Poinsettia plant care details the treatment of Euphorbia pulcherrima. Caring for poinsettias indoors and outdoors. Poinsettia care instructions. How to care for poinsettias after Christmas.
White poinsettias bedded inside the conservatory at
Longwood Gardens PA
as part of their holiday display.
Indoor Poinsettia Care
If you receive a Christmas poinsettia bush as a gift and want to keep it fresh and colorful throughout the holidays:
Keep it in a cool room, out of drafts and away from radiators.
Remove any gift wrapping that is around the pot so that the roots can breathe.
Place the plant in the brightest light you can provide. Poinsettias are sun lovers.
Do not feed it. There is enough fertilizer in the pot to feed the plant until after next spring.
I don't advise caring for your poinsettia as a houseplant year round. It wants too much sun to be happy indoors for long. Once you're beyond the last frost date, plant it in the ground.
Of course, this will only be possible if you live in USDA zones 8-11. In zone 8, expect the plant to die to the ground each winter. In zone 9a, expect frost to end the color show in January or February. In zone 9b and warmer, poinsettias will grow and "bloom" beautifully and for long periods of time. Right through to early summer in warm years.
Plant your poinsettia bush in an area that is protected from high winds. It is not salt tolerant. If you live on the coast, plant it away from salty breezes.Euphorbia pulcherrima appreciates full sun and well drained soil. A southern exposure suits it best.
First of all, the plant must be sited where it will not be exposed to any light after dark. A street light shining on it will prevent it from getting the hours of darkness that it needs in order to produce the colorful bracts.
In fact, indoor
poinsettia plants
can be induced to color at any time of year by keeping them in the dark for 12 hours out of every 24 for 4-6 weeks.
To get the plant to bush out and "bloom" heavily a series of "pinchings" will need to be performed. Start in March. Every time 12 inches of new growth appears on the plant, pinch out the top 2 inches. Keep the plant watered throughout the season and feed it after each pruning. Stop pinching it by mid September if you want it to color up in time for Christmas.
Propagate by taking cuttings which should root (in free-draining soil) in less than a month.
Poinsettia Tree
How to grow a live poinsettia tree. Christmas poinsettias can be grown into giant poinsettia trees in pots or in the ground.
Also, info about assembling a poinsettia Christmas tree and stand.
Growing Poinsettias Indoors
Growing poinsettias, Euphorbia pulcherrima. How to grow poinsettias indoors. Poinsettia growing tips. Greenhouse poinsettias. Poinsettias and cats.
Christmas Cactus Care
Simple advice for Christmas cactus care. Temperature range and light requirements for Zygocactus truncatus plants. How to make a Christmas cactus bloom.
