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Poinsettia Care Poinsettias should be protected from the cold when being transported from the store to your home, a trip that should be a short as possible. For the holidays, place your poinsettia in bright, indirect light. Allow the soil to dry moderately between waterings so that the roots don’t stand in water.
How do you care for a poinsettia plant indoors?
Place potted poinsettias indoors in indirect light. Six hours or more of light (natural or fluorescent) is best. Keep them comfortable, ideally between 65 and 75 degrees, day or night. Lower temperatures will make them drop leaves almost immediately and shut down.
Why do the leaves on my poinsettia keep falling off?
Poinsettias will classically drop their leaves if they are exposed to sudden changes in temperature, drafts or overly cool or dry rooms. They also will lose leaves and wilt in response to an extreme need for water. When choosing a plant, pick a healthy, full one with no discoloration on the foliage.
How long do poinsettias live indoors?
How Long Do Poinsettias Last? If cared for properly, a potted poinsettia can last for 2 to 3 months in your home. However, some home gardeners with a particularly green thumb may enjoy the challenge of caring for a poinsettia long after Christmas in hopes of a second bloom next holiday.
How do you take care of a poinsettia in the winter?
To care for your plant during the winter, definitely keep it away from the cold. Poinsettias are not frost tolerant at all. They should be kept in temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees. They need bright light during the day, a little fertilizer when needed and water.
How do you keep poinsettias alive?
Poinsettias like plenty of bright, indirect sunlight. They are sensitive to extreme temperatures, so don’t place them directly in the sun, next to a heater or near a drafty window. A daytime temperature between 65 and 80 degrees and nights around 60 degrees will provide perfect conditions for continued growth.
How do you get a poinsettia to rebloom?
How to Get Poinsettias to Rebloom Prune your poinsettia plant. Fertilize the poinsettia every two weeks. Repot the plant in warmer months. Transport your plant outdoors. Pinch to encourage side branching. Place the poinsettia in a warm, dark environment. Display your poinsettia plant.
Can I keep a poinsettia year round?
Poinsettias can be kept year after year, and they will bloom each year if you give them proper care. When the leaves begin to yellow or when the plant is no longer desired as an ornamental, gradually withhold water. After all the leaves have fallen, store the plant, in its pot, in a cool (50 to 60°F), dry, dark area.
What do you do with poinsettias after Christmas?
Place your poinsettias where they will receive at least 6 hours of indirect, but bright, sunlight each day. In mid-April pinch back the stems to 6-8 inches and place the plants in a sunny location. When new growth begins, you may use a liquid fertilizer to ensure the plants get enough minerals, especially calcium.
Do I water a poinsettia from the top or bottom?
When should I water my poinsettia? Water your poinsettia plant only when the top layer of soil feels dry to the touch. Thoroughly moisten the soil to the point that water is draining from the bottom of the growing pot. Discard any excess water that builds up in the saucer or decorative foil pot cover.
How often do poinsettias need to be watered?
In your home, put the poinsettia in a well lighted area away from drafts and heat vents. Water the poinsettia when the pot becomes lightweight or when the soil becomes dry to the touch, about once a week. Water the plant thoroughly in a sink, letting it drain, before putting it back where it was.
What is the life expectancy of a poinsettia plant?
“Home gardeners generally keep their poinsettias one or two years. If they’re really dedicated, maybe a little longer. But the life span for interior plants when you live in the North is measured in months, not years.”.
What does an overwatered poinsettia look like?
If your Poinsettia is wilting, or if it has yellowing leaves, this is a sign that it’s likely being overwatered. One way to confirm this is by feeling its soil. If the soil is wet and your plant is wilting then it’s probably being overwatered.
Do poinsettias need sun or shade?
Place your poinsettia in indirect light after bringing it home. Poinsettias need six hours of light daily (fluorescent light will work). Keep your plant away from cold windows, warm or cold drafts from furnaces or air conditioners, and open doors and windows.
When should I put my poinsettia in the dark?
To re-flower your poinsettia, you must keep the plant in complete darkness between 5pm and 8am daily from the end of September until color shows in the bracts (early to mid-December). The temperature should remain between 60 and 70 degrees F.
When should you cut back poinsettias?
In late spring, when overnight temps outdoors are above 50 degrees, prune new shoots back to four inches and sink your poinsettia—pot and all—into a protected spot in your flower bed and let it stay there until early fall when overnight temps dip back into the 40s.
