Poinsettias bring so much color and beauty into holiday decorating, plus they really aren’t too fussy. With just a few tips, you can keep them vibrant and colorful well into the New Year.
The Poinsettias Colorful History
The poinsettia originates in the southern regions Mexico. Blooming in December, these plants can grow to a small tree reaching up to 16 feet tall covering the hillsides with their crimson red leaves.
The first missionaries to the region were so enchanted with these plants that they incorporated them into their Holiday ceremonies and this is where the poinsettia first became associated with Christmas.
Before the missionaries, the Aztecs prized the plant as decorations and used the leaves to produce a red dye.
The first United States ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, was also a botanist and is thought to have been the first person to both introduce the plant to the U.S. where it then became very popular. The plant was later named in his honor.
Leaves Vs. Flowers
The poinsettia comes in many varieties and hybrids producing many different colors. The colored parts of the plant are actually modified leaf bracts. The flowers are tiny and tightly clustered around the tips of the main stems, making them hardly noticeable.
Choosing The Right Plant
What to look for:
- Plenty of dark green, dense and plentiful foliage.
- The smaller leaves surrounding the yellow flower buds should be fully colored. If they are green or partly green, the plant will quickly lose its color.
- Disease and insect free plants.
What to avoid:
- If the yellow buds have started to wilt or drop off, this is a sign that the plant is not fresh.
- Yellow, pale-green, or sagging leaves.
- Plants that have been kept outdoors when the temperature is below 60 degrees F.
- You don’t want to leave the plant in a hot or cold vehicle while you continue Christmas shopping. Try to make your poinsettia retailer or nursery your last stop before returning home.
Caring For Poinsettias
Light Requirements
Poinsettias need at least six hours of bright but indirect sunlight each day.
Watering
You generally will need to water at least one a week, which can vary depending on the humidity level and temperature of your house
These plants prefer evenly moist soil, not too wet and not dry. If your plant has foil wrapping around the pot, remove the foil, then water thoroughly so that some water drains out of the bottom of the pot, then allow to completely drain off before returning your plant to it’s foil covering.
When the surface soil feels dry to the touch it is time to water again. Watering too often or allowing a poinsettia pot to sit in water can kill the plant, so make sure to allow excess moisture to dry out a little between waterings.
Temperature
Poinsettias like to have daytime temperatures from 65-70 degrees F. and nighttime temperatures between 60-65 degrees F. at night to produce and keep the best color.
Keep them protected from heating vents and cold drafts from outside doors and windows.
Fertilizing
It is not necessary for you to fertilize poinsettia plants unless and after you plan to keep them after the Holidays (See “Keeping Poinsettias Outdoors” below).
Keeping Poinsettias Outdoors and Re-blooming
Poinsettias can be kept indoors throughout the year. However, if you choose to move the plants outdoors, wait until your areas nighttime temperatures will not drop below 55 degrees F. (13 degrees C.). Below this temperature the plant will start to drop it’s leaves.
These plants require fertilizer and minor pruning after blooming so they can survive until the next Holiday season. Fertilize six weeks after the blooms have ended, and then continue to fertilize every six weeks after that, watering after each application. Any good general purpose plant food will work.
Place in a dappled shade or an area that receives indirect sun and protected from winds. Water when the soil feels dry to the touch.
In order to encourage re-blooming (or, red leaf bracts), poinsettia plants require long periods of darkness at night (at least 12 hours; up to 14 hours is optimal). To accomplish this you can start bringing them indoors into a completely dark closet about 6 weeks before Thanksgiving.
An easier alternative is to place them in a completely dark closet under grow lights with a timer. Using a timer and lights avoids having to move the plant back and forth from a sunny spot to an area where you have the required 14-hours of complete darkness that is necessary for reblooming the plant for next year.
I truly wish that you all have the best Christmas and New Year full of merriment, joy and family!
PIN ME!!