Is my Poinsettia dieing :( {red leaves}?

Question

Well ill im in highschool and dont know "to much" about growing plants, but are biology teacher gave all of us a plant as a christmas gift(2007), and I dont like seeing things like plants die, and currently it has "red leaves" but no flowers.

How do I get it to bloom again?

Thanks

Answer 1

Depends on where you live..

Put it outside.. if your are where its warm enough, it would have died back in the winter in some parts and then came back.. I found this..

When the leaves have fallen (usually by late March or early April), cut the Poinsettia back to about 8" in height. Continue a regular watering program, and fertilize your plant with a good, balanced. By the end of May, you should see vigorous new growth. Transplant the Poinsettia into a larger pot (no more than four inches larger than the original pot).

Continue regular watering during the growth period, and fertilize every two to three weeks. Once all chance of frost has passed and night temperatures average 55° F or above, you can put the Poinsettia outside (being sure to bring it back in if there's any chance the temperature will fall below 50° F)! If pruning is necessary to keep the plant bushy and compact, be sure pruning is done by September 1.

Then comes the hard part; complete light control. From October 1, the Poinsettia will need to be kept in complete darkness for 14 continuous hours each night. You’ll have to cover the plant with a black polythene bag or a large box, as any stray light, such as that of a streetlight or lamp, can stop the re-flowering process.

In the daytime, from October through December, the plant will need 6 - 8 hours of bright sunlight daily, with night temperatures between 60 - 70° F. Temperatures outside of this range can also delay flowering.

Following this regime faithfully for eight to ten weeks should give you a flowering Poinsettia for the Christmas season; the actual bloom time will depend on the particular variety.

This might help too ( its a excellent site)

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2006...

Answer 2

The red leaves are adaptation of leaves which turn red in color and resemble flower. During X-mas these red colored poinsettia are sold as gift. The flowers are not conspicous and are very small. There is nothing wrong with your plant. You can multiply these plants by cutting a shoot and rooting it in potted soil.

Answer 3

To get the plant to bloom again, you could make sure that it has a long, completely dark night every night for a couple of months.  I usually put my poinsettias into a cardboard box each evening, starting in September or October, and put a blanket overtop to make sure that no light gets in, and then take them out in the morning.  That way they form the red bracts by Christmas.

As far as keeping the plant healthy in general, make sure it gets adequate light and water, and fertilize it occasionally with a general purpose fertilizer.  Repot it once a year or so, and prune it if it starts to get long and scraggly looking.

Answer 4

You need to make sure it is not dry and put it somewhere light but not in full sun. If the diameter of the pot is less than a third of the height of the plant you need to re-pot it in a bigger pot with some nice compost.  It would benefit from having a little plant food (Miracle-Gro for example) every two or three weeks.

The flowers on the poinsettia are very small, what you see are the red bracts that surround the flowers. Wait until the autumn and with luck as the daylight shortens this will trigger the plant to make red bracts again.