Anonymous wrote:I have a beautiful poinsettia I was given 5 years ago. It started as a tiny little thing (picture one of the $5 red poinsettias from the grocery store) and surprisingly I have kept it alive long enough that it's turned into a full on 2 foot high 5 branched plant. I'm thinking of tempting fate and trying to force the red to come out.
Most of what I've read online says that making the Bracts (?) Change color is either a.) exceptionally difficult or b.)totally easy as long as you keep to a schedule.
So..... Have you ever gotten a poinsettia to turn colors after the initial "blooming"? Any tricks or tips you can share? Can something go horribly wrong that I should know about? The poinsettia was a present that I value, so I'd rather keep a green leaves than injure the plant. At this point I'm just curious to see how it works.
TIA
Yes. However, the bracts were very thin. It was kind of pretty, though. Unfortunately, it didn't turn red until around February. This was kind of accidental and unplanned.
Years ago, I tried. I followed directions about putting them in a closet part time and that type of thing, but I couldn't manage to stay on schedule. The ones that turned last year were sitting in a bathroom window ledge with pretty full sun. Since the bathroom light is not on that much in the evening, they turned. From what I understand, they need to be in the dark for at least a half day to turn. I'm sure you can google it and find some information.
But, it's a lot of trouble--but kind of interesting to see if it works.