Press Releases Spring 2006

CONTACT: Mary Planding, Director, Marketing & Communications
(831) 479-6158
mary.planding [at] cabrillo.edu
November 30, 2006

Cabrillo College Horticulture Offers a Visual Feast of Poinsettias

Holiday Open House and Poinsettia Sale
Cabrillo College Environmental Horticulture Center Greenhouse, Room 5300
December 6th, 3:00-8:00 pm

Aptos, CA— The Cabrillo College Horticulture Program will be hosting their first annual Holiday Open House at the Horticulture Center greenhouse on December 6th from 3:00 to 8:00 pm. There will be wreath making demonstrations and snacks, and two thousand assorted poinsettias for sale. Prices will range from $3.00 for 4-inch plants, $4.00 for 6-inch plants, and $15.00 for 10-inch trees. Second Harvest Food Bank barrels will be set up in the greenhouse where people can leave donations in order to be entered in a raffle to win a plant from the display.

Visitors to the greenhouse will be able to peruse thirty-three different varieties of poinsettias. The plants on offer include a surprising array of colors and combinations, including the light golden-colored “Cinnamon Star,” and the deep red-purple hued “Plum Pudding” and “Cortez Burgundy.” The “Jingle Bell” plants show red flowers with splashes of pink or white, while the “Marbled” plants have striated units of various colors, including the lively pink and white “Crazy Christmas Time Marble.” Plant shapes vary as well, with the light pink “Winter Rose” mimicking the curled look of roses. The more familiar reds and whites are also represented, so there are poinsettias to satisfy everyone’s fancy.

The plants were donated by Ecke, Fisher, and Selecta—three breeders who each gave ten to twelve types for the Cabrillo Horticulture students to grow. While the students have learned the delicate task of nurturing poinsettias, the breeders will receive valuable feedback on how the various varieties perform in our Central Coast climate as apposed to San Diego or Salinas, for instance, in terms of start and finish phases, bloomtime, vigor, overall performance, and consumer preferences.

Though there are at least 200 varieties of poinsettias available through various breeders, most growers will choose and focus on no more then half a dozen types due to the plant’s scheduling challenges. Dr. Peter Shaw, Cabrillo College Horticulture Instructor and Program Coordinator, explains his choice of poinsettias as a learning tool: “Because these plants are difficult to grow they provide an excellent student project. Temperatures have to be variously regulated through the production cycle for plants with early, middle, and late bloomtimes. The soil needs to be dried out between waterings, and the plants are very susceptible to root problems and insects, especially whiteflies.” Together with his students, this is the first time that Dr. Shaw has grown poinsettias without using chemical fungicides. Instead, the plants have been grown with a “plant shield” consisting of a naturally occurring benign fungus which colonizes the surface of the roots and out-competes the destructive fungus. The plants have flourished in response to the student’s care and the holiday poinsettia project is a success.

For information on the Cabrillo College Horticulture Program and Holiday event, go to www.cabrillo.edu/academics/horticulture/PoinsettiaOpenHouse.html.