Poinsettia plants are absolutely everywhere during the holidays, and for good reason! These beautiful, festive, and easy to take care of plants make the best addition to any decorations.
You can’t go wrong with classic red ones, but each year it seems like there are more and more interesting varieties to choose from, too. When you’re looking to add these popular plants to your Christmas decor, there are a few tricks to know about how to choose and care for poinsettias that will last through the season and beyond.
Picking the right spot
This might not be what you expect but poinsettias thrive in tropical environments. This means that they do not like the cold. The decorative plastic wrapping poinsettias usually come in will help protect the plant during transportation as well as protect it from the cold temperatures. Even short exposure to cold and wind can damage your new poinsettia plant before it is even home.
When deciding on the best place in your home to display your poinsettia you should keep in mind the temperature and light. Constant temperature is key, ideally the plant is kept in 16-22°C, so make sure to keep it away from any heaters, fires, and windows. Poinsettias will also need a bright spot, but away from direct sunlight as the leaves and bracts will get sunburn.
As the poinsettia is native to tropical areas, you should ensure that moisture levels stay up. You can learn more about how to increase humidity on our blog.
Watering
Water abundantly when the soil around your poinsettia dries up. The top half of the soil should be completely dry before watering again. It is important that you water with water at room temperature or warmer than 20°C. Cold water can kill it.
Reduce watering after the blooming because it doesn’t need as much, and start watering again at the end of summer. If its leaves turn white and loose their color, it is most likely due to excess water or insufficient drainage.
Post-flowering care
After flowering, gradually decrease watering until the bracts all drop, cut the plant back by a third (remember gloves if you have sensitive skin) and then allow the plant to dry out completely.
When it really begins to warm up again you can start to water and fertilize gradually. If your poinsettia is in a pot, this is a good time to repot it with fresh soil or plant it in your garden. Growing your poinsettia outdoors is possible in the Mediterranean area, as long as shelter is provided.
How to get Poinsettia to turn red
Restoring a healthy green Poinsettia plant from last year back to its original red color is not as impossible as you might think.
Poinsettias need total darkness, for 14 hours each day, starting about eight weeks before you want to display them. They bloom in response to shortening daylight hours and require a period of uninterrupted long, dark nights in autumn in order to develop flowers.
If your plant is in a pot you can easily place it in a cupboard or a closet to achieve complete darkness, and if it is in the garden you can cover it with black plastic or a large cardboard box. After the 14 hours of darkness the plant must be brought out during the day and receive lots of bright light.