Poinsettias are not just popular during the holiday season. These customary festive plants can lose their glittering foil and bows and grow into sturdy houseplants with the proper care.
If you reside in a region without frost, you can also grow them outdoors in your garden. Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are spectacular perennials that are hardy in zones 9 to 11, and they are surprisingly simple to grow. They are native to tropical regions of Mexico and Central America.
Keep your poinsettia inside in a sunny room where the temperature stays between 65 and 80 degrees F during the day and no lower than about 60 degrees F at night if it is already growing in a pot when you receive it. The foliage will drop if you place it close to air vents, doors, or windows because of the hot and cold drafts.
If your plant has any decorative foil on it, take it off and let the extra water drain out. Alternatively, you can cut slits in the foil and use a saucer underneath to catch the overflow. So that the roots don’t stand in water, empty the saucer. After your poinsettia loses its leaves, trim the stems to a height of 4 to 6 inches, then wait a few days before watering it again.
Before transplanting it into the garden, hold off until nighttime outdoor temps are consistently 55 degrees Fahrenheit or above. Give it a location with full sun, excellent drainage, and soil that has been improved with organic matter. Poinsettias can survive some shade, but their branches will lengthen and take on a more rangy appearance. If necessary, water the plant frequently, and when new growth starts to show, fertilize it completely. Always follow fertilizing with water.
In their natural habitat, poinsettias can develop into 10- to 15-foot-tall, scraggly trees, but you can restrict their height by pinching them back. Pinching the growing tips should begin in the summer and end around mid-August.
Plant your poinsettia in an area that is fully dark for 12 to 14 hours every night starting in early October if it will be a permanent resident of your garden and you want it to change color in time for Christmas. This protracted time of darkness is necessary for poinsettias to blossom again. Being short-day plants, they are stimulated to change color by dwindling daylight.
(Although poinsettias’ brightly colored sections are commonly referred to as flowers, they are actually modified leaves called bracts. The tiny, yellow buds in the heart of the bracts are the actual blooms.)
Cover your plant with a box or some other type of light-blocking covering if you don’t have a dark garden location. While the buds are growing, any light, including that from a street or security light, might influence flowering. Although there is little you can do to control the weather, poinsettia color can also be impacted by outside temperatures that hover above 70 degrees F or fall below 60 degrees at this time.
If your poinsettia is small enough to dig up and move indoors for the winter, you might have greater chance with attaining beautiful color. Consider installing a closet or other fully dark space and, once more, preventing any light from entering it for 12 to 14 hours at a time beginning on or about October 1.
If you leave your poinsettia in the garden and it receives an unexpected frost, you can either clip it back until you reach live wood or cut it to a height of 12 to 18 inches early the following spring. then recommence the care cycle. By the next holiday, you should have flowers in your home or garden to cheer you up.
Do poinsettias grow better indoors or outdoors?
Return the plant to a bright spot in the spring and give it lots of water. At least 6 inches (15 cm) should be removed from the pot’s rim on all canes (branches). Repotting the poinsettia with the same soil might also be a smart move. While poinsettias may be kept indoors all summer long, many people prefer to transfer them outside and plant them in a sunny but protected section of the flower garden by burying the pot in the earth. Any way is acceptable.
Pinch out the tips of the new growth once it has grown between 6 and 10 inches (15–24 cm) to promote branching. Up until the middle of August, this can be done once per month. Bring the poinsettia indoors once the fall nights start to grow longer.
For the management of poinsettia plants, light becomes essential from around September to November. Poinsettia plants need prolonged periods of nighttime darkness to promote blooming (about 12 hours). As a result, either relocate the poinsettia to a spot without any nocturnal lighting or cover it with a box. The plant needs a lot of light during the day to absorb the necessary energy for blossoming. Additionally advised are warmer days (65-70 F/18-21 C) and milder nights (55-60 F/13-16 C). Once blooming has begun, provide areas that are somewhat chilly, humid, with plenty of moisture and bright, indirect light.
Can poinsettias survive the winter outdoors?
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR POINSETTIA Choose plants with a complete complement of rich, dark green leaves and huge, vividly colored bracts (red, pink, white, or bicolor pink and white) that are not wilted, broken, or damaged. Even at the plant’s base, there should be healthy leaves. The yellowish, button-like projections in the centers of the bracts are the actual blooms. Typically, bracts fade quickly after the actual flowers.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE FOR POINSETTIA As soon as you leave the store, you should start giving your poinsettia the proper care. The bracts and leaves of your poinsettia will be shielded from the cold and wind by a sleeve because even brief exposure to low temperatures can harm them. In order to prevent the petioles (stems of the leaves and bracts) from drooping and twisting, unwrap your poinsettia as soon as you bring it home.
Since poinsettias are tropical plants, the ideal setting should be warm and have at least six hours per day of indirect sunshine. Avoid letting any portion of the plant touch the chilly window as this could harm it.
Temperature To prolong the flowering period, keep the daytime temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and the nocturnal temperature between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep poinsettias away from radiators, air vents, fans, open windows, and doors as they do not tolerate warm or cold drafts and may cause premature leaf drop. The bracts’ file will become shorter under high temperatures. Keep your poinsettia away from areas with temperatures below 50 degrees.
/ Fertilizing / Water Before watering your poinsettia each day, check the soil. Water only if the surface is touchably dry. Underwatering will make the plant wilt and lose its leaves, while overwatering will turn the leaves yellowish and cause them to fall off. Use just enough water to allow the bottom of the pot to drain, but drain any extra from the tray or soil surrounding the pot. Keep the plant from becoming submerged in water. Too-wet soil is deficient in air, which damages the roots. You can make sure your poinsettia will brighten your home throughout the Christmas season by doing these easy actions. Apply an all-purpose houseplant fertilizer once or twice a month, as directed by the manufacturer, if you expect to maintain your plant for several months after the holiday season. During the blossoming period, avoid fertilizing.
POINSETTIA RE-BLOOMING How do I care for my poinsettia so that it blooms again next Christmas? is one of the most often asked questions following Christmas. At first, this process could appear somewhat overwhelming, but it is actually quite simple and gratifying. Use the timetable below. Care in the late winter and early spring March – April: Every time the plant’s surface feels dry, keep watering it. Use a general-purpose houseplant fertilizer at the suggested rates to fertilize as needed every two weeks. Side shoots will begin to appear below the bracts and rise above the old flowering stems at this time. You must reduce the height of each of the old flowering stems or branches to 4 to 6 inches in the early months of March in order to have a well-shaped plant for the following year. On each of the old stems or branches, leave one to three leaves. The leaf axil buds are where new growth will appear. Reducing the plant’s height will encourage the buds to expand and mature. Maintain a temperature of between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit for the plant in a sunny window. Look for insects like whiteflies on your plant. Use sticky whitefly traps or insecticidal soap if they are present. Get rid of the plant’s dry and fading sections. Add more soil, preferably a sterile soil blend that is readily accessible in stores. Reduce water usage gradually beginning on April 1st, letting the plant dry out between waterings. Take care to prevent the stem from starting to shrink. This is a symptom that the plant is dying because it is overstressed. Move the plant to a cool location, such as the basement or a heated garage, once it has adapted to this drying process, which should take a week or two. Keep it around 60 degrees Fahrenheit if possible.
Summer and late spring care Trim stems to 46 inches above the ground in May. Repot using Pesche’s Potting & Planting Mix in a slightly bigger container with fresh potting soil. Water wisely. Put the newly-potted plant back into your brightest window and maintain the temperature there once more between 65 and 75 degrees fahrenheit. When the soil’s surface seems dry, keep watering. Track any new growth. Start fertilizing every two weeks with a full fertilizer whenever new growth starts to show. June: Move the plant outdoors into a light shaded area once the threat of spring frost has passed and nighttime temperatures reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep in mind that the plant can require more frequent watering than the rest of your garden. Growing plants require more regular fertilization. To encourage side branching, remove two to three inches from the branches. July: Trim each stem down by approximately one inch. This will promote the growth of a robust, well-branched plant. The poinsettia will get tall and spindly if unpruned. Put it in the direct sun. Continue watering and fertilizing, but up the dosage, to hasten development. By August 15th, the stems ought to have developed branches and leaves. Pinch or trim the fresh stems once more, leaving 3–4 leaves on each stalk. Keep fertilizing and watering your plants.
Phase of Fall Care and Re-blooming Your poinsettia needs to be completely dark from 5 pm to 8 am every day from the end of September till color appears in the bracts in order to re-flower (early to mid-December). It should continue to be between 60 and 70 degrees F. Flowering may be slowed down or prevented by nighttime temperatures over 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. This process will ensure that the poinsettia blooms in time for Christmas. September: Bring the poinsettia indoors and place it in a sunny spot with 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit and at least six hours of direct sunlight every day, preferably more. Water the plants as usual and use less fertilizer. Pruning shouldn’t be done after September 1st. Give the plant 11 hours of brilliant light each day and 13 hours of continuous darkness every day beginning on or around September 21 (Autumnal Equinox) for around 10 weeks. You can do this by hiding the plant in a closet, cellar, or under a box. Keep the nighttime temperature in the low 60s F range. Keep watering and fertilizing. For uniform lighting on all surfaces, rotate the plant every day. October 1: Because poinsettias are short-day plants, they require 15 nonstop hours every night of full darkness in order to bloom by mid-December (5pm to 8am). Your plant can either be moved into a dimly lit room or enclosed in a sizable opaque box. Any form of exposure to stray light could cause the blossoming process to be delayed. Many people keep their plants in closets, however the bud set will be impacted if light seeps in through the seams or if the closet is opened and used. When bringing your plant out of the dark, pick a sunny area for it to dwell because it is essential that it receive 7 to 9 hours (from 8 am to 5 pm) of bright sunlight daily during this time. Until bract color appears, fertilize every week and water as needed. November: Once color appears, stop using the short day/long night method around the Thanksgiving holiday. A sunny spot with at least six hours of direct light is ideal for the plant. Cut back on the fertilizer and water. At this point, flower buds should be visible. December: Fertilization should end about December 15. Maintain the same care for your plant as when you initially brought it home in bloom by continuing to water it. It should be back in bloom and prepared to start the process all over again if everything went according to plan. CHRISTMAS— Enjoy your poinsettia that is “fresh.” repeat the cycle once more.
POISONOUS? Although scientific tests have disproved claims that poinsettias are poisonous, the leaves, stems, bracts, and flowers are not harmful to humans or animals. Ingesting the poinsettia plant has not been shown to have any negative consequences, with the exception of sporadic incidences of vomiting, according to the American Medical Association’s Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants. All elements of the poinsettia were thoroughly examined and evaluated by the Society of American Florists and the Ohio State University academic staff of entomology, and it was determined definitively that there were no negative effects. A petition to impose warning signs for poinsettia plants was turned down by the USCPSC in 1975. The American Veterinary Medicine Association does not classify poinsettias among the plants that pose a risk to animals, therefore they are safe for your dogs. Ingesting poinsettias may result in mild to moderate gastrointestinal tract irritation, which may include drooling, vomiting, and/or diarrhea, but nothing serious or fatal, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Can poinsettias survive in the outdoors?
Keeping poinsettias alive during the brief holiday season is rather simple, but getting them to bloom again the following year is more difficult. Cut back the stems immediately below the blooms once the plant’s bright bracts have finished blooming and have fallen off after the holidays. If you want, you can continue growing them as indoor houseplants, but if you choose, you can move your poinsettias outside in the spring once the nighttime lows are consistently above 50F. Pick a location with plenty of bright, indirect light (somewhere that gets shade in the afternoon would be perfect). Although they will remain entirely green throughout the summer, you should detect some new growth.
Repot the plants in a little larger container with fresh potting soil at the beginning of June after pruning them back to a height of only six inches or less ($17, The Home Depot). Feed them once a month or so with balanced, half-strength liquid fertilizer ($14; Walmart). Alternatively, you might put them in the ground if you reside in a warmer region, such as southern California or Florida (they can grow to five feet tall or more in these locations). To encourage your plants to branch out, pinch off approximately an inch from each developing tip in August. Make careful to bring any outdoor pots inside before the nightly temperature drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit at the end of the summer if you have any.
Then, for roughly eight weeks, your plants will require 14 to 15 hours each day of uninterrupted darkness and temperatures around 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night. This is the secret to producing new flowers and turning the bracts crimson. The plants are unable to get any light at all at night; even a small opening under a door is enough to disturb them. Although putting them in a closet helps to lessen the light, you’ll need to cover them with something like a box or a blanket to totally block it out. Every day at around 5 o’clock, cover your plants; in the morning, between 7 and 8 a.m., uncover them. Make sure they receive enough of direct, strong sunlight throughout the day.
If you are successful, your poinsettias should begin to show signs of color development by early to mid-November. When the bracts begin to turn red, you can stop the custom of covering them at night and resume routine maintenance of them during the holiday season.