How to Plant and Grow Christmas Poinsettias

Poinsettias are a beautiful addition to Christmas decorations. Sadly, they are treated as cut or silk flowers by many people and tossed out when the ornaments are put away at the end of the holiday season. However, this doesn’t have to happen. With forethought in selection, proper care during the holiday season and afterward, poinsettias can be successfully planted and grown for long-term enjoyment.

Things You'll Need

• Poinsettia
• Water
• Pruning shears
• Balanced, all-purpose fertilizer
• Large plant container
• Potting soil
• Peat moss or organic matter

Instructions

How to Plant and Grow Christmas Poinsettias

1. Buy a healthy poinsettia to make replanting easier. Look for a plant whose bracts are thoroughly colored and fully extended. Plants that have a lot of green around the bracts were shipped before the plant matured. A poinsettia with dense foliage all the way to the soil is a sign of a healthy plant. Buy a poinsettia with stiff stems and does not have any wilting, breaking or drooping. Avoid plants that come in sleeves made of plastic, paper or mesh or ones that are crowded on the store shelves; this reduces air flow, which a poinsettia needs. Check the soil and do not buy a plant whose soil is waterlogged, as this can cause root rot. Despite the fact that poinsettias are holiday plants, they originate in Mexico. Protect them from cold winds or temperatures below 50 degrees; cover them with a large, roomy shopping bag when transporting them from the store.

2. Care for the poinsettia during the holiday season. Do not place it in direct sunlight or block the sunlight with curtains or shades. Keep the temperature in the room between 68 and 70 degrees and do not put the plant near drafty doors, electrical appliances, heating and air conditioning ducts or fireplaces. Set the poinsettia in the sink or tub when watering so the water will drain completely; never leave standing water in the poinsettia’s container or saucer.

3. Remove the wilted bracts and leaves from the poinsettia. Continue to monitor the light, heat and water for the plant. Cut the poinsettia down to 8 inches tall in late March or early April and apply a balanced all-purpose fertilizer. You should see new growth beginning in May.

4. Move the poinsettias outdoors when all danger of frost has passed and the night temperatures are above 50 degrees. Place them in indirect light. After late May, move it to a larger pot that has a good mix of peat moss or organic matter in the soil. Continue proper watering and apply a light balanced fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks. Prune the poinsettia, beginning in late June or early July, to keep it compact; stop pruning at the end of August.

5. Bring the poinsettia back inside when temperatures drop below 50 degrees. Continue to monitor the plants' water and light exposure; extended exposure to even a table lamp could delay the blooming. Make sure the temperature around the poinsettias remains 60 to 70 degrees; anything outside of this can affect the bloom time. It will begin to grow leaves and set buds in the fall and bloom during November and December.

6. Keep the poinsettia in 14 continuous hours of darkness each night after late September. Move it to a totally dark room--such as a closet--or cover it with a box that is large enough so as to not crowd the plant. Continue the regular watering and fertilizing during the holiday season.

Tips & Warnings

• The colorful parts of the poinsettia are actually leaves, known as bracts. The flower is the small green or yellow part that is in the center of the bracts.

• Congress designated December 12 as National Poinsettia Day. Joel Roberts Poinsett, who introduced this plant from Mexico, died on December 12, 1851.

• It is not true that poinsettias are poisonous.