By JEFF BURBRINK
Extension Educator Purdue Extension Elkhart County

GOSHEN — Poinsettias are one of the most popular Christmas gifts. In recent years, the poinsettia breeding programs have created all sorts of interesting new looks and color patterns for the plant, so in some cases, people may want to attempt to keep them for next Christmas.

Poinsettias can be kept from year to year, but unless a yearlong schedule of care is observed, the results usually are not good. Start out by normal watering of the soil until the first of April, and then allow it to dry gradually. Do not let it get so dry at any time that the stems shrivel. Following the drying period, store the plant in a cool (60 degrees), airy location on its side or upright.

In the middle of May, cut the stems back to about 4 inches above the soil, and either replant in a pot 1 to 2 inches larger in diameter, or shake old soil off the roots and repot in the same container, using a new soilless mix. Many good commercial potting mixes are available. Choose one that is not very finely textured. Using soil from the garden can introduce disease to the plant.

Water the soil thoroughly after potting; wait five minutes and water again. Then put the plant near the window that is exposed to the most sunlight. Keep the plant at a temperature of 65 to 75 degrees F, and water when the surface of the soil is dry to the touch. After new growth appears, fertilize every two weeks with a complete-analysis, water soluble fertilizer at the rate recommended on the label for flowering plants.

In early June, leave the plant in the pot, move it outdoors, and place it in a lightly shaded location. Continue watering and fertilizing the plant while it is outdoors. Pinch each stem (remove 1 inch of terminal growth) in early July. Then, between Aug. 15 and Sept. 1, cut or pinch the new stems back, allowing three or four leaves to remain on each shoot. After this second pinch, bring the plant indoors and again place it near a window with a sunny exposure. If the plant is not pinched, it will grow too tall and be unsightly. Keep the plant at a temperature of 65 to 70 degrees at night and continue watering and fertilizing.

Now comes the tricky part. Poinsettias are short-day plants, which means they flower about 10 weeks after the daylight shortens to about 12 hours or less. Therefore, to have the plant in full flower by Christmas, keep it in complete darkness between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. from the first part of October until Thanksgiving. During this period, any kind of exposure to light between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. will delay flowering.

Greenhouses that grow poinsettias will often padlock the door to their poinsettia room to avoid accidental exposure to light during this critical phase. It only takes one slipup, and the whole project is ruined.

For the enthusiast who still wants to give it a go, a closet, opaque box or opaque cloth will keep the plant in darkness during those hours. Remember to put the plant near a sunny window in the daytime. Continue fertilizing the plant until mid-December.