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It's Poinsettia Rooting Time

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The holiday season seems so far away but if you want new poinsettias for the home or landscape you have to start the cuttings now. Growers are already rooting their plants to have poinsettias in bloom by December and you can too.
Cuttings are best made from tip portions of the poinsettia plants. Take the cuttings during early morning and keep them in a plastic bag and in the shade until you are ready to start them rooting.

Gardeners are most successful rooting cuttings in coarse vermiculite available at local garden centers. Fill pots or trays with the vermiculite and water. Now you are ready to fill the containers with cuttings and encourage rooting using these tips.

Make cuttings six to eight inches long and dip the cut end in a rooting powder.
Stick the cut end 2- to 3-inches deep into the vermiculite.
Space cuttings so the leaves just touch and set the filled containers in the shade.
Enclose the containers of cuttings in clear plastic held above the foliage
Moisten the cuttings one or more times a day.

Poinsettia cuttings wilt for the first wee or two and then resume normal growth as the rooting begins. Most form a cluster of roots within eight weeks and can be transplanted to pots to grow a flowering plant for the holidays.