Page 37 - AreaNewsletters "Jan2023" issue

its leaves and start over with fresh ones again! While they won’t be colorful, they make lovely green ller for containers. Whether it stays in the house or summers out-of-doors, to re-bloom a poinsettia you’ll need to provide short day length, which triggers the owering cycle. Conveniently enough, days in Colorado are short enough to do that on their own! Just make sure the plant is shielded from arti cial light; for example in a room that is not used in the evening, beginning around the fall equinox. Remember that the plant still needs light during the day in order to feed itself, so please don’t put it in a cupboard! Once you have good color developing you can move the plant to wherever you’d like to enjoy it.
Amaryllis
Amaryllis like to be “pot-bound,” so don’t worry about moving them into a larger container until the bulb is practically touching the inside walls of its pot.
Zygocactus
Zygocactus (Schlumbergera truncata) go by many names, depending on the holiday near which they bloom. Blooming is triggered in their case by a combination of long nights and temperature—nighttime temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees will trigger owering. Placing the plants near a window in a room not used at night can provide ideal conditions for bloom— close the heat vents if you have to. In nature, these plants grow as epiphytes, that is, on tree branches rather than in the soil. This means that they don’t like to be overwatered because they’re used to very good drainage! Similar to Poinsettias, make sure you let the
growing mix dry out a bit between waterings to prevent root rot and fertilize through the growing season for the best show in the winter.
Amaryllis(Hippeastrum
hybrids) also hail from
seasonally dry places.
After they’ve bloomed
they will grow long,
strappy leaves. (Often
two leaves are ready
to masquerade as the Easter Bunny hiding in a pot just in time for spring). Let the plant grow through the spring and summer; water and fertilize regularly to build up the bulb’s reserves. Stop watering in August and allow the bulb to go dormant. The leaves will yellow and die back, at which point they can be removed. Leave the bulb outside until frost threatens, the cooler night temperatures help promote owering. In a month or two, you will notice new growth pushing up from within the bulb. When you see that, it’s time to begin watering again; with any luck your plant will be blooming in December. Remember that
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Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters” • January 2023