DENNIS PLANT GARDEN
Plant Care & Information
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GROWING POINSETTIAS
GROWING & CARING FOR POINSETTIAS
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Poinsettia Plants
Color Poinsettias Mexico is the home of Poinsettia plants they are native to that warm region, the poinsettia is native to Mexico and Central America, where it grows in moist, wet, wooded ravines and on rocky hillsides. Because of the warm growing conditions, the poinsettias plant thrives from 10 to 16 feet tall. Poinsettias come in a variety of colors, (the top leaves) from white, red, yellow to multicolored a-top of olive-green foliage. The bright colors on poinsettias are leaf bracts, not flowers. The flowers are small and found in the yellow center of the leaves atop the stalk. (See Illustration below)
If you're in an area where the temperature drops to freezing temperatures during the winter, keep it in a pot as a houseplant. Poinsettia are native to Mexico’s warm climate, and they need that warmth to grow. During freezing temperatures, there are ways to keep the plant alive and growing by over-wintering the poinsettias. First-of-all, keep the plant warm, and protect it from temperatures that fall below 450 Fahrenheit. If you live in a place with mild winters, you can plant the poinsettia outside as a perennial. Those residing in colder weather environments may grow poinsettias as houseplants year-round.
People purchase poinsettia plants to increase the feel and mood of the Christmas holiday and uses as an added Christmas decoration. As with many houseplants, many people are not sure how to care for them when the color leaves drop off and the plant seem to take a dive headed towards dying.
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Image: 2 Red & White Poinsettias Bracts with deep olive-green leaves
Image: 3 The Poinsettias’ Flower
Growing Poinsettias Plants
Important facts about growing healthy vagarious poinsettias, especially in colder climates (see plant hardness zone) in order to survive.
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poinsettias are tropical plants
· require maximum light, (if the plant’s located away from a window, use a grow light to illuminate the plant)
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keep it very warmth, (see temperature below)
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keep in high humidity area
While the plant is in bloom (top leaves are in color) it will do best under these surroundings:
Perfect Growing Conditions
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Light: Poinsettias need at least six hours of bright, indirect sunlight a day. Choose the brightest window you can, (see Light Compass for Houseplants) but do not allow the plant to touch the cold window frame or glass. Poinsettias also like lots of direct to indirect light. Place your plants near a southern, eastern, or western window, and keep the soil moist while they are still in bloom.
Image: 4 White Poinsettias in Decorated Pot with Sun rays
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Temperature: The ideal temperature for poinsettias is between 65°- 75° Fahrenheit during the day with a drop from 60 to 65 degrees at night. The cooler night temperatures help the poinsettias retain their brilliant color. Never expose the plant to temperatures lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Exposing the plant to temperatures below 50° or above 80° causes leaf lost. Protect the plants from both cold and hot drafts from opening doors. They are vulnerable to leaf dropping and will become scraggly looking if exposed to cold drafts or extreme temperature changes.
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Watering: Poinsettias like moist, but not wet, soil. Thoroughly water the plant whenever the soil feels dry to the touch, add room temperature water to the plant, (do not shock the plant with cold water) about once per week in a container large enough to hold the flowerpot (a sink is perfect). You may without disturbing the soil or roots, remove the plant from its container, soak it well, let it drain, when the water stops dripping, place it back in the pot. Allow all the water to drain off so your poinsettia doesn’t sit in water. Over watering the plant and letting it stand in water will surely kill the poinsettia. Keep the humidity high around the plant by misting regularly, or add a pebble tray or place near a humidifier to increase humidity.
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Nutrients: Don’t feed or fertilize your poinsettia while it is in bloom, feeding comes later in the Summer. (See footnote [1]) In the beginning of the summer season, add a quarter-strength fertilizer on a weekly basis or a full-strength fertilizer on a monthly basis. ONLY fertilize while the soil is moist or you could burn the roots damaging the plant.
Blooming & Seasonal Care
The success of growing poinsettias lies in recurring blooming year after year or season to season. This poinsettia care calendar encourages years of growth and flowering.
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Winter: (January – March) Continue watering and enjoying your poinsettia in a sunny (indirect light) window or keep under a grow light for as long as it’s blooming.
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Spring: (March – May) After the blooms fade, (the leaves no longer turns color) the plant enters a resting season until summer. Prune your plant back to 6” or 8” tall. Reduce watering and allow the plant to get completely dry between waterings. In June, seek out a spot outdoors that gets good morning sun and partially shaded in the afternoon sun. Poinsettias also tend to do well on a patio or under a tree. Protect poinsettias them from full, hot mid-day sun or they will dry out requiring daily watering.
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Summer: (May – September) Re-pot if needed in very light potting mix, (add extra meet moss) if it appears root-bound (roots growing out the drainage holds or you can see them at the top of the soil), transplant to a larger flowerpot. When new growth appears, begin feeding every two weeks with a balanced organic fertilizer (See footnote [1-2]). Pinch back the stems as they grow, to encourage branching and bushiness. You can put your poinsettia outdoors for the summer, but be sure to bring it back inside before temperatures drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit as temperatures began to fall as Autumn approaches.
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Image: 5 Poinsettias' deep olive-Green Leaves
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Autumn: (October) Poinsettias bloom in response to shorter days. Fall is the most import time for a poinsettia, during this season the plant need to go through a dark/light process if it is to turn color. (For no less than 40 days), a poinsettia will need a strict light/dark regimen to produce color. Provide 13 to 16 hours of complete and uninterrupted darkness daily. This also means, “no walking into the room and turning on a light and walking out — this will delay flowering, or stop flowering all together”. At dusk, place the plant in a dark room (or closet) or cover with a box or paper bag. For about 8 to 10 weeks prior to the desired bloom time, (GREEN THUMB TIP: plot this on your calendar) this period is known as the “DARKNESS TREATMENT” period. But striking the correct balance between darkness and light is the key. Too little darkness and a poinsettia will remain totally dark green, but too much darkness and it becomes deformed, stocky with a few straggly leaves. During this time put your poinsettia in complete darkness for no less than 13 to 16 hours per day. (GREEN THUMB TIP: move the plant out of any light. Cover it with a thick large enough cardboard box or cover it with a black plastic bag, or move the plant to a closed-door unlit closet). It requires TOTAL DARKNESS (See footnote [3]). During the day, remove the covering and make sure the plant gets at least 6 hours of sunlight. Water, let it thoroughly drain and feed as usual.
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Red poinsettia bracts with pale green leaves
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Mixed poinsettia bracts with flowers
Cream-white poinsettia bracts
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Holiday Blooming Care:
November – December After 8-10 weeks of darkness treatment, you should see flower buds in the center of the leaves on your poinsettia. Once you do, you can discontinue the darkness treatment and bring it back out to your window and/or plant light just before or a little after Thanksgiving to enjoy. Continue watering, but stop feeding until spring.
After Bloom Care
· Water less (about once a week) after the blooms and leaves drop or shrivel. poinsettias rest period its’ blooming season.
· Cut back the stems 8” to 10” or half their size in March or April. When new growth begins to appear, it's safe now to resume a more normal watering and feeding schedule. Use regular houseplant food, and follow the manufacturer's instructions. (See footnote [1])
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·Move the plant outdoors when the outside nighttime temperatures stay above 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Provide indirect sunlight but avoid placing it in direct sunlight.
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Plant the poinsettia in the ground, or leave it in the flowerpot Repotting may be necessary at the end of summer after the plant has grown. Expect a shrub-like poinsettia plant during the summer if grown in the ground.
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Pinch back new growth in June, July, or August to promote a bushier plan
Propagating Poinsettias
Though difficult, new plants may arrive out of propagation. Clipping for rooting should be healthy new stems cut from vigorous plants. The older stems that has flowered the current year are not the best clippings to use. Cut the stems back and allow new growth to develop. Keep the parent plants in a warm area with consistent moist, and in a bright location to abundantly yield useful cuttings. Once the new stems have grown at least 4” to 6”, begin taking cuttings. The cuttings should be between 4“ to 6” long with at least 2 to 3 mature green leaves.
Using a good quality rooting hormone will increase the probability that the cuttings will produce new root systems on each clipping.
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Dip the cut end of the stem into rooting hormone.
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Carefully insert the hormone-treated base of each cutting into pre-make holes in moist, pasteurized potting soil. GREEN THUMB TIP: Use pre-made holes so that the hormone will not rub off the cutting when inserting in the soil.
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Put the pots with cuttings inside plastic bags to maintain humidity and prevent them from wilting.
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Place the cuttings in a bright indirect sunlit location. The brighter the light in which you can grow them without causing wilting, the greater the chance of success in creating new plants.
Are Poinsettias Poisonous?
Poinsettias are not poisonous to humans. However, ingesting the leaves would cause some stomach discomfort (it would take eating a lot of the plant to cause death). Poinsettias are not a food source, therefore keep it out of the mouth of little ones and pets. If leaves or stems become eaten, thoroughly rinse the mouth out with water. The plant contains a sap (which may bleed when pruning the plant) can be a skin irritant to humans and/or pets; (keep the plant out of pets reach) wash the affected area with soap and water after contact. As with any plant or material, if you, anyone else or pet experience an unadorned or severe reaction of any kind, seek professional medical help promptly.
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Image: 6 White Leaf Poinsettias
Footnotes:
[1 -2] A balanced fertilizer is a fertilizer which has three numbers which are about the same, like a 10-10-10. The problem with balanced fertilizers is that they are much higher in phosphorus than what most plants need — at least in relation to the amount of nitrogen and potassium which plants need
[3] Poinsettias require TOTAL darkness for at least 13 hours per day (example: 7 PM to 8 AM daily) – even indoor lighting will disrupt the process.
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