Q: We kept our poinsettia from last Christmas, and it has done well over the summer. We want it to bloom again for Christmas, but we can’t find the clipping of the newspaper article you wrote about what to do. So, what do we do?
A: There are several basic environmental requirements that need to be matched, but the main one is long nights and short days. Most poinsettia varieties will bloom if you give them 14 hours of darkness each day. Figure out when you go to sleep and when you leave for work, and set up a schedule you can follow. If you can uncover the plant when you leave for work at 7 a.m., you will have to put the plant in the dark by 5 p.m. each day. The actual start and end times don’t matter as long as you can reliably keep it in the dark for at least 14 hours every day.
Covering the plant with a box may be easier than moving the plant to a dark closet or room each day. If there are some long stems sticking out, they can be pinched to make the plant bushier, and it will have more flowers.
