Consumer Care of Poinsettias

Consumer Care of Poinsettias  <- Click here for the full brochure Courtesy of North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.  (Arrow back to return to our website).

A brief synopsis of the article:

Poinsettias are the traditional Christmas plant because of their colorful bracts.  Plant breeders have introduced many new cultivars over the past few years and there are over 100 cultivars currently available.

The poinsettia is a small tree and is native to the tropical areas of southern Mexico and Central America.  It was introduced to the United States in 1825 by Joel Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico.  The botanical name for the poinsettia is Euphorbia pulcherrima.

Poinsettias are not poisonous, but eating them is not recommended.

Since poinsettias are tropical plants, temperatures below 50 degrees will cause chilling injury.  Poinsettia plants should be kept in a warm vehicle, but not placed in the trunk of an automobile.  Chilling injury causes the bracts to have a blue or white discoloration and possibly result in leaf drop.

Watering

Water the plants so that the planting medium (soil) is slightly wet, but not soggy.  Poinsettias do not like "wet feet".  If the pot is covered with a decorative foil, remember to punch a few drainage holes in the bottom.  Pour off any water which collects in the saucer.  Poinsettias cannot tolerate drying out, which can cause premature leaf drop.  If the plant has been in your home for over 30 days, a half strength fertilizer solution should be applied monthly.

Temperature

The optimal daytime temperatures for maintaining poinsettia quality is 70 to 75 degrees.  Avoid temperatures above 75 degrees because this will cause premature bract fading and leaf drop.  Also avoid placing the plants in cold, drafty locations, by heating vents, or on top of appliances.

Light

Place the plant in a well lighted area of the house to maintain good bract color and avoid leaf drop.  Plants can be placed in direct sunlight, but this increases the watering demands.  Avoid letting the plant touch cold windowpanes because chilling injury can occur.

Reflowering

If you plan to keep a poinsettia plant, care for it as you would any houseplant.  Place it in a sunny location, water as needed, and apply a half strength fertilizer solution monthly. 

After the last chance of frost has past, cut back the stems to 3 to 4 inches to promote new growth.  Initially place the plant outdoors in a semi-sunny location for 2 weeks so it can become acclimated to the higher light conditions before moving it into the full sun.  Pinch the plant back to 2 or 3 leaves per shoot if it becomes too large. 

Long nights (short days) promotes flowering of poinsettias.  Starting the last week of September, provide the plant with at least 13 hours of uninterrupted darkness.  Exposing the plant to any light (car lights, turning on room light, etc.) during the night's darkness period will cause a delay in flowering.  In general, interrupting the darkness will add an additional day before the plant flowers.  Plants can be placed in a closet, box, or limited-used room to provide the required dark period.  Be certain, however to place the plant in a sunny location during the day.  The daytime growing temperatures should be 70 degrees to 75 degrees and no lower than 64 degrees at night.  Continue to fertilize the plants every other week with a complete-analysis, water soluble fertilizer.  Water the plants as needed to keep the planting medium (soil) moist, but not wet.  The plants should bloom after 9 to 11 weeks of the long night treatment.  The length of time to bloom depends on the variety grown.