Poinsettia Care For Christmas And Beyond

It's the holiday season and between exchanging gifts, hosting holiday parties, and decorating your home for Christmas, you've accumulated one or more poinsettias, the ultimate festive plant that displays the colors of the season.

Poinsettia's Latin name is Euphorbia pulcherrima, which translates roughly to 'the fairest,' and it's easy to see why. The large, often crimson (but sometimes pink or white) leaves that surround the small, yellow flowers are some of the most attractive seasonal foliage. You may be wondering how to keep these plants looking that way, especially after a few seasons of watching poinsettias wither away until you throw them out. In fact, these tropical plants can be saved until you're ready to display them during the next holiday season. From the height of the holidays to after the Christmas decorations are packed up, here's how to keep your poinsettia healthy and looking its best.

How To Care For Poinsettias During The Holiday Season

1. First, take the foil off of the plant so that it can drain (if you're attached to the way the foil looks, just remove it from the bottom of the pot). Place the poinsettia on a saucer or plate. Then, you'll want to keep the soil moist. But don't overwater—you don't want standing water in your plant saucer.
2. Next, make sure you keep your new plant in a steadily cool but well-lit room, preferably in a window. Most modern poinsettias will keep their bright foliage until spring if they are given enough light. Selections with lighter leaves tend to last the longest. But don't place it anywhere that's drying, like near a fireplace, vent, or drafty door.
3. Do not fertilize during the holidays—wait until the plant is actively growing again.

Though we often don't think of them as such, poinsettias do make pretty cut flowers. If you do decide to cut your blooms, sear the ends with a candle after cutting; this prevents the sap from escaping—the sap is what keeps the flower from drooping. Once cut, you'll want to make sure to check the water level frequently as poinsettias are quite thirsty in the vase. A floral preservative can help prolong the life of your arrangement.

How Long Do Poinsettias Last?

If cared for properly, a potted poinsettia can last for two to three 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 To Overwinter Poinsettias

You loved your poinsettia during the holidays, but now the show is over and your plant is starting to look a little sad. One overarching question courses through your brain. What am I supposed to do with the dang thing now?

Should you plant it outside? Should you grow it as a houseplant? Or should you just chuck it and buy a new one next Christmas? The answer depends on where you live and how much trouble you're willing to go to. You can tend your poinsettias so that they'll bloom again next year both indoors and out.

Growing Poinsettias Outdoors

Poinsettias are part of a huge family of plants known collectively as Euphorbia. Native to Mexico, the poinsettia (E. pulcherrima) doesn't like cold. If you live in the Coastal and Tropical South (USDA Zones 9-11), you can plant it outside, and it can grow into a large shrub covered with blooms each winter. If you live farther north than that, your poinsettia will freeze into mush.

There are a few tricks to know about growing poinsettias outdoors successfully. Read these tips before pulling out a shovel and plunking your poinsettia in the garden:

• If you live in a marginal area like zone 9, wait until March or after all danger of frost has passed.
• Plant in a sunny, well-drained location that isn't exposed to north winds and frost. Poinsettias drop leaves anytime the temperature dips below 50° F, so you may need to cover your plant at times.
• Artificial light can interfere with blooming, so avoid any exposure to street lights, floodlights, and porch lights. Even illuminated windows could be an issue.
• Cut your poinsettia back halfway when planting. You can also pinch the tips of your plant during the summer to control its size (poinsettias can grow to 10-foot shrubs in the wild). Stop any pruning in September.
• Fertilize with an all-purpose fertilizer according to label instructions, but only during the active growing season until the end of September each year.
  

Growing Poinsettia As A Houseplant

What about growing it indoors as a houseplant? That's fine, as long as you accept that it will never be as showy in bloom as it was when it first came from a commercial greenhouse that provided the perfect amounts of light, humidity, water, fertilizer, and growth regulator. Assuming you're willing to give it a try, as soon as the poinsettia drops its green leaves, here's what you should do:

1. Cut it back to 4-6-inches tall and move it to a slightly larger pot with good drainage. Add new potting soil to fill the extra space.
2. Keep the soil moist, but never soggy.
3. Provide bright light.
4. Feed weekly with liquid houseplant fertilizer diluted to half-strength.
5. Bring the plant outdoors well after the last frost, and when average temperatures won't dip below 55 degrees. Every three to four weeks from spring until early September, pinch back the growing shoots, leaving only five to six green leaves per stem. After that, just let the stems grow.

How To Make Poinsettias Rebloom For The Holidays

Poinsettias bloom in response to reduced light exposure in winter, so the key is to mimic short winter days early enough for it to bloom again by Christmas. Just remember—without 14 to 16 hours of complete darkness per day for six weeks, it won't bloom. If you are growing poinsettia in a container outdoors, bring the plant into the house around October 1. Then follow these steps:

1. Place the poinsettia in a sunny window for eight or nine hours a day. Move the plant to a completely dark location for the remainder of the day. This could be in a closet or under a box in a dark room. The poinsettia must have no light exposure at all while receiving its "short-day treatment." A nighttime temperature of around 65° F is ideal. The temperature can be slightly warmer during the day.
2. Follow this schedule every day, watering the plant as needed. Do not fertilize.
3. Continue short-day treatment for about six weeks or possibly up until Thanksgiving. As soon as the bracts at the top of the plant begin to show color, you can stop.
4. Care for the plant as you did in Christmases past. Don't be too disappointed if the blooms are sparse and dinky. You won't be alone.

What to Do If Your Poinsettia Has Yellow Leaves

While there are a variety of factors that may contribute to yellow leaves, the most likely culprit is water. You may be watering too much or too little. Ensure your plant has soil that is slightly damp to the touch, not waterlogged or dry. Additionally, too much fertilization can also turn leaves yellow.

How To Know It's Time To Toss Your Poinsettia

Since many of us would be disappointed to work that hard throughout the year only to be greeted with sparse blooms, it's not unwarranted to toss your old poinsettia after the season has ended. During its many months indoors trying to save it for the next season, your poinsettia will suffer from low light and dry air, conditions considerably less agreeable than when it was growing in a comfy greenhouse. To show its displeasure, it will start dropping its green leaves. By the time spring rolls around, the red bracts on top may still be there, but the stems below will be naked, green sticks. Why torture yourself? Poinsettias aren't expensive. You can toss it into your compost and plan to buy a new plant each year.

Are Poinsettias Poisonous To Pets?

There's a reason for the phrase, "Beware of the poinsettia." But it's not as toxic as we've been led to believe. However, it can cause irritation of the mouth and stomach for kittens and puppies.