In article ,
Bob Williams wrote:

Omelet wrote:
In article ,
Bob Williams wrote:

I relative gave me this Poinsettia plant for Christmas.
I figured I had better photograph it before it bids us all adios
Bob Williams
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I've had one live for up to 3 years in the greenhouse, and my uncle had
one grow into a tree in his yard. He lives near San Diego. ;-)

Mine re-bloomed in the late fall.

The Paul Ecke Ranch in San Diego County produces over 80% of all the
Poinsettias sold in the U.S.!!!
Apparently there is some "trick" to making them bloom repeatedly year
after year. I understand that they produce fewer, smaller and less
colorful bracts as time progresses.
They will however, grow to 8-10 feet tall if planted in the ground, but
they will be kinda spindly.
The temperature range that they can tolerate is VERY narrow.
San Diego is one of the few places in the Continental U.S. that have
such a narrow temperature range.
Bob Williams

I think the trick to blooming them at a set time is lighting control.

Many seasonal lilies sold nowadays are clones and I think the same goes
for Poinsettias.
When I took Botany back in junior college, we watched an in class film
of a seasonal flower cloning operation. They have this sort of "sponge"
of cells growing under controlled conditions. They then add hormones to
get them to convert to root and stems so they get a bunch of uniform
plants.

It's really interesting stuff. ;-)

http://tinyurl.com/22pbt6

I enjoy doing a little bit of propagation from cuttings. It's often
easier than growing stuff from seeds.
--
Peace, Om

"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have
come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first."
-- Mark Twain