Removing foliage increases vase life of Poinsettia cut-flower variety ‘Renaissance Red’ and delays cyathia abscission. Allowing cut stems to dehydrate for 24 hours at 20 °C causes the inflorescences to wilt severely thus allowing them to be more easily packed in a box. Wilting reduces vase-life and hastens leaf abscission but it had no effect on cyathia abscission. Cut stems tolerate 12 or 24 hours dry storage at 1°C or 5°C with no decrease in vase life (this averaged 24.5 to 28.2 days in deionized water. When cut stems are stored wet at 1°C or 5°C for 12 or 24 hours, vase life was reduced by 84% and 40% respectively. Vase-life was reduced when the storage time (dry or wet) at the same temperature, was doubled. Increasing the duration of storage decreases the number of days to first leaf and cyathia abscission, regardless of storage conditions. Light during 10°C long term storage had no effect on vase life or days to first cyathia or leaf abscission. J.M. Dole “The effect of several storage and handling treatments on the vase life of cut ‘Renaissance Red’ poinsettia” ISHS Acta Horticulturae 683: V International Symposium on New Floricultural Crops
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