Poinsietta

[ivormills]

I have a poinsietta from Christmas that is still looking healthy with red bracks but is getting a bit leggy. I would like to save it and repot it. What sort of pruning do I need to do to encourage a bushy plant?

 

[Nerine]

You can prune your poinsettia now to encourage new growth but to get the coloured bracts is quite a challenge. They are known as short-day plants,as long winter nights encourage the bracts to colour up. You need to put them in a dark cupboard in the autumn for a certain number of hours. I think temperature is crucial too. There are web sites that explain what to do; try - www/fernlea.com/xmas/poininfo.htm.

I heard a panellist on Gardener's Question Time say it was too much trouble and not worth the bother. It does look pretty complicated.

Good luck with it.

 

[ivormills]

Many thanks for your reply and the link, very helpful.