Lauren RabainoBridget Veltri
arts@mustangdaily.net
The students of the poinsettia agriculture enterprise project will be spreading holiday cheer across Cal Poly in the form colorful poinsettias.
The poinsettia agriculture enterprise Project poinsettia sale will begin Dec. 1 at the Poly Plant Shop and continue through the middle of the month, featuring 30 varieties of plants.
Environmental horticulture senior Lisa Segler is one of the poinsettia project’s six members. She does marketing for the project.
“This enterprise project has been a popular annual project for over 40 years,” she said. “It provides many unique challenges that must be overcome for crop success.”
Poinsettias are about as synonymous with the holidays as jingle bells, but the growing process behind these pretty plants starts well before the holiday season. Segler said 200 to 500 hours can go into raising poinsettias.
“We get 2,000 plus cuttings in May that we root and grow to be ready for the holidays,” Segler said. “We grow these cuttings into three greenhouses full of plants.”
Segler explained what makes these poinsettias special.
“Our crop is unique because we have many colors not commercially available,” she said. “I really like the strawberries and cream variety, I like the variegated lacy leaves.”
In addition to the traditional red and white poinsettias, the project will offer a variety of options like pinks, oranges, marbles and maroons.
To put a spin on the traditional holiday classic, the project will offer painted and glittery “blinged-out” poinsettias. Painted poinsettia color options include blues, purples and yellows.
The size of the plants vary and prices range from $6 to $60.
During previous holiday seasons, the Poly Plant Shop has relied on poinsettias to deck its halls, project employee and former manager Tracey Waples said.
“In the past we definitely have planned our decoration around the poinsettia plants in previous years,” said Waples, an environmental horticulture senior. “We would fill the shop top to bottom and the lab next door.”
The Poly Plant Shop’s holiday open house on Dec. 5 will feature music and refreshments as well poinsettias.
From Dec. 6 through the 13, attendees can have their picture taken with a poinsettia instead of Santa. A photo backdrop will be set up for those who want a holiday picture. Poinsettia project representatives will be available to advise customers about their purchases.
The Poly Plant Shop is located at the top of hill on Via Carta and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.