Poinsettia growth is all in the timing, say CAFRE students

The light needs to be right for this red star of Christmas - and remember, they don't like draughts!

Wherever there are Christmas decorations, the vibrant red poinsettia flower is likely to be found.

And although the plant is native to Mexico, every year thousands are grown in Northern Ireland for the festive season.

At the Greenmount campus of the College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), the plants are grown by horticulture students.

But timing them to bloom and colour in time for Christmas takes a lot of care.

Second year student Amy Copeland says poinsettias change colour when there is less light

"It is quite difficult in terms of the lighting they need," says second-year CAFRE student Amy Copeland.

"They change colour when there is lower light so trying to get that in time for Christmas is definitely a challenge.

"But it's a good crop to grow."

Red bracts a reminder of Christmas

James Crawford, the horticulture manager at CAFRE, says the plant is very popular among students.

"They colour naturally at the end of November and beginning of December," says Mr Crawford.

Horticulture technologist Lucile Gilpin says CAFRE is moving away from peat products in its plant growing

"They have these nice red bracts which remind people of Christmas and they've become a very popular Christmas plant."

The poinsettia grow all year round in their native Mexico, where they can reach heights of up to six feet (1.8m), according to Mr Crawford.

"They like the heat - their preferred temperature is around 20C which is a bit contradictory for a Christmas plant," he says.

Draught-free area

The college has taken a more sustainable approach to growing the plants in recent years by moving away from using peat products.

Lucile Gilpin, a horticulture technologist at CAFRE, says the peat-free substrates used are showing impressive results.

"At the moment we are able to reproduce what we would have been able to with peat," she says.

Although native to Mexico, every year thousands of poinsettia plants are grown in Northern Ireland ahead of the festive season

"Traditionally, our fathers and generations before us have grown with peat - so it was a massive challenge for our generation to be able to grow without peat," she says.

"We are successfully able to do it here but it is a different growing - it's a different method to what would have been used before."

While the star-shaped flowers are perfect for Christmas, many don't last long into the new year. But student Amy Copeland says that with the right care, they could.

"You need to keep them in a draught-free area," Ms Copeland advises.

"Nowhere near a window or a door that opens and closes quite regularly. And you want to keep them in an area that is around 15-22C and you should get a few months out of them at least."