houseplant (SOLVED: poinsettia)

[Lanier_Lurker]

We have had this plant less than a year.  I re-potted it early last spring in a nice mixture of compost and composted manure from the Evergreen outfit in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.  Then I placed it outside on the deck table for spring, summer, and early fall.  This area is mostly shaded by a yellow poplar-oak canopy, but their is occasional direct sunlight.

It appears to have been very happy with this situation.   

I brought in back inside when we started getting some overnight temperatures in the mid 40s.  Now I am not sure where we are going to put it.

This picture does not do it justice.  The crown width is well over 3', and the height (including pot) is about the same.  (That is a pretty fat cat)

Any ideas what it is?

[beenthere]

Reminds me of a Poinsettia plant, but the leaf margins seem a bit too jagged..

[LeeB]

poinsetta would be my guess too.

[Lanier_Lurker]

You are both correct.

It is our poinsettia from last Christmas.

I gotta do some research on what I must do to get it to turn red again.

[SwampDonkey]

I think it needs to flower for the color to come out. How you induce that is probably lots of light and humidity.

[LeeB]

According to Lindy it needs about 14 - 16 hours of darkness a day starting now for it to set the red leaves before Christmas.

[Jasperfield]

Before frost, set it in the house where it can get sunlight. The upper leaves (bracts) will naturally begin turning red about mid December unless you force it with darkness, then it will turn earlier. It will remain red through April.

I have one that's nine years old. I bring it into the living room right at first frost. It stays there until about mid May. Then I take it out onto the patio where I prune it back to within six inches of the top of the dirt. It stays on the sunny patio till Fall frost. I water it well when the soil is right at dry.

Don't let it dry out completely and don't keep it continually wet.