A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 3 plants, 3 questions

1-i have a poinsettia left over from xmas that's just barely hanging on. has lost most of the leaves and just as i was about to "dispose of the body", i noticed tiny new leaves beginning to form. i've since moved it to the somewhat sheltered front porch, and it's still hanging, but not really taking off. anything i can do to help speed up the process?
2-i have a foliage plant from my hubby's gramma's funeral...something called a "salome" which i've never even heard of. had it about 2 years now and it seems to be getting smaller somehow. losing a leaf here and there, and just droopy in general. last year it came back with a vengeance when i moved it to the porch. this year, not so much. think i need to repot it?
oh and 1 more...jade plants. i have one that resembles a tree...only really short like maybe 10 inches tall. it's been great on the windowsill (south-facing) all winter long, and now it's letting go of some leaves. do i need to move it to a different location with the warmer temps?

They will tolerate shade but love the sun when indoors. They can be overwatered. You'll notice because the leaves still on the plant will get mushy also they will lose the brown tint on the edges of the leaves. That tint is healthy for a jade plant. This is just personal experience and there are a lot of succulents that look like jade so you might want to wait for one of the experts. I'm in zone 7a with a south facing window.

Hello! The poinsettia might need repotting. Have you checked to see if it's rootbound? Also, it might need a different location for light. I have a couple that did the same thing, and once they were repotted/planted, they started new growth and have done very well. One is planted under an oak tree and gets filtered sun...it's doing very well there. Poinsettias can get kinda large, so you might want to check and see if the roots need a little more growing room.

Here is some info Will sent me a while ago:
Post-Holiday Care of Poinsettias: When the flowers fade and the plant no longer looks attractive, you can discard the plant or you can test your green thumb by doing the following:

1. Cut the stems back to just above the point where new (green) growth is emerging. This usually means cutting off one-half to two-thirds of the stems. It may look ugly for a few weeks until the new growth has filled out.

2. Move the poinsettia to a sunny windowsill.

3. Do not repot the poinsettia.

4. Water and fertilize the poinsettia regularly. Do not let it get dried out. Avoid temperature extremes and cold drafts.

If you do all of the above you will be rewarded with a full, nicely shaped, green-leafed poinsettia. Keep up this regimen through the winter, spring and summer. If you want your poinsettia to re-bloom, you will have to start preparing your poinsettia in the fall.

How to Get Your Poinsettia to Re-bloom: It’s not complicated, but it’s not easy either. Beginning in late September, you must provide your poinsettia with 12 hours of complete darkness each night and 12 hours of good light during the day. Even a small amount of light from a light bulb for a short time at night can disrupt the formation of the new flowers. In addition, night temps should drop to 63 degrees. You must maintain this regimen for about eight weeks, by moving your poinsettia to a completely dark and cool place every night and back to the sunny windowsill each day. Once the colorful leaves called bracts are well established (usually about eight weeks), you can stop schlepping it to a dark place every night and leave it where it can be enjoyed. This is a lot of work. Most people prefer to purchase a new poinsettia each holiday season.

Good luck!

thanks for the info. i found info on the "salome" (not sure of the spelling) in another post in here somewhere, so i think i have that one figured out. turns out it's some kind of philodendron! who knew?!

thanks again