Post by lisa on Dec 15, 2003 3:32:12 GMT -5
• ONCE you’ve purchased your poinsettia, make sure it is well wrapped up before you take it home. A half-hour icy blast could undo all the nurseryman’s hard work.
• EXPERTS say poinsettias need an airy, not humid position. The ideal temperature is 18C. They don’t like extremes of temperature. Don’t place them in draughts, or above a radiator or on top of the TV - it’s too hot - and only water the compost when it is dry to the touch.
• IN spring the leaves turn back to green but when the time is right is it possible to bring the colours back by controlling the light, humidity, watering and feeding.
• ONCE your poinsettia has lost many of its leaves, cut down the stems to around four inches in March or April. Pot it into a slightly larger container of fresh compost, keep it warm and in good light, and new shoots will grow.
• IT changes colour when the nights are long and the days short. From late September place the poinsettia in a dark cupboard for at least 14 hours a day, from 6pm to 8am, or keep it in a spare room where the lights are always off overnight.
• THIS will prompt the plant to start producing its red colours again for Christmas.
• IF you accidentally break a stem or leaf the sap that appears can be a skin irritant especially to young children and animals. Wash your hands thoroughly if you get the sap on your hands.
• EXPERTS say poinsettias need an airy, not humid position. The ideal temperature is 18C. They don’t like extremes of temperature. Don’t place them in draughts, or above a radiator or on top of the TV - it’s too hot - and only water the compost when it is dry to the touch.
• IN spring the leaves turn back to green but when the time is right is it possible to bring the colours back by controlling the light, humidity, watering and feeding.
• ONCE your poinsettia has lost many of its leaves, cut down the stems to around four inches in March or April. Pot it into a slightly larger container of fresh compost, keep it warm and in good light, and new shoots will grow.
• IT changes colour when the nights are long and the days short. From late September place the poinsettia in a dark cupboard for at least 14 hours a day, from 6pm to 8am, or keep it in a spare room where the lights are always off overnight.
• THIS will prompt the plant to start producing its red colours again for Christmas.
• IF you accidentally break a stem or leaf the sap that appears can be a skin irritant especially to young children and animals. Wash your hands thoroughly if you get the sap on your hands.
