Find a place where lights are not often turned on at night
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Q. At about this time a year ago I bought a small but nicely coloured poinsettia. In the spring I removed it from its mini-pot and replanted in a more reasonably sized (13-cm wide) pot and set it outside for the summer. When I brought it indoors in September, lacking a space that would provide complete dark between dusk and dawn (for colouring of the bracts), I set it at the window of a room that is not used much in the evenings. Though I did not expect it, some of the bracts developed beautiful red colouring. Can you explain?
A. Not everyone has a suitable site in their homes for a poinsettia to fully colour its bracts (leaf-like structures) following 10 weeks of 10-hour days. The actual flowers are the tiny yellow, berry-like structures at the centre of the bracts.
The easy route to achieving at least some colour is to do what you did: Find a place where lights are not often turned on at night. The degree of colour that develops will depend on the amount of darkness the plant experiences. I’ve found that the bracts facing the window, away from artificial light, develop the best colouring.
Q. I’ve been given a Rieger begonia, a house plant I’m not familiar with. It has lovely lemon and pink flowers. Is this plant kept and cared for after flowering is over, or does it give a single bloom period before being composted?
A. Rieger begonias, placed in bright indirect light, watered as needed, and protected from hot, drying air, can bloom through the winter and into the spring. Often, if they are cut back in late winter or early spring to around 7.5 cm, they will re-bloom on new growth. The removed stems can be used as cuttings, which root easily in a lightweight potting mix kept only modestly moist.
Trim the cuttings to around an eight-cm length, making the bottom cut right below a leaf node.