Poinsettia care guide

The poinsettia is the plant of the holidays. Keeping it bright until New Year’s is easy. Getting it to turn red again next December takes a plan and a dark closet.

The red “petals” are not flowers. They are colored leaves called bracts. The real flowers are the tiny yellow buds in the center.

Picking a healthy one

Pick a plant with tight, green or red buds in the center and no yellow pollen yet. It will hold its color longer.

Skip plants with droopy leaves, bare lower stems, or soggy soil. Skip plants crammed in a plastic sleeve at the store. Sleeves trap heat and make leaves drop.

In a cold winter, wrap the plant in a paper bag or sleeve for the trip home. A few minutes below 10°C (50°F) can make the leaves drop days later. Do not leave it in a cold car.

Light

Give it bright, indirect light. A spot near an east, west, or south window works. Keep the leaves from touching cold glass.

In dim light, the plant drops leaves and the bracts fade sooner.

Water

Water when the top 2 to 3 cm (1 in) of soil feels dry. Water until it drains, then empty the saucer.

Most poinsettias come wrapped in foil. Foil holds water at the bottom of the pot and rots the roots. Poke holes in the foil, or take the plant out of it each time you water.

Wilting can mean too dry or too wet. Check the soil before you water. Read how to tell if a houseplant is overwatered or underwatered.

Soil and potting

Leave it in its nursery pot for the holidays. If you keep it, repot in spring into a pot one size up with a well-draining houseplant mix. See how to repot a houseplant step by step.

Humidity and temperature

Keep it between 16 and 22°C (60 and 72°F). Keep it away from heat vents, fireplaces, doors that open to the cold, and drafty windows. Sudden changes in temperature are the top reason poinsettias drop leaves.

Dry winter air makes the color fade sooner. A spot away from the furnace vent helps.

Feeding

Do not feed it while it is in color. If you keep it after the holidays, start a balanced liquid fertilizer once a month when new growth starts in spring. Stop in late fall.

Pruning

Wear gloves. The milky sap can irritate skin.

In early spring, cut each stem back to about 15 cm (6 in) tall. New shoots grow from below the cuts. Pinch the tips of new shoots through the summer to keep the plant bushy. Stop pinching by late August.

Getting it to turn red again

Poinsettias change color when the nights get long. Any light at night, even a lamp across the room, stops it.

Start around October 1. Every night, give the plant 14 hours of total darkness. A closet, a cupboard, or a big cardboard box works. Bring it back to a bright window every morning. Keep this up for 8 to 10 weeks, until the bracts show color.

Summer can be easier outside. Once nights stay above 10°C (50°F), set the plant in a shady spot outdoors. Bring it in before fall nights drop below 10°C (50°F).

This takes work. Many people compost the plant in January and buy a new one next year. That is fine.

Propagation

Take stem cuttings 10 cm (4 in) long in late spring or summer. Let the sap stop running, dip the cut end in rooting hormone if you have it, and set it in moist potting mix. Keep it warm and bright. Roots form in about a month.

Problems

What you see	Most likely cause
Leaves drop all at once	Cold draft, a cold trip home, or a sudden move
Lower leaves turn yellow, soil wet	Too much water, or water trapped in the foil
Whole plant wilts	Soil too dry, or roots rotting in wet soil
Bracts turn green again in spring	Normal. The color season is over.
No red color in December	Light at night during the fall
Yellow pollen and dropping buds	The plant is past its peak

Pests

Whiteflies love poinsettias. Shake a branch. A cloud of tiny white bugs means whiteflies. Fungus gnats show up when the soil stays wet. Read how to get rid of fungus gnats in houseplants.

Mealybugs and spider mites can also show up on plants you keep through the year.

Pet safety

The ASPCA lists poinsettia as toxic to cats and dogs. The sap irritates the mouth and stomach and can cause drooling or vomiting. The ASPCA also says its danger is often overstated. It is not the deadly plant its reputation suggests.

Keep it out of reach of pets that chew. Call your vet if a pet eats a lot of it.

Varieties

• Red is the classic.
• White, cream, pink, salmon, and burgundy types are common too.
• Marbled types have two colors on each bract.
• ‘Winter Rose’ has curled bracts that look like a rose.
• Some stores sell plants sprayed with paint or glitter. Treat them the same way. New growth comes in without the coating.

In my house

I have kept my poinsettias going long after the holidays. The trick is proper light.

My cats and kids dig in the dirt of my houseplant pots. It is just something that happens.