The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

> 4 The Canadian S talesman. Bowman ville, Wednesday, November 30,1994 Close to 50,000 Poinsettias Fill Greenhouse at Rekker's SeoMHt-'à tyieeUtiy& faun by Laura J. Richards Starting out as two and one-half inch clippings from California, the poinsettias at Rekkers Garden Centre Centre have come a long way. Not only in distance, but also in their growth. The warm greenhouse is the site of what looked like a conference of poinsettias of every color imaginable: imaginable: pink, yellow-white, and of course,red. John Rekker said there are about 40,000 to 50,000 poinsettias in the greenhouse this year. "The cuttings arc sent to us by April 1," said Rekker during a public public lour of the poinsettia greenhouse on Saturday morning, Nov. 26. The tour was part of the garden centre's annual Poinsettia Open House held November 24 to 26. In early April, the cuttings are potted and growth begins. "It is important at this stage of rooting that the cuttings need to be kept warm," Rekker noted. Once past the rooting stage, the next step is making the decision as to what styles the plants will take. "We have two styles to decide on -- a tree form or a bush. If plants arc to become trees, we allow them to grow straight up about 28 inches and then cut the top leader off to encourage encourage new growth at the top." Bushes, on the other hand, are encouraged to bush out rather than grow tall. Good bushes have multiple slocks on the mother plant. Sometimes Sometimes two or three plants are placed in the same pot. Because poinsettias arc "photosensitive," "photosensitive," they need a precise amount of darkness and lightness each day when they are ready to 'bloom.' "They will need 10 to 14 hours per day of darkness." In the greenhouse, that isn't too difficult to obtain, since here in Canada, Canada, the daylight hours arc shorter starting in mid-September. For some extra insurance, Rekker explained how the greenhouse shades can be utilized. Homeowners can simply place their poinsettias from the last winter into a dark room or slide the plants under a box. At this point, the temperatures need to be 65 degrees Fahrenheit during the night and 68 degrees during during the day. At Rekker's Greenhouse, the temperatures arc monitored at all times. "If an alarm goes off, the phone rings," Rekker noted as the group swung by the boiler room during the tour. One boiler was being used to heat the greenhouse and a second one is in place in case of the need for a back-up. Also, there is a backup backup generator for electrical needs. Currently, Rekker's delivers poinsettias from "Yonge Street to Ottawa and to Montreal," the tour director said. The greenhouse abounds with different colors, textures and shapes. He explained that there are currently currently "30 to 35 different types being being developed by growers, while the others are discontinued." He showed off some of the species species to the visitors, including a variety variety known as "Freedom," which has smooth edged flower petals and "Supjibi" which has velvety petals. Also in his greenhouses there is "Pink Peppermint" and, for the traditionalists, traditionalists, there are. poinsettias with the regular leaves. Tips for the buyer were included in the tour: "Look for the freshness of the bloom and the yellow pollen centres. The flower won't look fresh if they're not there," John Rekker noted. And, for those of us who still thought the poinsettia was poisonous, poisonous, Rekker quickly debunked that rumor. In fact, a brochure from the Poinsettia Poinsettia Growers' Association that he quoted from states the Society of American Florists and Ohio State University conducted research to disprove that myth. "The Poisindex Information Service Service states that over 500 leaves ingested ingested by a 50-pound child would demonstrate no toxicity." Of course, he suggests that people people not go out and make a salad with the leaves. f ", After the tour, Rekker answered some questions and then the group made its way back to the greenhouse greenhouse entrance. * 3,000 square feet full of items, with almost nothing priced more than $1.00 * Large selection of Christmas decorations * Great gifts for everyone on your list ■1111011 Bowmanville's Friday, December 2nd, 6 p.m. til midnight 10 % Off our Entire Inventory OB See our store for extended Christmas hours! ,,,, ■ 13 King St. W., Downtown Bowmanville People who toured Rekker grecnnouscs on Saturday, Nov. 26 were treated to a Utorough discussion on die cultivating of poinset- tias. John Rekker is shown here among some of the 40,000 to 50,000 Christmas flowers grown in Maple Grove. Our elves have been busy preparing for MOONLIGHT MAGIC at BOWMANVILLE SPORTS SHOP I* with the purchase of a NHLCCM REPLICA JERSEY from $ 44.95 We'll print the name and number FREE - Fri., Dec. 2 only Many other In-store specials. f BOWMANVILLE SPORTS SHOP Your Community Spoils Spocinity Shop 58 King St. W., Bowmanville 623-0322 © Be sure and visit McGregor I.D.A. Drugs during Moonlight Magic on Friday, December 2nd from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. McGregor I.D.A. Drugs 5 King Street West 623-5792 Bowmanville ©