Making flowers bloom is fulfilling objective of a gardener. Here are ways on making Poinsettias and African Violets display their glorious beauty on season and the whole year round.
Everblooming African Violets
To induce African violets to bloom all year round, have the plants in a north/northwest window. Water them light from the bottom every other day and feed them every four weeks with 5-10-3 food. Repot them yearly.
Encouraging Poinsettias to Bloom
Getting this festive plant to bloom is not simple but it is a lot easier during this holiday schedule.
- Cut back the bracts (the big, brightly colored modified
- Repot the plant in a bigger container on Memorial Day and place the plant outdoors for the summer.
- Cut all stems by 6 inches on Independence Day.
- Move the plant indoors to a sunny window during Labor Day.
- On Columbus Day, begin giving the plant 14 hours of darkness daily. The poinsettia is a photoperiodic plant, setting colorful bracts and blooms in reaction to shorter daylight periods. Cover them with a large cardboard box if you don't have a light-tight closet—it must have total darkness. Proceed with the darkness treatment for 8 to 10 weeks, putting the plant in a window during the day where it will have 4 to 6 hours of direct sun. Water and feed it as usual. As soon as the poinsettia blooms, stop the closet procedure.
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