Key Tips
These are some basic pointers to keep in mind forkeeping your poinsettia healthy.
Poinsettia Care
Keep your poinsettia healthy and vigorous beyond January by using the proper care techniques.
The trick: Provide enough filtered sun, warmth, and water, and your poinsettia will thrive.
The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
If grown as a landscape shrub in warm climates, poinsettia requires a sunny location and well-drained soil.
Frequent pinching back of the stem tips will ensure seasonal color in winter.
Be aware that exposure to direct sunlight can burn bracts and leaves.
The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
Water
Water your poinsettiawhenever the soil surface feels dry to the touch.
Overwatering can kill your poinsettia: wilting leaves and rotted plant roots are usually signs of overwatering.
A slight drop in temperature at night will not hurt the plant.
The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
Lack of humidity during dry seasons, particularlyin winter, can be a problem for poinsettias.
Fertilizer
Do notfertilizethese plants during their blooming period.
Feed every three to four weeks until the plant is re-established.
The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
At any given time, there areat least 100 different poinsettia cultivarsto choose from.
Keep it in a partially shaded location andmaintain your wateringand fertilizing schedule.
October
Poinsettias are short-day plants, meaning their bud set is affected by the length of daylight.
To rebloom, poinsettias need about 10 weeks with 12 to 14 hours of absolute darkness per day.
You will have to artificially create these conditions and remain diligent.
You should see flower buds at this point.
Stop fertilizing around mid-December.
Keep watering and treat your plant the way you did when you first brought it home in bloom.
If all has gone well, bracts should begin to show color.
Pruning
Poinsettias grown for a single season need little pruning other than pinching off faded leaves.
This is best done by taking cuttings in early summer, as new growth is starting.
Apply a fungicide to the plant for protection.
It’s a job for an indoor gardener who appreciates a challenge.
An indoor poinsettia doesn’t necessarily “grow,” but it can rebloom.
Place them slightly out of the direct sunlight if the window gets full sun.
Keep up with its regular watering schedule.
Poinsettia - Scorched Foliage.University of Massachusetts Extension Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture Program.
Growing and Caring for Poinsettia.
University of Minnesota Extension.
My Poinsettia Has Lost Several Leaves.
What is the Problem?Iowa State University Horticulture and Home Pest News.
Common Diseases of Poinsettia.
Texas A&M University Horticulture Department.
Poinsettia Insect & Mite Management.
Texas A&M University Horticulture Department.
Poinsettia Diseases.Pennsylvania State University Extension.
