The month of November focuses on bract expansion\u00a0and cyathia development.\u00a0Regardless of the region that you grow in,\u00a0days are becoming shorter, light intensity\u00a0has decreased, and the growth rate of the\u00a0plants has slowed down when compared to\u00a0growth activity during weeks 31 \u2013 39. With\u00a0this in mind, cultural and environmental\u00a0practises will have to be adjusted to\u00a0compensate for this slower growth and\u00a0to enhance the quality of the bracts.<\/strong>\u00a0Many years ago, large oversized bracts\u00a0were the trademark of quality until bract\u00a0edge burn became a post harvest headache.\u00a0Temperature wise, avoid producing\u00a0soft growth. Bracts that are grown too\u00a0warm along with high humidity will be too\u00a0lush and are more prone to shipping related\u00a0problems.\u00a0Growers should now review their water management\u00a0practises, realizing that overwatering in\u00a0November is conducive to plant loss from root rot\u00a0pathogens. At this stage of growth, provide an adequate\u00a0drying cycle to the media to maintain a strong root system and\u00a0to begin the toning process of the poinsettia that is so crucial to post\u00a0harvest quality. In cool dark weather, it\u2019s better to water in the early\u00a0morning than late in the day so plants are drying going into the night.<\/p>\n Review your fertilizer program and make adjustments according to the\u00a0shift in growth rate. During this stage of growth, the fertilizer program\u00a0needs to shift away from ammoniacal nitrogen to nitrate nitrogen forms\u00a0of nitrogen.<\/strong> Poinsettias are now forming bract color and expansion which\u00a0still require fertilization but as we approach mid-November, the overall\u00a0<\/strong>level of fertilization needs to be reduced. At this time it is important to\u00a0monitor media EC and pH to ensure the crop is not stressed. Gradually\u00a0reducing the soluble salts in the media greatly reduces the incident of\u00a0root damage especially under a drier regime. A combination of high\u00a0salts and poor calcium uptake during bract expansion is part of\u00a0the reason for BEB<\/em> (bract edge burn). In regards to this plant\u00a0malady, I would be remiss not to remind you, that practises\u00a0to reduce BEB<\/em> are still very important during this period of\u00a0bract expansion. If you have already begun a spray program\u00a0of calcium chloride you should continue this practise on a\u00a0weekly basis to supply adequate calcium to expanding tissue.\u00a0Before I move unto reviewing humidity management,\u00a0one must also remember that poinsettias have a higher requirement for molybdenum. Continue to monitor the\u00a0level of Mo in the soil and the tissue.<\/p>\nFertilizer program<\/h3>\n
![\"poinsettia](\"https:\/\/www.berger.ca\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/07\/floresDeNochebuena-300x200.jpg\" "\\"poinsettia")