14
—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 18, 1971
Poinsettias—Getting Better Than Eveir
Poinsettias, Christmas plants’
Presently, poinsettias are
known and grown primarily as
Christmas plants, but they’re
increasingly being considered as
year-round plants, according to
Dan Helwig, Mount Joy Vo-Tech
horticulture teacher.
While poinsettias are generally
considered to be red, Helwig
notes there are some white and
pink ones These colors, he
thinks, can be adapted to other
season with the proper industry
promotion
He stated, “The industry is
talking about a year-round plant
There is now breeding for a blue
bract for July 4 ”
A Mount Joy Vo-Tech
student pots some car
nations.
Mount Joy Vo-Tech students
water and care for
poinsettias.
Vo-tech students learn to
root plants in perlite, a
synthetic growing medium
and soil conditioner, formerly
an industrial waste. Perlite
clinging to the roots show
these carnations are ready
for potting.
Blue poinsettias?
Yes, blue. “Just like yellow
carnations years ago, people
thought we’d never see them, but
they’re here today.”
The traditional red Christmas
poinsettia isn’t standing still,
either.
This year the Mount Joy Tech
School’s 400 poinsettias include a
few of the new Hegg variety,
which has been out only a year or
two But after growing Hegg for
only this time, Helwig states;
“It’s the poinsettia of the future ” /
Reason’
Helwig describes the ideal
Christmas poinsettia as follows:
dark red leaves at the top, short
to medium height, 10 to 12 inches;
drak green foliage, large bracts,
the larger the better
It’s a description of the new
Hegg variety
In addition, the Hegg can grow
at lower temperatures, is hardier
and longer lasting in the home, is
not as likely to be damaged by
temperature changes, such as m
transporting the plant from the
greenhouse to the home.
The new varieties are bred for
lasting quality in the home.
Helwig thinks Christmas through
Easter is now a reasonable goal
for the homeowner’s pomsettia.
For those who are purchasing
pomsettias now, Helwig offers
this advice
Put the plant in a sunny
location, free of cold drafts, but
away from TV sets and radiators
where it gets too hot
If the plant is wrapped in foil,
punch a hole in the bottom for
drainage, check daily for water,
strive for a moist soil rather than
dry or wet soil
With beautiful poinsettias grown at
school are Mount Joy Vo-Tech students,
Grow your own? Helwig
discourages the idea, although he
concedes it’s possible for the
homeowner to be successful. The
problem is that it takes a con
siderable amount of time and
patience, as well as the right
techniques and plant en
vironment. Homeowners often
get poor results, he says
The Mount Joy School’s 400
pomsettias started about Sep
tember 15 with opening of school
with rooted cuttings, which were
le from left, Cindy Moore, David Oagen and
Cindy Gable.
potted in various sized pot? Some
are “pinched for multiple
blooms.”
All of them are treated
chemically to control height
Helwig has a demonstration at
the school, showing degrees of
height which result from treated,
partially treated and non-treated
plants The non-treated plants
are more than two feet tall
Throughout the growing
period, the pomsettias are on a
liquid fertilization program.
Beginning October l, for a
neriod of 40 days, the plants are
shaded and given a short day to
mititate the bud and causing the
bracts (or leaves next to the
flowers) to turn red While bracts
are thought to be flowers by
some, they’re actually modified
leaves; the actual flowers are
yellow and very small.
The first color usually appears
in the bracts right before
Thanksgiving and the plants are
ready to move out two or three
weeks before Christmas, he
school’s plants are marketed
through the FFA as a fund
project