February 21 at Knox Presbyterian Church. Visitors are welcome to join us for coffee/tea and treats at 6:30pm followed by the meeting at 7pm. This will be an entertaining evening of “brain teasers and garden trivia” and a great way to expand your knowledge of horticulture. If you wish to join the Society, annual memberships are $15.

Finally, the best cure for “seasonal blues” is to peruse those tempting seed catalogues from such fine Canadian companies as William Dam, Stokes and Veseys.