A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 poinsettia question...

ok, i got a poinsettia for under a dollar after christmas... if i understand all the posts and things i have read, the following is how i should take care of it...

first, protect it from frost.
second, in the spring i can put it outside in partial shade/sun
third, in the spring, i can cut it back, (one leg at the time)
fourth, to make it bloom next year, i should give it long nights starting about 14 weeks before i want it to bloom.

is that all correct? did i miss anything?

You've got the basics down pretty well.

If you have a sunny window inside, there is no reason to move it outside in the summer.

The best time to prune it back is after all of the flowers have faded. You should see some new growth starting to emerge from nodes lower on each stem. Cut back to just above these new-growth nodes. You can do all of them at once. The point of pruning back is to maintain a compact plant.

Not only must the days be longer in the fall, but they must also be completely dark. Even a lightbulb at night can upset the reflowering cycle. Make sure it gets lots of light during each short day in the fall.