Q: What is the right way to plant and care for poinsettia plants in the yard? I want them to bloom at Christmas.
B.F., Pembroke Pines
A: You can grow poinsettia plants year round in South Florida. Plant them in the ground or in containers in a sunny area of your yard that is not exposed to light at night.To promote blooms for future holidays, prune the plants by one-third after flowering. You can pinch back new growth during the summer if you want a really bushy plant. However, do not prune after Sept. 1.
Poinsettias set their ''blooms'' according to day length. As the days shorten, the flowers are formed and the bracts (modified leaves) develop color. It is these bracts that we mistakenly call flowers. The true flowers are small and inconspicuous in the centers of the bracts.
Poinsettias are not salt tolerant. They are native to Mexico and Central America.
Adrian Hunsberger is an entomologist/horticulturist with the UF/IFAS Miami-Dade Extension office. Write to Plant Clinic, 18710 SW 288th St., Homestead, FL 33030; e-mail aghu@
ifas.ufl.edu
