Poinsettia care
One of the traditional and most popular holiday flowers is the Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). The delicate, yet dazzling flowers (bracts) range from huge bushes to miniatures plants and come in assorted colors that are sure to make the holiday brighter.
There is nothing more impressive than the classic deep red Poinsettia. On the other hand, snowflake white has a most elegant appeal; whereas delicate shades of pink (Monet), mauves (Plum Pudding) burgundy(Cortez, Cranberry Punch)can easily be coordinated to any home decor.
Each year more colors and varieties are available to peak our interest such as the “Winter rose poinsettia”. It has puckered leaves that curve downward in a tight pattern that looks like a rose. Some like it some not.
Choosing a poinsettia
When selecting a poinsettia look for dark healthy leaves- no yellowing bottom leaves. The bracts (leaves that work as petals) should be bright and completely colored. The true flowers are the tightly clustered, small, green or red-tipped flowers in the center of the bracts. Yellow pollen will shorten the life of the flowers. Do not choose a plant that is wilted or drooping.
Holiday Plant tip
When purchasing your Poinsettia make sure it is protected from the cold. If temperatures are below 50 degrees, wrap it in a paper sleeve or place in a box before taking it outdoors. Tropical Poinsettias are especially sensitive to cold temperatures and even a few minutes in the cold can damage the plant. Chill damage may not show up after a few days and you will be dissapointed when the leaves discolor and drop.
Care
In order to maintain a healthy Poinsettia and longer bloom during the holiday season place the plant in bright diffused light for at least 6 hours a day, away from heating vents (hot dry air) and cold drafts. A temperature of 55-60 degrees at night and 72 during the day along with high humidity is ideal. The cool night temperatures will extend blooming time. Keep the plant evenly moist as moisture fluctuation, cold/hot drafts can cause premature leaf drop. When watering, do not let it stand in water, be sure to slip off the decorative foil cover (if there is one) or punch a hole in the cover to drain the excess water.
Contrary to beliefs, Poinsettias are not toxic. If you have a latex allergy, the sap from the leaves can irrate your skin. According to Poisindex, a 50# child would have to eat 500 bracts to get a stomach ache. Of course resulting reaction may vary with individuals. Poinsettia are not edible and as with all houseplants, should not to be eaten.
Have a safe and happy holiday!!
reblooming poinsettia 
Hi I have a poinsettia I husband gave it I me as a gift on christmas I kept it in our room but then the leaves fall out and it completely dry and it has some kind of white fungus in the stem how can I make it live so it can have leaves please help me and I live in Atlanta Ga.
Regrow poinsettia
I have an older WInter Rose Poinsettia in the house. It is very woody in the lower part. Can I cut off the entire top and all the leaves? Will it develop new leaves? It is about a foot and a half tall.
Also, I started three tops of that plant that broke off when it fell on the floor. I have them all growing in one pot. Should I separate them and have just one start in each pot.
Thanks a lot
Nancy Nowak
Pruning poinsettia bush
We have an old poinsettia tree in our yard in Orange County CA. It currently is about 15′ tall with long, straggly branches with bracts at the tips and very few green leaves. After it bloomed last year we cut it back to about 4′ in height in an attempt to make it a shorter, more compact and denser plant. Is it possible to achieve this and, if so, when should we prune it and how far back do we cut?
Thank you.
Hi, I just bought some left-over pinkish poins from a grower [after holiday sale]. I live in central Florida. I’ve planted them in the ground. I am finding a lot of mixed informatino on how to care for them properly so they live!! My neighbor has 3 poin bushes and when I say bushes, I mean BUSHES. They’re huge – 4′x5′. GORGEOUS. And that’s what I want. I’ve watered the plants, but I don’t want to overwater. Florida is, techinically, in our dry season. How often should I water them? When should I cut them back. A few branches broke off during planting. Can I save those [ie repot them so they take root]? Thanks!!
too much water vs not enough
Hello – How can I determine if my poinsettia is suffering from too much versus not enough watering? They seem to respond the same either way.
When the leaves curl up, is it more likely to be the cause dryness or overwatering? If an entire stalk of leaves drop off, is it due to overwatering and becoming soggy at the root?
I’ve had occassionsof both, even with careful attention to watering only enough to drain through the bottom, and only when soil is dry to the touch.
Whatever you can do to clarify the exact response to each condition would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Watering issue
I’ve read through this thread of comments with a lot of valuable information, however I’m still at a loss as to why my poinsettia is dying.
I bought one from my son for a school fundraiser. He transported them home in plastic pots, wrapped in decorative foil, then the entire plant wrapped in brown paper, and finally 6-count in a box.
The top soil was very moist when I placed my plant on top of a bookshelf. My home is roughly the recommended 70 degrees. By morning, it was drooping…falling, stems bent and leaves curling. I panicked and quickly added water at the urging of my son who said to water daily. Throughout the day, positioned as close to a north-facing window as I could get without getting too close to cause it a chill (ALL of my windows are north-facing, unfortunately.), she just drooped further with leaves touching the ground. She looked very sad. I sang “Cumbaya”, but nothing helped, not the singing, nor the bits of indirect sunlight. Frankly, I think she would have been happier if she had stayed in the box.
I have a brown thumb, apparently (nothing living and thriving in my home), and with a heavy heart, I would predict that this plant is a goner. However, years ago I had some pepper plants which I kept outdoors on my patio, in a much warmer season (Spring/Summer), and daily they would wilt and droop until I watered them. Then they would perk right up as if nothing was ever wrong. This time I’m not so lucky.
HELP! Should I donate my plant (if it’s not too late)to someone who knows about caring for them? After all, as a vegetarian, I usually just eat them.
I am looking for “curly” poinsettias that I have purchased at WallMart for the last 3 years, but they don’t have them this year. We are on a barrier island and have chronic windy conditions at this time of year. The curly poinsettias are the only ones that survive the winds and last till we leave in March. HELP!! Where can I find these. Thanks for any help you can give me. Connie
We live in Southeastern Louisiana.
Is it ok to have a poinsettia planted near the house? What do the root systems do? My husband is concerned about the root system affecting the foundation, etc. Of course I already planted it! Do I need to move it? You have great information here–Thank You!
I received a very bushy poinsettia from a friend. I have never had luck with these plants but I managed to keep it alive for 1 full month. But when I got it I noticed that some of the stems looked really woody. As it turns out the plant was infested with scale, gross. I tried to clean them off with a bit of alcohol and sprayed the plant with oil/water. The next day one of my roommates left the window open in our apartment and I live in Northern Alberta Canada where our daytime high is 5-10C. Now I have about 7 leaves on one stalk and all the others are bare. Some of the new growth has turned brown and fallen off and some of the bare stems feel soft and limp near the tips. Is there anything I can do for this plant? Can I cut the stems back now? This is the first Poinsettia I have had for more than 2 weeks and I don’t want it to die. Please Help…Thanks:)
Hi there Michelle! I had somewhat of the same experience…without the bugs. I tried to rehab a “much loved” plant. It had been absolutely beautiful out the year before; when I set it out on the patio. But yours truly let it get too cold; & 90% of the leaves dropped off. I pruned it back, & sure enough, little tiny leaves started to come back. But it was just too hard to monitor the heat/cold factor (I live in Iowa, & “baby it’s cold outside”, the proper amt of lighting, & the amt of water it needed. The “Baby leaves” would eventually turn black & die. Summery: After going thru this cycle a number of times; I finally gave up. I just the other day bought a beautiful plant for a whopping $3.99 at Aldi’s. It was so pretty (& cheap) that I’m very tempted to get another one.
Best of luck whatever you decide to do.
Lizbeth
My poinsettia tree plant is 2years old and ws doing great in a large pot after trimming it last spring. full plant with dark leaves. Had a wet spell and now its leaves are lighter and are falling. Sad because last Christmas it was so beautiful. Please help.
I am doing a class project on poinsettias and the leaves have curled due to not enough water. Would it be possible to cut the curled leaves off?
HELLO, I save my poinsettia plant from last chrismas and put them in the ground in the spring. i live in baltimore md the weather is beggeting to change, when is the best time to bring them back in, they done so fine over the summer.and when do the leaves began to turn red again.
Trimming poinsettia
My Plant was beautiful and bushy growing in a pot. I had it outside for the summer in partial shade it was awesome. It started oozing white sap around just the leaves then started turning light brown and curling eventually falling off. I brought it inside where it was cooler and put it in indirect light. it now looks so thinned out with the leaves. what can I do to help. I keep it evenly moist on a tray of peebles with some water. what is wrong with it to go from beautiful to looking so straggly?
I bought a mini poinsettia last Christmas which I kept. It has grown and thrived in my office. I am now trying to re-bloom for Christmas. The problem started when I put it under a paper bag at night to get total darkness, it has now started to have some yellow leaves. During the weekend, it doesn’t get any sunlight since no one is here to remove the bag during the day. Can this plant have too much darkness? Any suggestions?
Whitefly
I have a 3 year old poinsettia and it is doing very well. It’s still have red leaves from Christmas. I live in a warm climate so it loves my balcony. However, it has a whitefly infestation from all the descriptions of whitefly I have been reading. They are tiny like a piece of lint, very white an they fly up in a cloud if the plant is disturbed or even if I am just sitting quietly reading next to it. They come and check me out and they look like dust in the air but they fly with purpose. I started a monthago to spray the plant with Neem every week, but it doesn’t seem to be doing anything to the flies. I’m not real happy about using something so toxic to the environment either. The plant itself doesn’t appear to be suffering, but I don’t know how long that will last.
Advice please! Thank you.
Hi I transplanted my poinsettia and now all of the leaves
are falling off. It was a gift and I don’t want to let it die. Is there anything I can do to save it?
bes
Hi, I have a poinsettia that was left over from the holidays at work. All the leaves fell off and landed on the soil and I left them there; they got moldy and the mold transferred to the stem of the plant. On the advice of a co-worker who has a few lovely “rescued” poinsettias by her desk, I took out all the moldy leaves, dumped the old soil, washed the plant under the tap (including the roots,) re-potted it in a new pot w/ fresh “miracle gro” potting soil, and waited. It lost some more leaves; my co-worker told leaves would come after that. The last of the original leaves fell off last week, but I am noticing that the whole plant is turning woody; some of the branches appear to be drying up/getting brown and pruny from the top down (there are still old dried up flower heads at the top,) some appear to be turning woody from the bottom up, or getting pruny from the bottom & the top with just a little bit of fresh-looking green stem in the middle. I have the plant in a window at work where other plants are thriving, but I don’t know if this plant is dying or just going through another stage in recovery. Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer.
Okay, thanks for the tip. I cut back the stems today (I didn’t see the response till today, must have missed my “notification” email). The stems appear to be all hollow inside, is this normal? Also there is only a tiny, tiny bit of green, on the very tip of one of the cut-back stems; otherwise the stems are brown and somewhat woody. The stems are not brittle though, which I feel is hopeful.
Thanks again,
Christal
Hollow stem are normal.
To prune or not to prune
I got a pot of poinsettia last Christmas and now it is still blooming beautifully, still gets new red leaves, and gets denser than when I got it. I read that poinsettia needs to be pruned in Spring. Should I just prune it now(it is still beautiful though), or should I wait until it stops blooming?
Brown leaf tips and reblooming
I got a poinsettia over the holidays but I haven’t a clue how to care for it.
my mother tried to kill it by not watering it, but the little thing was determined to live and defiantly grew new leaves after all the old ones had fallen off.
it’s now safely in my room, but I need to know what to do to keep it from dying.
the light may not be good enough in a northwest facing room, but it’s all I’ve got.
my problem is that the tips of two of it’s stems are turning black and I’m worried I’ve done something wrong.
one is broken, so I guess I’ll have to remove that one, but the other is the main stem and I can’t figure out what to do for it.
(caring for spider plants is so much simpler than a poinsettia seems to be.)
thanks for answering, but at the time I asked I hadn’t given the plant any fertilizer at all, and the leaves were never the problem.
the poor thing is getting worse every day, it’s stems keep turning black and wilting.
the leaves are still fine, though very small, and aside from the black stems the rest of the plant seems ok.
I just can’t figure out what’s making the stems wilt.
I’ll try that, thanks.
do you mean rubbing alcohol though? I don’t want to make it worse.
(sorry, I’ve never dealt with a problem I couldn’t see the cause for.)
Yes
Poinsettia hedge
I want to plant a Poinsettia hedge. Is 2′ in between plants adequate?
Pruning Poinsettia tree
I purchased a gorgeous tree form poinsetta this Dec. It is nearly five feet tall and the huge red pink leaves are at least three feet diameter, just spectacular!! I have read all the questions and answers in the forum and one stated that for three years her poinsetta has been kept exclusivly in her sun room and continues to rebloom! Mine is also ina sunroom with ideal conditions, should I try to leave it there or do the dark closet thing that will be difficult due to the size. Also how should I prune this beauty and when? Thanks so much, Madeleine
Black leaf edge
Our month-old red poinsettia is developing large black spots along the edges of the leaves. We live in El Paso, and the humidity index is very low, so it gets watered maybe twice a week. The spots are about the size of a quarter right now.
Cold damage
Is it at all possible to save my poinsettia? I had to leave it out in my friends garage in 3 degree weather because he is severely allergic to them and has had to be hospitalized from being near a poinsettia. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to save my plant.
Hello Katie! I saw your post & had to respond. I went through something similar a year ago. I fell on the ice just prior to xmas last year & broke my ankle…(Xmas in the hospital… not fun!) Anyway, a wonderful man from my church brought over a HUGE & totally GORGEOUS poinsettia plant from Church for me. I watched him walk across my yard…. with the plant uncovered…..In Iowa weather… At 10 degrees above zero. Sigh… To add to it all, he had had it in his car (in his garage) the entire day prior.
Wonderful man, nice gesture…& clueless about plants. Poinsettia plants are sort of tropical; I’ve heard they are native to Mexico. Iowa winters are not tropical.
The thing that you want to hope for is that the roots & stems didn’t freeze, just the leaves were affected. I’d guess that probably the garage provided enough shelter in your case for that, unless you live in Canada with an unattached garage. In my case, The plant initially looked fine, but very soon afterwards, the leaves started turning dark & falling off. After realizing that this was going to happen, I left a few lower leaves on, so that the plant would continue photosynthesizing, but I basically cut all the stems back down, so that maybe 4- 8 inches of stem was present. I cut the stems at differing levels of length, so that it would grow back in a balanced form. I deliberately left a few leaves on the plant, but basically the plant was REAL ugly. You want the plant’s energy to NOT go to maintaining the “soon to be falling off” leaves, but instead to go to the production of new leaves. I watered it & fertilized it on occasion. Sure enough, despite the injury to it, it did start to produce tiny buds & leaves. It never was even close to what it had been, but it was an interesting project to see/watch while I recovered at home.
Best of luck to you; hope it all works out.
Liz
Milky sap
My poinsettia is oozing white liquid at leaf joint and leaves are falling off. What is happening?
I bought a poinsettia yesterday but was not aware of its sensitivity to cold. It sat in the car for about 2 hours…the temperature outside was probably about 30 degrees. It looks pretty wilted today, do you think it can recover? Thanks!
we have a plant saved from last xmas. Had deep red leaves when we got it. now that it has rebloomed the leaves are green. Will the leaves turn red again or is this the way it will stay?
I just looked at the website and it seems that it only provides information on how to cure plants. I am not having that problem as I have not grown my plants yet. If you aren’t sure about the lamps, would you mind helping me decide which sub-species or poinsettia that I should choose? I would prefer a relatively small, inexpensive one but one that grows relatively quickly (again a wide variety would be helpful). Also, do you think miracle grow would work as the fertilizer? Peat Moss???
Hi David
Why didn’t you use the “Ask for Technical help?” on the site.
Plant your poinsettia in a loose well drained soil medium, and make sure the container has drain holes. A balanced fertilizer such as miracle grow will work. Here is a list of varieties that can be grown in cold climates and produce a compact flower.
•Advent™ Red
•Early Joy™ Red and Pink
•Freedom™ Early Red, White, Pink, and Marble
•Jester™ Red, White, Pink, Marble, and Jingle
•Freedom™ Red, White, Pink, Marble, Salmon, Peppermint, and Jingle Bells
•Festival™ Red, White, Pink, and Rose
•Prestige™ Early Red
•Autumn Red™
•Red Velveteen
Check your local garden centers and flower shops for the varieties that will fit your needs.
My poinsettia has small white bugs everywhere. How can I safely remove them without the use of harsh chemicals
Thanks
Hi Kelly
What kind of bugs are they? Could it be whitefly? Is the plant outdoors or inside?
I have 2 poinsettia plants I got for 99 cents each last black friday. They are now huge about 20 inches tall. I’ve been watering and following the steps for them to rebloom. I put in a closet when I get home from work and remove after 14 hours of darkness. My problem is only about 5 small new leaves on each plant has turned red, all of the rest are the same green color they turned after last winter. It’s been about 6 weeks now I’ve been at this, can anyone help me to get them to turn all red again?
Hi Kris,
I was away for a week and neglected to water the Poinsettia before I left. On my return, I found the poor thing all wilted and yellow. The leaves have subsequently dropped at an alarming rate, and all the new shoots with baby leaves have wilted – is there anything I should do so that I have my full leafy plant back? I have had this plant for almost 6 years now, and it faithfully turns a bright red every year, although not as large leafed as the ones in the mall… Please help me to rejuvenate this beautiful plant.
Thanks!
I live in east TN and planted our 3 poinsettias in the flower-bed. They did get in the summer, lots of dark green leafs with no blooms/flowers. Now that we’re getting colder weather, I’ve dug the plants up and potted them with fertilizer. Is there anything I can do to get them to flower before Christmas? Of course I’ve got them inside getting s.w. sunlight.
Brown leaf tips
After reading several of these questions and comments, am I correct in saying that if the leaves on a poinsettia are turning yellow on the tips, then brown and crunchy, it is probably due to the lack of moisture in the air? The leaves on my poinsettia look as if I have dipped them in a coloring and then the leaves dry out and curl. I am fertilizing them and only water them when they need water, not necessarily on a regular basis. My temperature is a good 70 plus degrees.
Poinsettia toxic
Hello Chris
Are poinsettias toxic to kittens – 8-9 months old? “Itty Bity Boo” is chewing on the leaves. She is a house critter so when I put the plant outside she will not be exposed to it.
Thank you for taking the time to reply.
Peace and God Bless America
GrannyB
I got a poinsettia for thanksgiving. Our house it cold and the leaves were curling up so I decided to bring it to work where there is much more indirect light and where it’s warmer. It was doing better but then I overwatered it. I soaked up the extra water with papertowels and let the soil dry out. I then started watering it again but the bottom of the major stem is turning brown and going up the stem. There are no leaves and the flowers are dying. I looked at the roots and they look fine. Is this plant lost hope or can I revive it?
I live in Alaska(Anchorage), so when I took my Poinsettia home, (with a plastic bag covering it), I might have damaged it a little bit. But, when I set it on my table, it still looked pretty good, minus a few wilted leaves here or there. My house doesn’t keep warm, and we won’t be having warmer temperatures for a while. How can I care for it in the climate I live in?
Overwatering poinsettia
Help!!! I didn’t realize I had overwatered my poinsettia and that it had been sitting in water. I took out the plant, wrapped in paper towels to absorb some of the moisture. The roots didn’t looked rotted. It actually started to have 3 new red leaves bloom, but 2 turned black and fell off, and seemingly healthy leaves are still falling off. Is there anything I can do? Someone suggested repotting with new soil?
Planting poinsettia in Fla
We live in The Villages, Fl and our beautiful red poinsettia has been outdoors in a container on our covered front entry since purchasing it at Thanksgiving. Do I need to bring it indoors OR, can we now plant it in the ground. We’d love to keep it. Please advise. Thank you!
Poinsettia cold damage
Hi there! I’m at home recouperating from a broken ankle. A well meaning man from my church brought me over a GORGIOUS big beautiful deep red Poinsettia. Very nice of him…&absolutely lovely. Unfortunately, he brought it from his car to my place uncovered… when it was +10 degrees F outside! (pause for audible sigh! lol!). Of course the leaves are all falling off one by one. The Red bracts are still there, but even they are tinged with black & starting to fall off. I’m planning to “wait it out”. Then trim it down to six inches of stem. Then I’ll wait & see if it produces leaves again.
Does this seem lie the thing to do? How long do you wait to trim it down to six inches? Any other ideas?
Liz in Iowa… “Limp along Liz”
Grow poinsettia outdoors
I live in Ocala, FL and rescued 7 poinsettas. They are in good shape and I would like to plant them outside. I have seen them where I live and they are absolutely beautiful. I was told to plant them on the Northside, but I’ve read they should be planted on the Southside. I was looking at planting them on the Southside, but with filtered light from Live Oak trees, etc. Also, when should I cut them back? What do you recommend?
Thank You & Happy New Year
P.S. Will they attract hummingbirds or butterflies?
Pebble tray
Hello,
I’m proud to say I’m the only one in my office that has successfully kept my christmas party poinsettia alive since last christmas. We have a verrry cold office during the day (about 66-67 degrees) and regardless of my plant, I have been freezing. I purchased a small space heater and I’m worried the air in my small office is getting too dry for my poinsettia now. Is there anything I can do to increase the humidity in here aside from a humidifier?
Fungus gnats
My pointsetta has been outdoors since last years frost was over. Doing beautifully, getting ready to move indoors for the holiday season. I noticed little tiny black bugs crawling around in the soil. What are they, and what can I do to get rid of them?
Fungus gnats
My office recieved a pointsettia around November of last year (2008). After Christmas it was thrown away in the trash! I litterally picked it up from the garbage and began to care for it. It has been doing great since than, new leaves and stems etc. have continued throughout the past year. However, within the past 3 weeks I have noticed super tiny, like super, super teeny tiny white or light colored bugs which ONLY appear when the soil is disturbed. There has to be at least a few hundread, and that’s just when I really fluffed up the soil. They do not fly. They do not ooze sap, or film of any kind. They leave no visable effect on the plant whatsoever. They do not spin webs. There are no holes in the leaves of the plant. The leaves are not yellow. The plant is not dropping.
I am in an office indoors, not near a window. Semi draft from above. The plant looks very well. The leaves are growing upwards, they are green, except a few red ones here and there. The very tips of some of the leaves are brown and dried (crunchy) and curling just a bit. But the plant continues to shoot up new stems and leaves. IT looks and acts perfectly fine, except for the infestation of those super, super teeny tiny white bugs. I noticed them BEFORE I started putting the plant in darkness.
Can anyone please tell me what I should do, if anything I can do?! What are those bugs?! Is it the end for my poor plant? :0)
Here’s a strange one — I rescued an ofc poinsettia after the season. Did fine with it. Then, sometime last fall (2008), someone kidnapped it. Oddly enough, it has returned, and they obv didn’t know how to care for it. It has come back all tall and leggy with yellowed leaves. I know you don’t prune till March, but what is the hazard of pruning now? Or, do I just have to wait and watch it sadly for several months? I have no idea what its been thru all this time . . .
I planted my poinsettia in the ground after Christmas Holiday’s 2008. I live in South Texas & we were in a drought this year but I have a sprinkler system 7 also watered. The plant looked healthy & beautiful green leaves up until about 2 weeks ago & then all the leaves fell off & the stem’s started wilting,is there anything that I can do to revive this beautiful plant.
I bought a variegated poinsettia last Christmas, and to my surprise, it lived. It’s tall, full and green and looks like it needs repotting, but it’s now Labor Day and I don’t want to kill it by repotting it out of its season. Can I do that without fear, or should I wait? Also, what’s the likelihood of it growing back variegated?
P.S. I live in Southeast Louisiana…which is hothouse heaven for most plants.
I have a poinsettia that I received 2 years ago. The leaves did turn red this year and have since gone back to green. I notice lately that the base of the plant has turned brown while green at the top. In the past two weeks they have started to fall over or bend and fall off. What do I do? My initial thought is that the new growth is too heavy since the stalks have grown to be wider than the originals.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:26 am · Edit
I have had a poinsettia plant for about 3-4 years. Now the leaves are turning yellow, the stems are hardening and it looks like it’s trying to die. I haven’t done anything different to it. Is there a lifespan for poinsettias? I don’t want to trash it. It was a gift from my husband.
I live in Succasunna New Jersey and have a poinsettia plant since Decemeber 2005. It is in my Sun Room all year long. In the winter the sun room is about 55- 60 degrees F. I have done nothing but water the plant routinely and transferred it to a larger pot last summer. The plant has been routinely flowering with red flowers for the past 3.5 years. Is that normal?
my poinsettia has developed some white spores on stem and leaves. i used one part bleach one part water. is this ok and shall i transplant it or repot please reply via email.thanks
I WAS TOLD THAT POINSETTIAS ATTRACT TERMITES WHEN PLANTED OUTSIDE. IS THIS TRUE?
I left my popinsettia on the porch and we had a snow storm, the snow did not hit the leaves or the plant, but cold 20-30 degress. The plant leaves are still red but they are drooping. I have it inside now , will it survive or can I make it survive? Thanx Regina Johnson
I got my poinsettia before Christmas and have it indooors on a table. It has some black leaves on it, I pick them off. Is that the right thing to do? I’ve been reading that I should put it outside( I live in Houston). How should I re-pot it?
Hi! Thanks for your interest of my problem.
My plant has been in a pot indoors. About the climate, I probably should say it’s warm.
Actually, I’m not sure how to measure correctly. I’m in Bangkok, quite a town area in the capital city of Thailand. Honestly, I presume that the heat is still acceptable because it has still being alive. Besides, it is in end of winter, and coming in to summer soon.
I’m willing to sending some snapshots too, if you would like
Hi Bing
Poinsettia, a native plant of Mexico is a warm climate plant and naturally blooms in summer in the tropics after a winter of long nights (14 hrs of darkness). Your poinsettia may need to be fed with a well balanced soluble fertilizer (eg. 10-10-10) or to produce flowers.
Hello, thanks for the interesting information, poinsettia plants are attractive. I am looking forward to growing it but I have some questions:
A plant has been alive by my naive propagation as I am a very newbie, without any experience. The plant has been alive. The leaves are still ok. The flower hasn’t been appeared. But, anyway, nothing is growing up for several years.
Is it possible to let it be better?
Is it perennial plant?
Thanks very much in advance.
HI Bing
I need more information. Where is the plant growing? Outside or in a pot indoors? Do you live in a warm climate?
hello, i bought a poinsettia for the holidays last year, and now, it looks like its dying…the leaves are still red, but they are very wilted and falling off….i would like to bring it back if possible…do you have any suggestions…
Drying out leaves
green leaves drying out although watering plant frequently also going away for 2 weeks
thanks janet
Cold damage
I got a poinsettia last night at my office party but had a long cold walk back to my car and the plant was uncovered. Is there any way I can bring it back or will it come back on its own if I keep it throughout the year?
can i change the color that my poinsettia turns. i.e. it is red, can i make it white?
Poinsettia is not known for its fragrance. But my latest purchase from different nursery all emit a strong ‘rose-like’ fragrance from the center of the red leaves. Is it normal? We have 6 pots in the living/dining rooms and the fragrance is getting stronger everyday.
Have a few poinsettias on north side of house,all healthy-looking, except for one which always starts out flourishing and then, as now, begins to display brown curled leaves which drop, leaving a woody, unhealthy-looking plant. This plant is a few inches from air-conditioning unit. If this is the problem can I transplant now in Florida.
I have a large potted pointsettia plant that has bloomed beautifully for the past three years but recently it started producing large yellow mushrooms at the base of the plant, how should i get rid of these and what is the cause.
I have a potted poinsettia for the past 3yrs, that has amazingly re-bloomed each year! Since I live in Southern Ontario, it turns dark by 5pm in the winter mths, & so I haven’t had to follow the tedious routine to ‘fool’ the plant. I still have a few red leaves, but the plant is now beginning to shed. I just moved it out on the balcony which barely gets any sun. It’s about 10″ tall & a bit lean at the 1st 4″. The stalks are brown & woody at the bottom, before becoming green with a lot of leaves. I was wondering if I need to cut it back. & any other tips to keep the plant bushy instead of leggy.
Thanks!
Hi, I have a very old poinsettia in my yard in Los Angeles and it is about 15′ tall. It is next to the house where the water heater vents, and I would like to move it. Do you think it is transplantable?
thank you.
My house is quite cold because we try not to turn the heater on very often. We usually walk around in sweaters, and have a small space heater to warm our bodies when we need to. My poinsettia is wilting, though, as I guess it’s too cold for it… The soil feels damp and cool. If I gave it to a friend with a warmer home, would it revive, or is it dead? Or else, will it grow again when the weather starts warming up?
Thank you!
I have had a Poinsettia that I bought for Christmas last yr. and The leaves are dropping off. What I mainly was wanting to know is when do I fertilize it? and can I use Miricle Grow instead of the 20-20-20?
Leaves curl and drop
My poinsettia has large red blooms and is beautiful, but the leaves are curling and slowly falling off. It has not dried out and the leaves are not turning yellow. The soil stays moist. Do you have any suggestions.
The plant stays indoors. Thank you for any help. This is the most beautiful poinsettia I have ever had-it has been very healthly until the last 3 or 4 days.
I have my poinsettia plants outdoors(FL) and early in Sept I noticed that the leaves were turnning black along the edge and look wilted. What is causing this? How do I correct this problem? Thanks
Propagate poinsettia from cuttings
I am searching for information on a Poinsettia that is referred to as an Arubian Poinsettia. Could you please help me with care, propagating it, etc? Any knowledge is wonderful as I can not find any information on this.
I have a question, I have a poinsettia that is now in a box from 5pm-8am, and on the window sill during the day. I have so many new buds and leaves coming out but the other leaves are curling up and dropping off. I wanted to know if that is normal. I was not sure, as I have never tried to rebloom a poinsettia. Please help me, I want this to work so bad. It was such a beautiful poinsettia and I have never had one rebloom before. Please let me know if I am doing anything wrong.
Thanks…..Cathy
I broke one of the branches off my poinsettia. Is there anything I can do to save it or should I just prune it?
Thanks
Put poinsettia outdoors for summer
I have 4 poinsettia from the Holidays and are still blooming. I have them in a south window on a table where they get indirect light. I know I can put them outside after the frost is over, I live in Utah. Do I put the in an indirect setting out there? Like morning sun and afternoon shade?
Can I plant my poinsettia outside ?
Yes, when the danger of frost has passed(May) since it is a tropical plant. It will bloom in the summer when the days are long. If you have frost where you live you will need to bring it back in for the winter.
In the wild, do Poinsettias naturally drop their leaves, or does this occur only indoors?
Is it possible to revive a wilted Poinsettia?
why are the Pointsetta’s leaves turning yellow and dropping? with other plants I’d say it means overwatering, but I’ve been watering only when soil is dry, and there is good drainage (no foil), and a small clay pot. When we got the plant, the soil was very wet, but I don’t keep it that way. Please advise – thanks, Chris
I have a poinsettia that’s starting to rebloom, but the leafs are turning brown and falling. Please HELP!
Is it possible to prune a Pointsetta? If so, how and when? I have one that is almost 3 years old and is getting very tall and scraggly. I have staked it, but now it is even growing taller.
Thank you! Shawna