How to Care for Poinsettia

Poinsettia's are the quite essential Christmas Plants, the reds adding new dimensions of color to your home and warmth to your hearts during the cold winter months. People mistake the bright red leaves as flowers, they are scientifically called as Bracts and are meant to attract insects to the tiny yellow flowers. These beautiful plants are staples of the holiday florist trade and they are very easy to find for cheap. Although traditional poinsettia in red are sought out, Newer hybrids in exciting and interesting colors are being introduced every year, so get ready to see some new ones on the shelves of your department store very soon. Just like Kalanchoe, Poinsettia are also photoperiodic short day plants. They will bud only when the nights are longer than 14 hours, you don't need any special equipment or room to achieve it just put them in a dark closet and that should do it.

In most of the cases, these beautiful plants end up as compost after New Years which is unnecessary, with some care and effort you can have the same plant rebloom year after year. Now time to learn some tips and tricks on how to take care of these beautiful holiday plants.

Word Of Caution

 Poinsettia's sap is allergic, If you have sensitive skin always use Gloves when working with them. 

What kind of Potting Mix is good for  Poinsettia

From my experience Poinsettia dont prefer any particular potting mix. Any regular houseplant potting mix can be used and some extra perlite can be added to increase the drainage.Along with this add some gravel or pebbles at the bottom to further increase drainage. If the plant is in a good size pot you dont need to repot until April-May when you typically see new growth, if not go ahead and repot them early and always ensure the new pot you choose is one or two sizes large than the current one. Its also a good practice to prune the plant while repotting, Make your stem cuts in an angle and  at about 5-7 inches or two leaf nodes per stem above the ground. You can use these stem cutting to grow new plants thus multiplying your collection.

Tip : Cutting in an angle reduces water retention from rain or regular watering compared to a flat cut, thus reducing the healing time for the cut.

What kind of light is good for Poinsettia

As Poinsettia are from tropics, they prefer warm temperature and good amount of light. Continue caring for your plants indoor near a window facing bright natural light or display the play under strong artificial light. When the temperature outside gets above 65 you can move the plant outside, move the plant back if the temperature crosses above 75. Also ensure the plant does not get direct sunlight for more than 2-3 hours.

How frequently do you water Poinsettia.

Poinsettia can be let to dry between each watering. Do not overwater, or you might end up with root rot.

How to Get Poinsettia to Rebloom. 

Its mid September, your plant has good new growth and you are very happy with your effort and the amount of care that you have given. To get your poinsettia to grow those beautiful bright red bracts(leaves) you need to stress it. You start by reducing the watering frequency, you continue this till mid October. Right around this time, you need to move the plants indoor and into a dark closet or cupboard. As I had mentioned earlier Poinsettia are short day plants, they flower only when the nights are longer than 14 hours. So to simulate the natural conditions the plants are used to, you need to put the plant in darkness for more than 14 hours in a 24 hour period. No natural or light from artificial source should fall on the plant when it is resting. Towards the end of November you will see the buds starting to appear, that is when you bring them out of prolonged darkness to normal day and night cycle. After a week or so you can start resuming your regular watering cycle and your plant is ready to be displayed once again. 

How to Propagate Poinsettia. 

Poinsettia are very easy to propagate with stem cuttings. Prepare your stem cutting by cutting it right below the leaf node and ensuring there are two to three leave nodes per cutting. Remove all large leaves and dip the end which has the cut in a rooting compound and plant this directly in the potting mix. Stake the pot with a couple of sticks and cover them in a transparent polythene bag. In a couple of weeks you should see new growth on all the nodes. you can move each plant to its own pot when the new growth is established for a couple of months.