Poinsettias

How to Care For A Poinsettia

• On the trip home, do not leave your poinsettia in your car too long. If the poinsettia is chilled it may begin to drop its leaves. Immediately unwrap your poinsettia when you arrive at your destination.
• Place your poinsettia in a spot with at least 6 hours of bright indirect light (but NOT exposed to direct sunlight for more than one to two hours)
• Try not to place your poinsettia in an area exposed to drafts such as beside an entry door.
• Do not sit your plant on an appliance that gives off heat, such as a television. This will quickly dry out the plant.
• Be careful not to let the soil dry out. Without regular watering, your poinsettia will drop its leaves prematurely.
• If your poinsettia comes home in a foil wrapper, pierce the bottom of the foil to ensure proper drainage in a waterproof container. Over-watering can also damage the plant.
• The color of your poinsettia will last longer if the temperature does not exceed 75 degrees in the daytime and does not drop below 60 – 65 degrees at night. 70 degrees is ideal.
• Remember to keep your poinsettia away from small children and pets. Although poinsettias are not poisonous, they can cause discomfort to stomach when ingested.

How to Get A Poinsettia To Re-flower

Annual Care Tips:

1. During the holiday season, be sure to give the plant plenty of care. Don’t let the hustle and bustle cause you to forget to water your poinsettia!
2. When the color begins to fade around February, place the plant near a window where it will get plenty of light.
3. Trim the poinsettia around the middle of April. Cut back to around 6” above the soil.
4. Fertilize the plant in May using a balanced 20/20/20 or 20/10/20 content of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Give 1 teaspoon of fertilizer per gallon of water every third watering.
5. Repot your poinsettia in June if the plant has an abundance of roots in the container it is in. Use a quality commercial grade of potting soil and a larger container. You can place the pot outside as long as the temperatures are not falling below 55 degrees, or just leave the plant inside. Now, fertilize with 1 teaspoon of fertilizer every second time you water.
6. In August, relocate the poinsettia back inside if you have not done so already. Place in direct sunlight. Cut back the stems again, and this time, leave three or four leaves per shoot.
7. From September until the first of December, keep your poinsettia in direct sunlight next to a window until 5:00 pm. From 5:00 – 8:00 am the plant should be placed in complete darkness (in a closet or put the plant in a light-tight box).

Expectations:

Remember, the poinsettia grown in a home environment may not be as full and lush as the ones you see in stores. Seasonal store-bought have been grown in a professional greenhouse environment with controlled lighting, controlled temperatures, and professional growers. If you should decide to repeat the re-flowering process your plant will be about 2 – 4 inches taller each year and should accordingly be cut back about 2 – 4 inches higher every year and re-potted into a bigger container.

Additional Info About Poinsettias From Fairview

The Poinsettia, often referred to as the ‘Christmas Plant’, was first brought to the USA from its native land of Mexico, in 1825 by the first US ambassador Joel Robert Poinsette. Today, with the multitude of colors, sizes, and shapes available, poinsettias offer an abundance of holiday cheer for every decor.

For further education on this beautiful Christmas gem, check out our other poinsettia articles below:

Poinsettia Tips

Types of Poinsettias

Download more care instructions