Content
- Why you have to put the poinsettia dark
- The poinsettia is a short-day plant
- How long do you have to darken a poinsettia?
- Where do you put poinsettias dark?
- Tips
The poinsettia needs darkness to form flowers and its red leaves
Why you have to put the poinsettia dark
Poinsettias only bloom for one season - many gardeners believe that. The poinsettia is a perennial plant that can bring you back to life every year. There's a little trick for that: Darken the poinsettia for a while! Then he flowers for many years.
The poinsettia is a short-day plant
The poinsettia, of course, occurs in the equatorial area. There he grows in tropical deciduous forests. He does not get much light there. Usually it is less than twelve hours, in which enough brightness penetrates through the treetops.
In order for a poinsettia to flower, or more specifically develop its colored bracts, the conditions of the region of origin need to be simulated.
For this, the poinsettia is darkened or darkened for several weeks so that it receives at most eleven hours of light a day. Plants that you buy in the store have survived this procedure in the nursery.
How long do you have to darken a poinsettia?
The dark phase must last at least six weeks, better even eight weeks. You can set the poinsettia dark in this time or cover it by the hour with cardboard.
Darkening begins in October, when the Christmas star is supposed to wear colorful bracts at Christmas. You can also bring it to flowering at another time if you set it dark earlier.
After the darkening phase the poinsettia comes to a warm and bright place. Avoid strong sunlight or heated windowsills.
Where do you put poinsettias dark?
There are several ways to darken the poinsettia. The house offers rooms in which no light falls, such as
It is important that the light is not switched on too long there for too long. Do not forget to water the plant regularly.
If you do not have a dark room, cover the poinsettia with an opaque bag or cardboard for several hours a day.
Tips
You can even pull a poinsettia as bonsai. He does not bring a certain shape, but the plant remains very small and compact.