Are they successfully grown in pots mostly in full sun (in summertime) and how long are they in bloom?
Here is a link about growing Poinsettia.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/poinsettia/how-to-make-poinsettia-turn-red-make-a-poinsettia-rebloom.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/poinsettia/poinsettia-care-how-do-you-take-care-of-poinsettias.htm
I have read that my Poinsettia needs total darkness for 14 hours a day, and I've been doing that since the start of October but I find the compost is drying out and I have been watering it lightly to keep the compost slightly moist....is that OK or should it be allowed to dry out?
You can continue to keep the plant from drying completely.
Here is a link with more information.
I have two 3- and 4-foot poinsettias that are planted next to a fence on the south side of my house. They get sunlight, but due to the angle of the sun at this time of the year, it is not direct sunlight. Last year they didn't bloom until late December. What can I do to speed up the red blooms this year? I want to transplant them in a pot and move them to direct sunlight but afraid they might be too shocked with the change and might not make it through the winter and not bloom at all. Please advise!!!!
The flowering and color change is actually triggered by lack of sunlight, darkness.
This is much more difficult to do with your plants in the ground.
Here is a link that explains the process.
I have had poinsettia for years. By this time they would have fallen off leaves and all, and thrown in the trash. I have had this plant since December 2015. Have it next to a window, which gets sunlight from 3pm to about 6pm EST. Live in Pennsylvania area. My question is I give it water from a bottle, when it needs it. I have not lost one single bloom, or one single leaf on it. It is in the same pot that it was in when I got it. Everything that I have read on it tells me the blooms should have fallen off, and even the leaves. It is April now and they are still there. What is going on? I do change the plant around so that one side is not facing the light about every week.
It is possible for you Poinsettia to continue blooming into the Spring.
Here is an article with more information.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/poinsettia/poinsettia-care-after-christmas.htm
it has one long stalkand has become top heavy.It was growing outside for a while at a friends place but in a pot and the stalk is thicker because of being outside and has done very well since i brought it hoe and inside....i do know that it adapts welll to its surroundings....thank you much for your time
You can just prune it to shape as you like. You do not want to remove any more than 1/3 of the plant at a time, but other than that, you can remove growth as you need to.
What does it mean to pinch out the tips to promote branching of new growth?
This article explains the process with some diagrams in the Reflowering section:
http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/poinsettias-7-412/
I've read the articles/tips, sorry to say I'm a bit late in undertaking this exercise, but last year's poinsettia has been happily growing on my enclosed, screen patio all summer. It's beautiful! Is it too late? Must I really trim it down to about 6 inches and re-pot? Keeping it dark for 12 hours is not a problem, here in Louisiana nights rarely get below 50 degrees between now and Christmas. Will it be ok to leave it on the patio, or better to bring it inside at night and return it to the patio during the day? Or bring it inside and keep it inside till Christmas when it shows off its beautiful color? This is my first attempt, wish me luck and thanks in advance for the speedy reply. :)
The time of darkness and temperatures are very specific to the reblooming of your Poinsettia.
Unfortunately there is no way to cheat the process.