Getting That Poinsettia To Bloom Again.

Poinsettias are day length responsive and only bloom when the hours of daylight fall below 11 hours per day. Indoors, the light from your lamps will prevent it from ever flowering again. The object is to give your plant at least 14 hours darkness, every day from late September until you see the red bracts well formed. From the end of September ,place your poinsettia inside a black poly bag and tie up the top. The best time to do it is when you come home from work. Next morning take the plant back out of the bag, just before you leave for work.This way the poinsettia gets the darkness it needs to initiate flowers and you have an easy to remember routine. When the coloured bracts have fully developed,( around the beginning of December),stop the poly bag treatment and enjoy your plant. Did you know that poinsettia plants, when in bloom, respond well to a weekly liquid feed of tomato fertilizer.The potash in the feed gives larger and stronger coloured bracts.