  (abridged) We found in previous studies that standard Simple Stellar
Population (SSP) models are unable to describe or explain the colours of
Galactic open clusters both in the visible and in the NIR spectral range. (...)
We construct a numerical SSP-model, with an underlying Salpeter IMF, valid
within an upper $m_u$ and lower $m_l$ stellar mass range, and with total masses
$M_c=10^2...10^4\,m_\odot$ typical of open clusters. We assume that the mass
loss from a cluster is provided by mass loss from evolved stars and by the
dynamical evaporation of low-mass members due to two-body relaxation. The data
for the latter process were scaled to the models from high-resolution N-body
calculations. We also investigate how a change of the $m_l$-limit influences
magnitudes and colours of clusters of a given mass and derive a necessary
condition for a luminosity and colour flash. The discreteness of the IMF leads
to bursts in magnitude and colour of model clusters at moments when red
supergiants or giants appear and then die. The amplitude of the burst depends
on the cluster mass and on the spectral range; it is strongly increased in the
NIR compared to optical passbands. In the discrete case, variations of the
parameter $m_l$ are able to substantially change the magnitude-age and
$M/L$-age relations. For the colours, the lowering of $m_l$ considerably
amplifies the discreteness effect. The influence of dynamical mass loss on
colour and magnitude is weak, although it provides a change of the slopes of
the considered relations, improving their agreement with observations. For the
Galactic open clusters we determined luminosity and tidal mass independent of
each other. The derived mass-to-luminosity ratio shows, on average, an increase
with cluster age in the optical, but gradually declines with age in the NIR.
The observed flash statistics can be used to constrain $m_l$ in open clusters.
