", bud. Keep the soil from getting soggy. When the holidays are over, consider saving your poinsettia to plant in the landscape. How can I tell if I'm overwatering my poinsettias? The Center for Landscape Conservation & Ecology, Florida Master Gardener Volunteer Program, UF/IFAS Extension: Solutions for Your Life, Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS). ", late, but plan to put it in closet tomorrow. How do I get the leaves to turn red again? The Poinsettia plant is a commercially important plant.The plant is native to Mexico and there are over 100 cultivated varieties. The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) you bought for Christmas last year is probably now a small green shrub … and will remain a small green shrub if you don’t do something about it.Most poinsettias look something like this at the end of September: plenty of green leaves, but not a flower … "I just love this article; it was very helpful. From about September through November light becomes crucial in poinsettia plant care. Poinsettias grow best in well-lit areas, but direct sun or hot lights can dry out the plants. June: Move the poinsettia outside, pot and all. Yes, keep it in the same position all the time and give it water, great light, and plant food. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. For more information on poinsettias, contact your county Extension office. 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. Christmas Poinsettia Care | Year-Round Tips. My poinsettia was growing fine while outside this summer. Care. You should begin to see plenty of new growth by May. You could push down the soil, like you would a sponge, if it is in a pot. 1. Sprinkle some plant fertilizer on its soil every 2 weeks to give it a nutrients boost. % of people told us that this article helped them. 2. If you look after your poinsettia properly, you should be able to keep it growing until next Christmas. I may be a bit, "This will be my first time to turn a Poinsettia for Christmas - so excited! This article received 13 testimonials and 93% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. My girlfriend has a sizable grove of them, as she takes all the holiday leftovers from friends. Turn pot regularly for even light. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Use one 26 watt CFL per cutting about 1 and 1/2 feet above them to just 1 foot (0.3 m). From reading the above, I think I understand that I now need to keep the plant in darkness for a good few hours. I learned that I could have put it outdoors this summer. Here are some tips on how to re-bloom your poinsettia, broken down month by month: January – March : Continue to water your poinsettia whenever you find that the surface is dry. Place a saucer under the pot, and drain the saucer if water starts to collect in it. You may find that some plants will still have flower buds on when you place them outside for the summer. Look for crisp, brightly colored, undamaged bracts (leaves). So, maybe I should get a name for it, hmm? Just be wary of flooding them, because their roots can start to rot if they sit in standing water. Keep the plant warm inside and continue to water it. Poinsettia are actually small trees in the wild so they produce sap, which is what you are seeing. Poinsettia Plant. In addition to the traditional red, bracts can be pink, white, orange, and even purple. I did not think of that. It can also irritate sensitive skin, so don't touch it without washing your hands afterwards. Remember that poinsettias are tropical plants and must be protected from frosts and freezing weather. There they grow to shrub-like proportions. After it has stopped flowering, give your poinsettia indoor plant food once a month. ", placement, they will last for years. Facts About Poinsettias Poinsettias are the most popular of the holiday plants. I had a white poinsettia on the Treasure Coast for years. ", How to Keep Poinsettias Growing To Next Christmas, http://www.greenhousemag.com/article/protect-your-poinsettias/, http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74174.html, http://extension.illinois.edu/poinsettia/care.cfm, https://www.hunker.com/12327495/how-to-prune-poinsettias, https://www.thespruce.com/poinsettias-keepers-or-compost-1403587, https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/poinsettia/watering-poinsettia-plants.htm, https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/turning-poinsettias-red-again/, https://www.southernliving.com/garden/winter/how-to-make-poinsettia-bloom-again, https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/poinsettia/how-to-make-poinsettia-turn-red-make-a-poinsettia-rebloom.htm, mantener a las flores de pascua floreciendo hasta la Navidad siguiente, вырастить пуансеттию к следующему Рождеству, Conservare le Stelle di Natale per il Prossimo Anno, Manter Poinsétias Crescendo até o Próximo Natal, Merawat Kastuba agar Tumbuh Subur hingga Natal Berikutnya, 次のクリスマスまでポインセチアを育てる, Dưỡng cây trạng nguyên đến Giáng Sinh năm sau, Een kerstster tot de volgende kerst in leven houden, الاعتناء بنباتات البونسيتيا حتى حلول عيد الميلاد, 내년 크리스마스까지 포인세티아를 계속 기르는 방법, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Can I keep the plant alive until next year? Make sure you can adjust the height, as they will grow fast during flowering. (DepositPhotos) Winter: (January to March) Continue watering and enjoying your poinsettia in a sunny window for as long as it’s blooming. How To Care For Poinsettias Year Round With These Easy Tips Plant breeding has given us many different colours of poinsettias to choose from. Poinsettia Care Tips – After The Holidays Most plants will hold their bracts and color well into late January and even February. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. HPS lights can be used too. If you get this on you, wash your hands thoroughly right away. The first half of … Keep your poinsettias away from drafts and chilly air. The leaves on my Poinsettias are almost completely gone. What is the white liquid that oozes if a branch is broken? It grew to over 6 ft tall and was just as wide. If left unpinched, the poinsettia will grow tall and spindly. (Note: Darkness must be total - light from a street lamp or even that cast by headlights from passing cars is enough to disrupt bud formation.). Discontinue darkness routine after about 2 months and place plant in the sunniest window in the house. I love my poinsettia and didn't know you could over-water it. Slightly humid air will help prolong the plants' color and life span; consider misting the plants with a sprayer or placing them on gravel trays. A month after you moved it into the cooler spot — mid-May — cut all stems back to finger length (about 4 inches.) Make sure you let the soil dry before watering it again, since poinsettias don’t need as much water during colder weather. So check this out, it’s a month to month care schedule for your Poinsettia plant! Poinsettias grow best in well-lit areas, but direct sun or hot lights can dry out the plants. I wanted to see what to do if I could get it to flower by this Holiday Season. If the plant is still flowering for too long, put it under light with 24 hours of on time to get it to vegetate. It had all the info I needed and more. Don’t be alarmed, your plant will not look very healthy at this point. Some stores sell poinsettias in cellophane cones that … Photo: gpnmag.com. Place the plant in a room with plenty of bright, natural light. Pick a spot where it'll receive full sun for most of the day. Keep it watered and watch for new growth at the junction points of the old leaves. Next year, plant. After the last frost, prune your poinsettia by removing the faded red bracts. To create this article, 23 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Therefore, move the poinsettia to a location where it will not receive any nighttime light or cover it with a box. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. 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. High levels of fertilizer will reduce the quality of the plant. Water your poinsettia when the surface of the soil is dry to the touch. Thanks.". The flowering life of plants is extended by humidity, so mist plants regularly. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. DON’T Forget to Protect the Plant in the Car. Here's what you should do for your poinsettia now and through 2011: Taking care of it now. Do not fertilize your indoor poinsettias until you are ready to move them outside. ", "Wow, this site was great! I put them in my closet with a sign on the door" DO NOT OPEN DOOR, POINTSETTA PLANT GROWING". Switch from a nitrogen based fertilizer to an even houseplant fertilizer or one made for poinsettias, and reduce fertilizing by half. Maybe it would like some company, too a PlayGroup maybe? 7. In order to encourage blooming, poinsettia plants require long periods of darkness at night (about 12 hours). Make sure to water the poinsettia whenever the surface of the soil feels dry. Keep the plants out of cold drafts (don't put the plant by a constantly opening door). For more tips, including how to prune your poinsettia, read on! Thank you so much for step-by-step instructions. This helps create a full plant with lots of flower heads. Dreamstime. Most of the poinsettias sold in the U.S. are cultivated by the Ecke family business located in Encinitas, California. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 559,976 times. Contrary to popular belief, poinsettias are not poisonous, although some people are sensitive to the sap, which contains latex. Poinsettias need a period of uninterrupted long, light-free nights for about two months in early spring in order to develop flowers. Make sure you let the soil dry before watering it again, since poinsettias don’t need as much water during colder weather. A poinsettias planted outdoors when warm weather stabilizes can turn into the prettiest tropical plant in your yard. Display your poinsettia in indirect light for about 6 hours per day. If your home is dry during the winter months, a humidifier or plant mister can … Don't get discouraged if it doesn't come out as well as you hoped; there's always next year. Keep fertilizing every two weeks with a good water-soluble all-purpose fertilizer. Poinsettias make great holiday decorations and they’re often given as gifts in late November and throughout December. Once the plant begins to fade, cut the foliage back to around three to four inches above the soil line. Poinsettias are only mildly poisonous – but the milky substance from their leaves can cause skin irritation. How can I give my poinsettia complete darkness for 12 hours if it has to grow outside? With these ideas, I will be, "How important it is to control the light. In order to produce vibrantly colored bracts (or leaves) after a dormant period, your poinsettia will need to spend 12-14 hours a night in total darkness between September and November. If you want to keep that poinsettia you bought this year over until next year here's what to do. Will they come back? Poinsettias are one the most difficult to reflower after the initial display when purchased. Remember to put a dish or bowl under your poinsettia or the water will leak onto your floor. it back severely this spring. You may want to leave the plant in your makeshift nursery the whole season and bring it out for company and the day of the holiday you want to display it. This plant is native to Central America and grows in a 1,200-mile span between Mexico and Guatemala. Why didn't I think of that? One 26watt CFL (100watt equivalent) for two or more plants won't be enough. Follow this care schedule to encourage years of growth and flowering. You can grow them anywhere indoors, or outside if your area never gets below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This is my first attempt to grow poinsettias in Texas, wish me luck! Spring and Summer Poinsettia Care Keep your Poinsettias cut back to around eight inches in height as the spring months continue. Poinsettia care was fairly easy, so the plants became popular at Christmas time due to their festive red and white colors. It is poisonous to many insects (not all). Keep room temperatures at 60 to 70 degrees during the day; around 55 degrees in the evening. Also, make sure to keep your poinsettia away from artificial light sources at night during the fall, as this can delay or completely prevent flowering. July: In early July, pinch back each stem by about one inch. It was green all year until December and would then turn white just in time for Christmas. If it is summer, it has a better chance to dry out. For more tips, including how to prune your poinsettia, read on! References The poinsettia, native to Mexico, was given the botanical name Euphorbia pulcherrima, which literally means "very beautiful." If you spot bugs on your poinsettia, dab them with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to avoid an infestation. to hold the blanket/towel up higher. Keep it in a partially shaded location and maintain your watering and fertilizing schedule. It is particularly well known for its red and green foliage and is widely used in Christmas, floral displays. This is to encourage a stout, well-branched plant. This is more than do-able. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/7c\/Keep-Poinsettias-Growing-To-Next-Christmas-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Keep-Poinsettias-Growing-To-Next-Christmas-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/7c\/Keep-Poinsettias-Growing-To-Next-Christmas-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/aid81174-v4-728px-Keep-Poinsettias-Growing-To-Next-Christmas-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"