Cover your poinsettia plant every night or move it to a dark cupboard overnight. Choose a location for your poinsettia where it will not come into contact with drafts or blasts of heated air (from your home’s climate control system or a space heater, for example). When in doubt, skip the water. Poinsettias are tropicals and will appreciate as much direct sunlight as you can provide. Look for these varieties: For years, poinsettias have had the bad reputation of being poisonous. Protect the plants from both cold and hot drafts from outside doors, heat registers or appliances. However, cold drafts, allowing the leaves to touch a cold window, or more importantly, lack of decent light, can injure the leaves and cause premature leaf drop. Keep the temperature around 60–68 degrees Fahrenheit. These plants can be kept alive and healthy year round with just a bit of special care. Do not buy from outside shops or stalls as lower temperatures on display will reduce the shelf life of the plant. Follow our rules for keeping poinsettias alive and healthy for longer. Fertilise the poinsettia once a month after you’ve pruned it. Poinsettias drop their leaves if they dry out, so water just enough to keep the soil evenly moist. Do not fertilize poinsettias during the blooming period. When keeping the plant through the year, begin fertilizing in the spring at half strength when there's no growth—not until then. Most poinsettias look something like this at the end of September: plenty of green leaves, but not a flower in sight. Follow these tips to keep them looking healthy throughout the holiday season! Buying Poinsettias. Poinsettia plants perform best in temperatures that range from 65 to 80 degrees fahrenheit. Nothing is worse than buying a $30 poinsettia only to have it drop most of its leaves and wilt before Christmas Day. By using The Spruce, you accept our, 10 Top Outdoor Garden Plants That Thrive Indoors, How to Grow and Care for String of Dolphins. During warm weather, you can keep your poinsettia outdoors in the shade, but you’ll need to bring it inside for the fall and winter. Poinsettias are relatively easy to keep alive during the short holiday season, but getting them to rebloom next year is a more challenging undertaking. If you want to save your poinsettia and bring it to bloom again next year, you can follow the repotting and reblooming procedure. Cut all the stems down to about four inches. Remove the dead leaves from the pot, and continue to remove any leaves that fall off. And with just a few simple care tips, you can keep them looking gorgeous and bright well past the holiday season! The poinsettia – AKA the Mexican Flame Tree or Christmas Star – is synonymous with the festive season. Poinsettias like plenty of bright, indirect sunlight. You can find some small watering cans with mister attachments in them. Dropping the temperature to about 60 F at night will not hurt the plant. ST. Keep reading to find out how to keep your poinsettia plant alive year-round. It should be neither dripping wet nor totally dry. Poinsettia care schedule. Photo: littlebackyardworld.wordpress.com Photo: littlebackyardworld.wordpress.com You see, the poinsettia is a short-day plant, that is to say, it only blooms when days are less than 12 hours long (or, actually, when nights are more than 12 hours long). A beloved holiday tradition both for decoration and gift giving, poinsettias also make attractive indoor plants all year long. How Do You Keep a Poinsettia From Year to Year? Water until it drains out the bottom, but do not let the plant sit in water. How long can you keep a poinsettia alive? Have more questions about landscaping projects around your home? This keeps roots from becoming water-logged, which … At the end of September, place plants in a dark, cool area (65 degree-ish) for 14 to 16 hours a day. You can move it outside for the summer months if you like. While this can be done, it requires greenhouse-like conditions with hands-on care. Because you want to keep your poinsettia for a long time and encourage the leaves to turn red again the following season, choose carefully when buying the plant. This will simulate the tropical climate that it originated from. Help your poinsettia to turn red by placing it in total darkness for 14 hours each day, starting eight weeks before you want to display it. Poinsettias are the second best-selling houseplant in the UK (after the Phalaenopsis orchid), and this year we will buy an estimated 8 million of them over the Christmas period, according to Stars for Europe. Poinsettias prefer consistent, light moisture. Poinsettias develop flowers and colourful bracts when day length decreases. Find a tray or plate that has a larger diameter than the plant and then fill it with small rounded pebbles. How to Rebloom Poinsettias After Christmas. I wondered if I should say something to the … We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Remove the foil or plastic wrapper, so the poinsettia never sits in water. A wilted plant can be revived and salvaged, but it will take another season to improve its appearance. Christmas Poinsettia Care | Year-Round Tips. Hybridizers have expanded the range of colors from the familiar red to pastel yellow and vibrant bicolors. Spring Pruning When spring arrives, prune the flowering stems back 4 to 6 inches. Will the poinsettia be part of your Christmas decorating scheme this year? Here are some tips and best practices on how to keep your poinsettia in tip-top condition over the Christmas period and beyond. Give the plant a good watering, but don't flood or soak it — gravel in the bottom of the pot will help keep the roots dry. The best place to plant your poinsettia outdoors is a spot where it will get sunshine in the morning. In winter, the Christmas star is fertilized once a week and requires watering only when the soil is completely dry. Poinsettias are the festive houseplant to have this year and are even suitable for use as cut flowers. For now, keep your potted poinsettia in a bright sunny window and water well when the soil feels dry. The best indoor spot for a poinsettia is in a west-facing or south-facing window. All you need to do is learn how to spot a healthy poinsettia at the store and then care for it well once you bring it home. As spring turns to summer, you will enjoy watching your friends flourish and grow. Our guide to how to care for a poinsettia could save your plants from an early demise this Christmas. Poinsettias are tropical plants that benefit from plenty of light. With the low clearance, you would be able to accurately reach the soil and water it without disturbing the soil. Inspect the plant carefully before buying; poinsettia are tender plants and will not last if they stand in the cold for any length of time. If the leaves are ingested they can cause nausea and vomiting, but it would take a large amount of the plant’s material to actually cause significant poisoning. Wondering why you can’t keep your poinsettia alive? Poinsettias need warmth and light. Having them near a forced air heating vent or above a fireplace exposes them to warm, dry air. To keep alive your poinsettia, it is good to know it thoroughly and to be prepared. They certainly are not meant to be eaten by humans, pets, or livestock and ingesting poinsettias would probably cause some stomach upset, as would eating almost any houseplant. You can return the wrapper after the plant is no longer draining water. They are sensitive to extreme temperatures, so don’t place them directly in the sun, next to a heater or near a drafty window. If you've ever seen a leggy poinsettia in bloom, with only a couple of sad … Spring Pruning When spring arrives, prune the flowering stems back 4 to 6 inches. Actually, they are not flowers but modified leaves called bracts. Getting a poinsettia to rebloom is not an easy process, so don't be disheartened if you don't have success your first try. A loose, well-draining peat-based potting soil is best for your poinsettia. If the pot is covered by the typical foil wrapping, remove the foil to allow the water to drain. Note that some fancy colors, such as blue, are produced using dyes and the plant won't bloom again with the same color of bracts. After Christmas Care… As with everything, all good things must eventually come to an end. Odds are good that it will continue to grow for next year's holiday celebration. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, How to fold napkins for Christmas – fancy ideas for festive napkins for your table, Brown paper wrapping ideas for Christmas – ways to use kraft paper for the prettiest presents, Christmas table decoration ideas that will set the scene for your festive feast, Four easy ways to introduce pattern to your home – and they’re all in the sale at Very, 8 reasons we’re in a flap about flamingos, How to get the hang of displaying wall art creatively, New Livingetc issue out now – with FREE Style Directions magazine, Christmas hanging basket ideas – planting ideas to add festive cheer to exteriors. Poinsettias need at least 14 hours of complete darkness each night for six to 10 weeks to trigger bloom. And this will give you a beautifully blooming poinsettia with no extra effort. If your home tends to be dry and your poinsettia is in direct light, you will find yourself watering more frequently, but never water every day. Use fast-draining potting soil rich in organic matter. Keep your poinsettia plants away from all heat sources, especially heat vents. Last year, I decided to try to keep them alive all year so I’d have them ready for the next holiday season. Prune back the plants hard in April, to about 10cm (4in), and keep at a temperature of 13°C In early May, repot them, growing them in a light, cool place over summer. Dump out any water that sits in the saucer or foil cover. Water only when the compost is starting to change colour and become lighter. Poinsettia plants can survive the winter near a window that can give them at least 6 hours of light a day. The familiar red blooms have been joined by even flashier colors. And so it is with poinsettias and their blooms. To know how often to water poinsettias, watch for dry soil. ANSWER: To keep a poinsettia year round, you will need to move it into the outdoor garden once there is no danger of the temperature falling below 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7.22 degrees Celsus). Keep the soil moist but not soggy. 4. For it to bloom again, a poinsettia requires 14 hours of complete darkness every night. Make sure you let the soil dry before watering it again, since poinsettias don’t need as much water during colder weather. These can make worthy investments to take care of poinsettias. After Christmas, keep your poinsettia indoors and in a spot where it receives bright light, watering it regularly in a pot with good drainage to keep the soil moist. Place the poinsettia’s container on a tray or saucer to catch any moisture that drips from the drainage holes. Cover your poinsettia plant every night or move it to a dark cupboard overnight. Think of milkweed, another common Euphorbia. Keep poinsettias near the sunniest window in your house so they get adequate light. Stress can also be a factor. To keep poinsettias blooming best, they do require a bit of light. In May, repot the poinsettia into a larger vessel, and place the plant in a sunny window. Wilting is a common cause of leaf drop. CLOUD - For many, 2020 has meant trying things they’ve always wanted to do but never took the time. Here are some tips for keeping your poinsettia plant healthy beyond New Year’s. Next fall, begin ensuring the plant receives the necessary 12-14 hours of darkness by keeping it in a room with no artificial light, or placing a box over it at night. It will depend on how well you follow the tips above, but on average a well-cared for poinsettia should last 4-6 weeks until the flowers start to fall off. Getting the right temperature for poinsettias 10. Give them enough sun, warmth, and water and your poinsettia will provide perfect seasonal color. Every year I get a couple poinsettias for decorations. Keeping them healthy is very straightforward too, here are some quick tips. With proper poinsettia plant care, they will give you many years of beauty. As a rule of thumb, a poinsettia will require 1 or 2 tablespoons of fertiliser. If the stems of the plant have started to rot, cut them back far enough so that you can remove the dead parts. Provided the poinsettia plant is given the proper environmental conditions, it should begin to regrow within weeks. In early May, repot your poinsettia into a slightly larger pot with fresh, peat-free, loam-based compost, and then keep it in a draught-free spot out of direct sunlight, ensuring the temperature doesn’t exceed 18ºC. In spring, return the plant to a sunny area and water well. In order to keep a poinsettia alive make sure you only water them every few days and avoid soaking them when watering. The misting where the leaves mind that you are trying to recreate a desert winter two... 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