LEXINGTON, S.C. — As folks go about decorating homes and businesses for the holiday season, don't forget the flowers and greenery! Poinsettias are the official plant for the Christmas season and what better way to add a few finishing touches on your holiday decor than purchasing one or more locally-grown poinsettia plants.
Students at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies (The Center) in Lexington-Richland District 5 have been growing poinsettias since the beginning of the school year and now it is time for the annual poinsettia plant sale.
Plants come in two sizes -- 6 ½ inches ($15) and 8 ½ inches ($25) -- complete with a foil decoration and a bow. You can get them in red, pink, white and speckled.
“We start the poinsettias from rooted cuttings the first week of August,” Agricultural and Bio-systems Engineering teacher Kevin Sox said. “Our FFA student officers come in before the school year and plant the poinsettias in the greenhouse. During the fall semester our first year Ag Science students take care and grow the poinsettia. They must be pinched, which creates lateral branching, watered, fertilized and spaced out. These are lessons reinforced during the plant science unit in the Ag Science course. This provides a hands-on real-world project for the students.”
The Center's Agricultural Education program consists of three area of study: BioSystems, Environmental and Natural Resources, and Vet Science. The students in those programs work together to grow and package the plants for sale.
Starting Monday, Dec. 4, you can purchase the plants at The Center greenhouse at 916 Mount Vernon Church Road in Chapin from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For large orders, reach out to Kevin Sox by email at ksox@lexrich5.org.
