In today’s newsletter podcast: Back in November of 2020, we chatted about poinsettia plant basics, with Bill Eisley, a wholesale grower of poinsettia plants in Auburn, CA.
Searching for that last minute Christmas gift? Many stores, including supermarkets, are now offering red and ivory-colored poinsettias, tropical plants native to Mexico, that are showstoppers this time of year for any dining room table. Even more colorful varieties are available at area nurseries and garden centers.
Don’t grab and run with the first poinsettia plant you see. Take a few minutes to closely examine the plant.
• Avoid buying poinsettias from exterior store displays. Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are tropical plants. They will be stressed in temperatures below 60 degrees. Choose a poinsettia from a well-lit indoor display.
• The eye-catching red color (or white, cream, salmon or pink) on the poinsettia plants is not the flower; those are the modified leaves, known as bracts. The true flowers of a poinsettia are the small yellow berries, the cyathia, in the center of the bracts. Choose poinsettias that have tightly budded cyathias, not ones that are fully open.
• Make sure that the smaller bracts surrounding the cyathia are fully colored. If these secondary bracts are not fully colored, the plants will quickly fade and lose color.
• Examine the plant's soil before purchasing. It is best to avoid waterlogged soil, particularly if the plant appears wilted. Such a condition could signify irreversible root rot.
Here are a few ideas to keep poinsettia plants looking good for another couple of months indoors:
• Place your plant in indirect sunlight for at least six hours per day. If direct sun can't be avoided, diffuse the light with a shade or sheer curtain.
• Provide room temperature between 68 - 70 F. If you are comfortable, so is your poinsettia.
• Do not place plants near cold drafts or sources of heat. Avoid placing plants near appliances, wood stoves or ventilating ducts.
• Water your plant when the soil feels dry to the touch. Avoid overwatering your plant. Don’t let it sit in standing water.
• Always remove decorative foil from the outside of a container before watering. Allow the water to drain completely. Afterwards, return the decorative foil to the container, if desired.
• It is not necessary to fertilize your plant when it is in bloom.
If you want to try to get that poinsettia to rebloom for Christmas 2023 – and you have a lot of patience and perseverance – try these tactics:
• In late March or early April, cut back the plant so that two buds remain, about six inches from the base. The plant may still look elegant before you start this radical surgery, but the pruning is necessary to help it look great for next December.
• In April, place the plant - pot and all- outside in a mostly sunny, warm area; against a south wall beneath the overhang of your house or apartment would be ideal. Keep the poinsettia watered, pruning back the branches by a couple of inches in June and August to keep the plant from getting leggy. When the red color begins to show, start feeding the plant with a fertilizer that has a bit more nitrogen in it than phosphorus and potassium. Follow label directions.
• In late October, before the first frost, bring the plant back into the house and keep it in a dark closet or room for at least fourteen hours a day. The plant will bloom only when it has had these long "nights." By next Christmas, you'll again be able to enjoy the striking beauty of that same poinsettia plant.
If all this sounds like a lot of work, it is. Moreover, the result may not be as spectacular as the original plant's bloom. The good news: there will always be more colorful poinsettias for sale next holiday season. So, when you’re done enjoying that poinsettia plant this winter, you can always add it to your compost bin.
More tips on poinsettia care from the National Garden Bureau.
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Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County.
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