DENVER — I hope you didn't throw away your holiday poinsettia. It can be a lovely foliage plant, either inside or on your summer patio. Getting it to re-bloom, however, is another matter.
It's no secret that poinsettias can struggle in the dry heat of our homes. They drop leaves and look a mess but eventually they can adapt. If you want to try to save yours, take the first steps now.
Start by repotting it. If there are two or more plants in the pot, separate them by cutting the root balls apart. Replant each piece. Cut off the cluster of tiny flowers surrounded by the red bracts. Leave those bracts or modified leaves. They will drop as the plants grow.
Keep them well-watered in a bright window. In a month or so, start feeding them with a high nitrogen fertilizer. They'll be ready to move outdoors in late May, about the time when we plant tomatoes.
Bring the poinsettias indoors in fall. The trick to getting them to flower is to select a place where they get no light whatsoever after sundown. They set buds in response to the shortening of the days. Any light at night--from a lamp or streetlight--can disrupt their cycle.
You can also propagate new sweet potato vines if you brought some plants inside in fall. Take cuttings about six inches long. Strip off the lower leaves and put the cuttings in jars of water on the windowsill. They'll form roots in a few weeks and you can pot them in soil after that.
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