GARDENING : Poinsettias Go Bloom In the Night

Poinsettias have become so much a part of the holidays that breeders have been hard at work producing longer lasting and more colorful varieties.

With correct care, the blooming plants will remain fresh and colorful throughout the holiday season. And it’s not necessary to discard them, along with the tree, on New Year’s Day.

By understanding their cultural requirements, poinsettia plants can last for years.

“I know one poinsettia that’s at least 20 years old. It’s growing right outside the kitchen window of my mother’s house in Fullerton,” said Evelyn Weidner, owner of Weidners’ Gardens in Encinitas.

Weidner’s mother, 93-year-old Victoria Peterson, is a retired professional nursery owner who still actively maintains her garden. Her poinsettia is rooftop high and colors up every December.

Weidners’ Gardens, noted for its large selection of flowering plants, currently offers a dozen different varieties of poinsettia plants in addition to pansies, begonias, fuchsias and other colorful plants.

While red continues to be the favorite poinsettia color, consumers can select from about 30 varieties, including white, yellow, speckled pinks and reds and even orange.

They range in size from the diminutive self-watering plants to spectacular topiary trees. The prices range from several dollars to $600 for the deluxe Signature limited edition collection.

The leading poinsettia grower worldwide is Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas. From supermarket specials to fancy florist offerings, more than 90% of all poinsettias sold worldwide originate as cuttings or plants from the Ecke Ranch.

Each year, several million vegetative cuttings are shipped to growers in more than 40 countries, and the ranch also produces 500,000 finished potted plants for wholesalers and retailers in California, Arizona and Nevada.

Paul Ecke Sr. was responsible for transforming the red poinsettias growing wild on the hillsides of Hollywood into their present form as potted plants. In 1920, he developed the first cultivar that could be grown successfully as an indoor plant.

Prior to that, his father, Albert, and his family cultivated fields of poinsettias in Hollywood and sold them as cut flowers for the Christmas season.

Poinsettias have been associated with Christmas since the Spaniards discovered them growing wild in Mexico in the 17th Century. The Aztecs had prized the wild plants for decorative and medical uses. A group of Franciscan friars who had settled near Taxco saw the vibrant red plants blooming during Advent (December). They used them during their Christmas celebrations, and the custom spread throughout Mexico.

The plant was introduced to the United States by Joel Poinsett, a botanist who served as the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico during the early 1800s. He was captivated by the bright red of the December-blooming plant and sent some to his home in South Carolina. They thrived in his greenhouse, and he distributed plants to other botanists.

Although the plant had already received its botanical name, Euphorbia pulcherrima, in 1833, it continues to be known by its common name, which honors Poinsett throughout English-speaking countries.

This year, Ecke is introducing a new variety called Freedom. It features deep ruby red bracts and very dark green foliage and is reputed to be durable and long-lasting. It’s an early flowering variety that starts to show its true red color in November and maintains a compact shape.

The colorful parts of the poinsettias are actually the bracts, modified leaves that turn color when the natural day length decreases in November and December. The true flowers are the little yellow berries in the center of the bracts.

Other recent varieties developed by Ecke are:

* Lilo--The long-lasting cultivar holds its foliage and bracts longer than any other variety. Lilo is available in red, pink, white and marble colors.

* Pink Peppermint--Softly speckled, its color is pink or peach, depending on the lighting or decorative accents used.

* Lemon Drop--Golden yellow bracts are framed by very dark green foliage. It’s an early flowering variety that’s best suited for smaller sized pots.

* Jingle Bells 3--The unusually colored variety has light pink flecks on dark red bracts.

* Celebrate--Erect bracts give this cultivar a distinct appearance. The bracts bend upward. The original Celebrate is best suited for single-stem, non-branched plants. The new Celebrate 2 features improved branching ability and is suited for branched, multibloom plants. Available in red and pink, Celebrate 2 is the only poinsettia ever awarded a Blue Ribbon by the Society of American Florists.

If you’ve been discouraged with growing poinsettias because they quickly turn yellow and drop their leaves, try again and follow the following cultivation tips offered by Ecke Ranch.

Poinsettias thrive in indoors, where they can get at least six hours daily of natural daylight. Avoid placing the plants where the hot afternoon sun can shine directly on the bracts. Also avoid placing them near drafts, excess heat and dry air from appliances, fireplaces or heating ducts.

They need moist soil but can develop permanent root-rot damage if they’re overwatered. Test if the soil is dry by probing an inch into the pot. (Water the plant only if the soil is dry one inch below the soil line.) Usually the plant will thrive if it’s watered every two or three days.

At holiday time, most poinsettias are wrapped with colorful foil. Remove the foil or decorative container when watering the plant to ensure complete drainage. Poking holes in the foil won’t solve the problem, because most people place a saucer under the plant to catch the dripping water. Root rot can result if the plant is standing in water.

Poinsettias respond quickly to adverse conditions by developing yellow leaves and then dropping them. But leaf drop doesn’t mean the plant is dead or dying.

Whether the plant is stressed and you want to revive it, or if you want to retain it after the holidays, cut the stems back to about six inches above the soil line. This should leave several leaves on each branch and will help the plant remain bushy and attractive.

When new growth appears, repot to the next size container. For example, if the plant is in a four-inch container, transfer it to a five- or six-inch pot. Use any good quality commercial potting soil mix and water well.

Because poinsettia plants will have been growing in greenhouses just prior to the holidays, they contain enough fertilizer to last them through the holidays.

Poinsettias also can be grown in gardens. Wait until frost has passed before setting them outdoors, usually March or April. They need fast-draining soil that is neutral or slightly acid.

Select a sunny area protected from wind or frost. A south garden wall is recommended. Add organic amendments to the soil and plant at the same soil level as it was in the pot.

Poinsettias are photoperiod plants, which means that they set buds and produce flowers as the winter nights lengthen. The plants come into full bloom in November or December, but the natural process can be delayed if they receive too much light from street lights or window.

This is the case with the Peterson poinsettia growing outside a kitchen window.

“The part of the plant that’s affected by the light from the kitchen doesn’t turn red until much later than the rest of the plant, and some parts don’t turn color at all,” Weidner said.

Judicious pruning also can improve the plant’s overall appearance.

Weidner tells her customers to practice “holiday cut-back time.”

“The first pruning can be at St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) or Easter,” she said. “If people forget, they can also prune July 4. Serious gardeners who have pruned once can prune the poinsettias a second time on July 4.”

Begin feeding the plants in June with a liquid fertilizer high in nitrogen. Feed at least once a month (every two weeks is recommended for better color and form) until Dec. 1, when the plant begins to change color.

Potted poinsettias should be placed in an area where they’ll be in complete darkness for 14 hours each night, beginning Oct. 1. Move the plant to a dark room or cover it with a large box.

The temperature should be between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. After eight to 10 weeks of this, the plant should develop a colorful display of blooms for the holidays.

Enjoyment of poinsettias has been marred for many people by the plant’s reputation for being poisonous to children and pets. But poinsettias have been given a clean bill of health as a result of research conducted at Ohio State University.

In animal experiments with rats, it was determined that the plant doesn’t cause toxicity, even when fed in extremely high doses. However, experts advise keeping the plants away from young children or animals because the milky sap can be hazardous to them.

Sources for Ecke Poinsettias

* Atrium Court Flowers, 401 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, (714) 640-2832.

* Botanica LTD., 3944 W. Segerstrom Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 557-0785.

* Marvin Gardens, 20322 Kline Drive, Santa Ana Heights, (714) 751-5550.

* Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, (714) 640-5800.

* Weidners’ Gardens, 695 Normandy Road, Encinitas, (619) 436-2194.