I have a huge pointsetta from last Christmas that I've been nursing thru the season. I want to initiate a bloom, what I've read says that it needs darkness to bloom? Idk, with the reduction on daylight hours the leaves have a reddish cast already. Anyone done this before?

I have but I didn't follow the instuctions. I just left it near a north window so that it didn't get any direct sun and it bloomed fine.
But you may have different results due to how much sun/light you get between now & Christmas.

And I have an Easter Cactus (blood red) with buds right now. It's not supposed to be blooming NOW!

Thanks. It just looks so healthy and full now and I don't want to kill it. Okay, I'll try the N window.

It's not that it needs darkness - just less light. A north window is a good idea as long as it is in a room that does not have lights on at night.

Brown,this article from a florist company recommended leaving it in a dark closet for a week or so? I thought right, I'll kill it in the dark.

Yes, I have killed them in the past by keeping them in total darkness. It is still a green plant after all and it needs to make food. This is the mistake that people often make. The plant needs total darkness but only for 10 - 12 hrs per night, not 24 hrs per day.

Some people place their plant in a dark closet every day from about 5 pm until 8 am and don't open the closet during that time. You could also put a black bag over the plant every day but that's WAY too much trouble for me.

I did get one to bloom one time when I put it in a closet with a window and it got only natural light.

Any room that does not get artificial light at night should work I would think. I would probably use the basement at my house since it has windows. The plant needs 10 - 12 hrs of total darkness per night from October until the end of November and it should be fairly cool but not cold. Water only when dry to the touch and do not fertilize.

Thank you..I know,the recommendations just sounded too extreme.

can't wait to see those pointsetta blooms.. will you will those for your Christmas tree..?

Well, I put that poinsettia in the basement that's heated and managed to forget to water that particular plant and 10 days later, it's loss most of its leaves..the plant is still alive
But no bloom for this Christmas...

On a positive note..all my Christmas cacti are in bloom!

Would you believe that the point seta BLOOMED ...not a single leaf on the plant but its covered with red flowers..unbelievable.

gotta love mother nature
period
end of statement

quote:

Originally posted by CLAUDE:
Would you believe that the point seta BLOOMED ...not a single leaf on the plant but its covered with red flowers..unbelievable.

Yup - it seems that poinsettias have their own clock, regardless of how you treat them after the holidays. I had an absolutely huge white one that had practically grown into a potted shrub. It was almost a household pet. Sat out in the open with no special light treatments or anything; then one late winter out of nowhere threw out some really lovely large blooms.

I kind of enjoy them just as foliage plants, especially since they're one of the very few houseplants my cats leave alone.