Poinsettia Production

By: Johnny M. JessupAgriculture Teacher/FFA

Advisor

Introduction

• Most important pot plant grown for the Christmas season.

Poinsettia Production

• Many different cultivars grown• Freedom (early)• V14• Marble• Jingle Bells• Gary (late)

Poinsettia Facts

• Brought to the U.S. by J.R. Poinsett, the 1st U.S. ambassador to Mexico.

• Come in a variety of colors including….• Red*• Pink• White• Speckled

Red is the Most Popular

Poinsettia Facts

• The colorful part is actually not the flower.• It is a colorful leaf

called a bract.• The actual flower

is yellow.

Parts of the Poinsettia

Poinsettia Production

• Wholesale growers supply 2¼” rooted cuttings.

Poinsettia Production

• Number of plants per pot depends….• On the pot size.• Whether the plants will be pinched or

grown as single stem.• Size of flower.

Poinsettia Production

• 4” pots• 1 plant for pinched or single stem.

• 6” pots• 2 plants for pinched.• 3 or 4 for single stem.

• 8” pot• 3 or 4 plants for pinched.• 6 or 7 for single stem.

Poinsettia Production

• Temperatures• Should be 65oF at

night.• 70 – 75oF during

the day.• Plants will flower

late or not at all if night temps gets above 80oF.

• *Some cultivars may vary.

Poinsettia Best Practices

• Pinching• Done to increase

the number of bracts on the plant.

• Makes the plant appear fuller by having more flowers per stem.

Poinsettia Production

• Media must be….• Free from diseases

and insects.• Porous and well

drained.

Poinsettia Best Practices

• Large amounts of fertilizer needed from propagation until sold.• 6 days of water

soluble 20-10-20• Clean water for

rinse on Sunday• Poinsettia top

dressing (15-16-17)

Poinsettia Best Practices

• Pot August 15-20th

• Keep really wet 1st three days (wet floor)

• Tight Spacing• Day 2

• Fungicide Drench ( 1oz to 100 gal)• Repeat every 30 days (stop in November)• Prevents root rot and botrytis.

Poinsettia Best Practices

• Cycocel• Growth regulator• Applied in

September• Drench or spray.• Keeps poinsettias

compact and from stretching.

Poinsettia Best Practices

• Insects• Marathon for white

flies.• (1/3 teaspoon to 6 ½”

pot)

Poinsettia Best Practices

• Molybdenum: Bad leaves w/ little points• (1 oz to 3 gal of water)

Poinsettia Production

• Poinsettias are a short day photoperiodic plant.

• Bud set light period is from 12 hours to 12 hours and 15 minutes.

• Vegetative growth light period is longer than hours.

• Two hours of light from about 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. each night will cause short day effect.

Happy Holidays

Designed By:

• Johnny M. Jessup; FFA Advisor• Hobbton High School