Why are the leaves of poinsettia not red?

Improper light for the growth of poinsettia

Improper lighting refers to insufficient or excessive light when growing poinsettias. Generally, during the growth period of stems and leaves, sufficient light is needed so that the branches and leaves can grow quickly, and this will make the bracts turn red quickly, otherwise the bracts will not be so red.

In addition, there is too much light. Poinsettia is a short-day plant, and the sunlight period cannot be too long. Once the time is too long, the red bracts will not be so red. If you want the bracts of poinsettia to turn red earlier, you need to control the light to less than 12 hours, which can promote the differentiation of flower buds. If you want the poinsettia to not turn red, you can reduce the light exposure time, and the bracts will turn red quickly.

Poinsettia water is not suitable

Poinsettia is sensitive to water and needs sufficient water during its growth period so that the stems and leaves can grow quickly. Otherwise, the branches and leaves will become too long and the leaves will become narrow, making it difficult to turn red.

It's not the season for poinsettias to turn red yet

Autumn and winter are the times when the bracts of poinsettia begin to change color. If it is not this season, or if the season has just begun, the poinsettia may not be able to turn red yet. You need to wait patiently before it can turn red.

Underfertilization of Poinsettia

There is a certain relationship between the color of poinsettia bracts and fertilization. During the growing and flowering season of poinsettia, reasonable fertilization is needed. Generally, liquid fertilizer is applied once every half a month. After entering autumn, some phosphorus and potassium fertilizers need to be applied regularly. This can promote the differentiation of flower buds and make the color of the bracts pure. If too much nitrogen fertilizer and too little phosphorus and potassium fertilizer are applied before it blooms, its leaves will not turn red. It is important to apply fertilizer reasonably and balance the elements.