Tips for growing Poinsettia as a houseplant and how to get it to rebloom.
What’s the best selling potted plant in the U.S. and Canada? Poinsettia – OK the title of this article gave it away. Another fact about this colorful plant: most sales of it occur in the six week period before Christmas. The best-selling plant in the country purchased in only six weeks! In fact it may be impossible to find it in stores at any other time of the year.
A small shrub with a lively colorful leafy look, tiny yellow flowers peeking out from the branch tops, its base covered in shiny foil – green, red or gold. Together several pots of Poinsettia take charge in a space instantly creating a stunning decoration for the holidays!
The combination of leaf shape, color and tiny flowers is appealing. Many green branches form this plant. Often each leaf on a long stem has several lobes. Uppermost on the plant the leaf is a solid color like the popular red one. Some cultivars have two tone splashes of color. Lower on the plant the leaf is green with veins of another color. Topped off with circles of tiny yellow flowers this plant steals the show!
Features
- Native: Southern Mexico on the Pacific coast continuing south to Guatemala. They grow in tropical forests at mid – mountain elevations.
- Name: Honors Joel R. Poinsett who was an ambassador to Mexico from the United States in 1825 – 1829. He was also a botanist who brought the plant home to South Carolina.
December 12 is National Poinsettia Day honoring the man who is considered the father of the Poinsettia industry, Paul Ecke Jr. The date chosen commemorates the day Joel R. Poinsett died.
- Zones: 9-11
- Leaves: Modified leaves called bracts come in red, pink, burgundy, white, yellow and mottled or bicolored which look as if they’ve been splashed with a second color.
- Blooms: Tiny yellow flowers located in the middle of the bracts. No scent to detect.
- Height: In their native habitat they are considered a small tree or shrub and can grow from three to ten to even fifteen feet tall.
Cultivars sold as indoor plants range from a miniature three to six inches up to a large three feet.
- Width: In nature they can grow three to seven feet wide.
Cultivars sold as indoor plants are generally about as wide as they are tall.
- Safety: A study done at The Ohio State University found poinsettias are not poisonous. Some people and pets have a reaction to the sap which is latex and that’s it! People and pets are not supposed to eat houseplants of any kind. Curious children and pets should be kept away as a precaution. If unsure about unpredictable kids or pets, don’t buy one. Instead visit and enjoy displays elsewhere.
Care
Keep for the season only:
Sunlight: Indoors give it bright light but not direct light. Windowsills are generally too chilly for this tropical plant. It likes a warm 60 – 70 degrees (Fahrenheit) room with some humidity.
Fertilize: No need.
Water: Regularly but let top dry out before watering again. Too much water leads to root rot. Too little water causes the plant to dry out and drop leaves.
If keeping it in its foil wrap for decoration, remove plant from the foil, water it in the sink, let the water drain until finished and return plant in pot to the foil wrap.
Throw it in the compost pile at the end of the season.
Keep for next year:
Sunlight: Indoors – same as above.
Outdoors: Part shade in summer. Watch the temperature! This tropical plant likes temperatures between 6o -70 degrees (Fahrenheit).
Soil: Potting mix for houseplants. Remove it from the pot it came in and transfer it to the next size pot to give roots room to grow.
Water: Same as above. Until it is moved outside it would benefit from sitting on a tray of moist pebbles for extra humidity. No standing in water!
Fertilize: Feed with standard houseplant fertilizer once a month.
Propagation: Take cuttings from the plant in spring or early summer when it begins to grow again. Cuttings should have an exposed node – the bumpy joint where the leaf grows from the plant. Expose the joint by removing any leaves from it. Roots grow from this spot.
Place cuttings in a sterile and moist growing medium such as sharp sand. Water when top inch is dry, but don’t allow it to stand in water. Mist the cuttings to keep the top leaves healthy. When you can gently pull on the plant and it doesn’t come out of the growing medium, it has roots and is ready to go in its own pot of soil. New leaves will be green.
How to get Poinsettia to rebloom: Cut the plant back by midsummer. Keep a few leaves on the plant. If the plant has been outside, bring it in when temperatures drop below 60 degrees (Fahrenheit).
Beginning in October in addition to sunny days, the plant needs 14 hours of complete darkness at night. Some move the plant into a windowless room or closet where no light gets under the door. Some cover the plant with something that is light blocking, again, so no light shines through or underneath.
However light is blocked, Poinsettia has to be in total darkness 14 hours every day until the plant’s bracts become colorful. Then stop moving it to a windowless room or covering it. Leave it in its day location and it should rebloom.
Problems/Pests
Water amounts are the biggest problem. Too much or too little causes leaf drop or root rot.
White sap that oozes out when the plant is cut can be a skin irritant for those with latex sensitivity. Wear gloves when working with the plant.
The usual houseplant insects and fungus attack plants. Clean off the insects. Check the watering and location. Perhaps it needs an adjustment.
Uses
Décor for the holidays is the most common reason people buy them. After the holidays remove the foil and transfer the plastic pot with plant into an every day pot like clay or ceramic. Follow directions above for growing them indoors.
Poinsettias shine during the holidays. Dressed down for the remaining winter their colorful leaves make the home festive. Whether or not keeping them the rest of the year, they are a delight!
Copyright 2018 Juli Seyfried
