Poinsettia Care

Retaining the Bracts
Poinsettia, or Euphorbia pulcherrima, is a native of Southern Mexico. As such, it thrives in warm, sunny places in your house. In order to retain the showy bracts (See Figure 1 below), the plants should not be exposed to cold drafts from doors or windows. Ideally, plants are kept in a room that is 65°-75° F during the day and about 60° F at night.

 Another reason poinsettias drop their bracts is drought stress. Poinsettias should be watered deeply when the soil surface is dry to the touch. Allow some water to run through the soil and out the drain holes to prevent salt buildup.
 

Getting Your Poinsettia Ready for the Great Outdoors:
In mid-April, cut the poinsettia stems back to about 6-8”. This will encourage strong, new growth and prevent the plant from becoming spindly. When you cut back the stems, check the roots to see if the plant needs to be re-potted. If it does, this is an excellent time to do so. If your potting soil has fertilizer in it, this will help the plant grow well; if it does not have fertilizer or you did not re-pot the plant, use a balanced flower fertilizer as directed on the package.

Once the temperatures have warmed to an average of 55° at night, the poinsettia can be set outside. Filtered shade from the intense noontime sun will prevent scorching. Continue to water the plant well and deeply during the summer. Continue to fertilize as well.

As the poinsettia grows, it may be necessary to pinch stem tips to keep a compact, bushy shape. When you pinch the stems a white sticky sap will leak out of the stems. It is not toxic.
 

Preparing the Poinsettia to Flower:
After a summer of storing up nutrients, your poinsettia is getting ready to flower. Before the temperatures start dropping below 55° F at night, bring the poinsettia back inside to a sunny window. It is important to change light conditions as little as possible when making this move to prevent leaf drop.

About 10 weeks before the date when you want the poinsettia to flower, shorten the amount of light it receives to 12 hours per day or less. The plant needs to be in complete darkness for these 12 hours, or it will not begin to develop flower buds. Often, it is a good idea to move it to a closet during this time or to a room that you know will not be lit in the evening. During this time, continue fertilizing.

Right before the plant blooms, stop fertilizing it. Keep watering well, and enjoy the display!

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Figure One: The flower on a poinsettia is the set of tiny yellow structures in the center of the colorful petal-like rosette. These colorful parts are modified leaves called bracts.

Source: http://www.hgtv.com

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