Poinsettia care

Poinsettias were first discovered in the 1800's by Joel Poinsett, and have become the traditional Christmas flower. While Poinsettias are a perennial plant, many people think that when the leaves start to fall of the plant is dead. Very untrue, it is just going into its dormant state, as all plants need to do. With a little care, these same plants can be part of your holiday decor, year after year.

First off, let's discuss the care of the poinsettia after purchasing. You will have to keep it alive long enough to make sure that it will have to opportunity to return each year.

Also when watering, first make sure that the soil is dry to the touch before watering, Poinsettias also like warm water, but make sure not to over water your plants. Nothing will make the leaves turn brown and drop off faster than too much water. Be careful also to keep your plants away from drafts, in front of a door that will be opening to the outdoors will certainly not be liked by your Poinsettia.

Okay, so now that you have kept your plant alive during the holidays, now what? While many of the new varieties will continue to bloom until May, they will let you know when they are ready for a rest. When no matter what you do, your Poinsettia is failing fast, it is now time to give it a well deserved rest.

It is now time to move your Poinsettia to a cool, light place and slowly reduce your watering until the soil is nearly bone dry. It will, at this stage, look extremely leggy and spindly, so you will need to do some pruning. Cut the stems back to about three inches, the cuttings that you have removed from your plant can be cut down to six inches and used to start new plants. Your Poinsettia will “bleed” slightly when pruned, but a bit of powdered charcoal will solve that problem.

Now repot your Poinsettia, using fresh soil, give it a light touch of water, and sit it in a sunny, cool window. You will begin to see new shoots sprouting, keep these trimmed back to only three or four shoots. This will keep your Poinsettia from being too bushy, you want to allow plenty of room for the leaves to develop a large size.

The best place to put your Poinsettia is outside, after all danger of frost is past. If placed in full sun, your plant will remain out of doors until fall. But if the night is going to be chilly, bring the plant inside, as it will not stand any frost at all. It is best to actually set the pot into the ground, and just leave it that way. But make sure that you turn the pot occasionally if needed, so it grows evenly on all sides. Your Poinsettia will also need water if you live in an area with dry spells. It will also appreciate a little fertilizer two or three times a year.

In late August or early September, it is best to return your plant to the indoors. At least this is best in my area, where a early frost in not unusual. Be sure to keep it in a sunny place, and well watered.

Now comes the cruel part, in order to make your Poinsettia bloom again, it needs uninterrupted dark. Since a Poinsettia is a short day plant, they must have a certain number of hours of total darkness, every day. Since this is also connected to the seasonal temperature, at least 15 hours of total darkness is needed each day. When I say total darkness, I mean total. This has to be somewhere that a street light will not reach, a light may accidentally get turned on, or even the moonlight will reach. The best place for your plant to have total darkness is in a closet or cellar.

This will need to continue through about Thanksgiving, by that time your Poinsettia will have leaved out and the colors will be returning. Now is the time to bring them back out into the daylight and throughly watered again. While this may take a little time and effort, when these plants are again making a lovely display during the holidays, it will be well worth your effort.