i got a new dwarf pink hybrid in florida - it was a beauty!
i flew it home in a suitcase:). it is still holding on to 1/3 of it's bracts, but now it's getting cold feet by the window at 60F.

Posted by petrushka z7b (My Page) on Thu, Feb 6, 14 at 9:16

How beautiful!. Is the pot supposed to be that small?

actually it's even smaller then you see - i put it in yoghurt container for stability.
it's a dwarf variety - i figured they knew what kind of pot to grow it in?
most giant ones are grown/sold in small pots too.
since it'll be going semi-dormant soon i am keeping it in a small pot.
it's a hybrid of reg Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) with Euphorbia cornastra. called 'Pick Me Pink'.
i read they are sold mostly in florida, which is why i decided to try to keep it. besides, it's much smaller then regular plants, so i like that too - don't have much space!

It is very beautiful and so are yours that I have seen Ninecrow!

What is it about this plants that makes you like them so much?
I only like them at Christmas and with a full set of nursery grown reds..
Is it worth all the work to get them to reflower and is it difficult to get them to look as good as store bought?
You certainly have to be commited to this and it shows true character.

From what I see, you guys are doing a great job year after year and your threads are quite interesting..

Mike

Posted by meyermike_1micha 5 (My Page) on Thu, Feb 6, 14 at 12:00

One advantage of these is that their red leaves last much longer than flowers.

i went thru old posts of ninecrow - and that is something!
i am just doing it this year as an experiment.
i have i very well blooming holiday cactus - it is stated in many places that it also requires dark hours treatment to bloom - but i don't do it. it is in the bedroom where we do not use lights in the evening, but there is some street light always. and it still blooms.
so i am going to do the same with my new Pinkie and we'll see what happens.
since it's a very small plant i am going to put it on self-watering wick once it starts growing in spring (i keep a lot of plants with special moisture requirements on water-wicks).
ninecrow, can you post the pics of your plants? how many still have bracts?
i actually think that they make very handsome plants even without color. and apparently they are very good for making a standard. which is how my Pinkie was grown. so i'll continue like that.

These two are still hangin' in there (small one in front of the large one).

Petrushkia, if you can summer them outside they will appreciate it. Mine get their pot sunk in the ground in full sun.

tj

I had a thread (here) of these in milder and protected backyard:

{{gwi:72301}}

has anybody experienced spring rebloom on any of your plants? meaning new shoots turning color?
this is happening on my hybrid with e. cornastra.
this is a pic of a new growth turning color+ producing buds. i have 2 tips like that and another very young one still green.
apparently it produces flowers faster: in 6 weeks vs 9 weeks for reg poinsettia after the trigger point.
so if i have flowers now - it got started 6 weeks ago - end of jan (nights still long), which is just about the time i did some partial pruning. also at the time it was in miami, fl. so very warm: mid 70S. then i flew to nyc - into a freeze. so it got a chill period too, long dark nights down to 55-58F.
i tried looking up info on e. cornastra, apparently it blooms ev 2-3 months. but people in fl who planted this hybrid in the ground did not get blooms in summer (very hot).
it normally grows in the mountains at an elevation - so i thought may be my cool temps at night of about 56-59F combined with still long dark nights over 12h are making it bloom again?
i still had 8 very long branches with a few growing tips that were producing more colored bracts and flowers. last week suddenly the tips fattened up quite a bit and i realized that this could be the beginning of a new cluster of bracts/branches. i also found the patent - the hybrid is very free branching even without pinching.
or may be it produced flowers on new growth because it still has old growing colored bracts?
the largest new tip started growing late jan when i selectively pruned some fading branches. and i still have 4 old blooming branches left - hoping to keep the plant 'in blooming mode'.
any ideas on what's happening?
i cut off half of old colored branches in hopes to initiate some more new growth with color while the dark nites last.
i'm quite excited ;).

Hi Guys Any Updates on Your Points?

One of The Points from Last Year has Bract's Like This One....

I'm Hoping it IS This One, All it was Sold as Was Red

Here is a link that might be useful: Point Like Mine

Hi Guys I is Back!!! LOL

Sad News...... I Only Have two Left.....
***CRY***

I Now Have 1 Red With Oak Shaped Leaves and Bracts
and Surprisingly The White 1.....

How's Everybody's Points Doing?

My three are enjoying their last month in the sun before its back to the photo treatment.

tj

i decided not to put mine out for fear of it being eaten by smth.
it's getting good western sun. i cut down the 1st flush mid june by half and now waiting another week - will pinch the tips.
it held older flower bracts on one branch, they never colored. i left it be to see if it'll color later.
i won't be boxing mine - want to see what will happen as is.
the leaf color looks pretty good, though some older leaves are yellowing - just a few at a time.
is that normal? i am fertilizing it of course and in addition gave it epsom salts and ironite 2 weeks ago and also kelp for micros.

Hi Guys
:)

I have a Confession to Make.....
I have Already Started Light Control on My White as an Experiment....
I Started on the 7th of this Month When I posted My Update...

Anybody Else Being Brave and Trying The Same?

I haven't, but perhaps I should. Seems like a waste cutting off the color in spring when it could have been enjoyed at Thanksgiving had it been started sooner. The other side of the coin is since it will be a long winter, they may as well enjoy the outdoors while they can.

tj

Hi Guys

My Points are Doing OK....

The Red One hasn't Grown Much since I Pinched the Long New Shoots, but that's OK as it means He'll fit in the Box I have For Light Control....

Would LOVE to Get My Hands on One of These!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Rose

Here's my poinsettia. Got it 2 Christmases ago. Last year I didn't really look after it very well. This summer I decided I'd take better care of it. I've repotted it in the same pot twice and cut back the roots and branches twice as well. The damn squirrel kept knocking it off the window sill and it kept falling out of its pot. But I think it looks pretty good after all it's been through!

I have 2 from last years Christmas time buy. Since then they have more then doubled in size. I've repotted in larger pot with regular potting soil and they really seem to be doing good.
I wanted to know now at this point do I need to be putting them in the dark for half the day to make them red. And will this cause them to flower?

Thanks for the info.

DhD

You could start now, certainly start by the end of the month. They'll need 14 hours of dark and 10 hours of light but you will need to be diligent about it as one day of light could set you back to the beginning. I never was that disciplined which is why I do what you see at the link.

tj

Here is a link that might be useful: One way to make one's point

I have a big pot with three plants all together. I am going to try to re bloom it. I thought it was 12 hours, of complete uninterrupted darkness.

Per the pros at Texas A&M AG Dept:

"Dark periods of 11 hours and 45 minutes will cause initiation in most cultivars, but initiation is most rapid at 14 to 14.5 hour dark periods at temperatures of 60-70oF. Night temperatures of 62-64oF ensure most rapid development under photoperiods occurring in late September and early October in the northern hemisphere."

tj

Here is a link that might be useful: Whole article

I have kept one alive from last Christmas. It has been outside through the spring and summer in the shade. It is quite leggy. What to do to it and for it to get it to fill out and become pretty?

so my 'pick me pink' started setting buds: 2 clear on one branch and 2 more are just beginning to fatten up. it's supposed to need only 6 weeks instead of 9 for reg.points. and i counted over 30 growing tips.
do all tips normally set buds?
it's exactly 1 week after i noticed first holiday cactus buds. so pretty much together. and i am not boxing. but the room is dark in the evening, although not pitch black either.
how long after it starts setting buds to first colored bracts?

I just broke off a branch from one of one and was woundering if I put it in the dirt would it grow?

DhD

so it's been 10 days and i counted 22 tips on top that are setting flower buds for sure. the other tips hidden underneath the foliage are still just growing tips. may be they'll flower up later?
i started getting color flush on the leaves. noticed 2 days ago just 2 leaves, now it's progressing rather fast to more leaves!

Hi Guys

How are Your Points Doing?

My Saved Red has a bit of Scale So NOT Happy!!!
The Saved White Seems OK.....

Bought another Red and Two Baby Whites....

I love poinsettias but can never keep them alive. If I get one for over the xmas period it will be dead by new year. The ones on this thread are lovely

Petrushka, just an FYI, poinsettias have "cyathia" as opposed to "flowers." ;)

For the edification of any who might be remotely interested, Google "euphorbia flowers." There is a rather nice post from Dave's Garden on the topic. (Tried to link it but GW is apparently afraid doing so will result in an influx of SPAM. )