Comments on: Poinsettia care

By: catherine

catherine — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:48:49 +0000

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?

Hi Catherine It's possible that you may have fungus gnats. The adult insect is a tiny fly and juvenile is a larvae. Fungus gnats are an indicator that the soil is too moist.

By: KF

KF — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:54:31 +0000

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)

Hi KF I suspect that you have fungus gnats in the soil. They occur when the soil is being kept too wet which is also indicated by the browning leaf tips. Cut back on the watering, let 1-2" of the soil dry between waterings.

By: Louisa

Louisa — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 04:20:11 +0000

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 . . .

Hi Louisa
I’m glad they decided to return the poinsettia to someone who will care for it. Pruning it back this time of year is not a good idea. For one, you will delay bloom. It will not bloom in time for Christmas. Secondly, since we are going into the winter season, there is less light and the plant usually slows down, you want to prune it when it is ready to actively grow -like in the spring. I would give it some support with stakes and give it a dose of a balanced fertilizer (just once). Call it your “Charlie Brown poinsettia” this year and guard it from kidnappers next year so you can give it a proper upbringing.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:36:34 +0000

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.

Hi Debbie
Based on the information, it sounds like a root problem. Either your plant is getting too much water or not enough. If the soil is wet and the plant is wilted then it is getting too much water and the roots are rotting from being too wet. The do not like “wet feet”. If that is the case, move the plant to an area with well drained soil.
If the plant perks up after watering, then your poinsettia was not getting enough moisture.

By: Jane S6

Jane S6 — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:54:51 +0000

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.

Hi Jane
You can repot it (I repotted mine a week ago and its doing fine.) just make sure that you don’t disturb the roots too much and place it in a shaded area for a few days after repotting. I would think that the variegation would come back since you are using the same plant not the seeds.

By: sharon

sharon — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:53:39 +0000

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.

HI Sharon
It sounds as if your poinsettia is top heavy and needs additional support. You don’t mention if you cut back your plant in the spring. Cutting back to 6″ stalks helps keep the plant bushier and sturdier. You can add some support by tying string around the branches to hold them together.

By: Celeste

Celeste — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:52:03 +0000

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.

Hi Celeste
Poinsettia can grow into large shrubs and live for years in the tropics. Its great that you were able to rebloom it for the last 3 years. Perhaps your plant needs to be replanted. Have you fertilized it during the growing season? Did you cut it back after bloom? As the plant ages, the stems will become woody. Yellowing leaves can also indicate a root problem such as too much water.

By: lindsey t

lindsey t — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:03:43 +0000

I have a very old(20+) poinsettia growing in my yard in Houston. It is at least 12 feet tall and very leggy because it has not been cut back for several years. I have perused all these comments and found nothing to say if it is okay to cut it to the point of having no leaves at all. It only has leaves on the top 25%.This guy has been doing okay in benign neglect for most of its life and I don’t want to kill it, but I really have to trim it. And can I do this now?
Thanks.

By: Sandra

Sandra — Mon, 25 May 2009 16:48:00 +0000

I have a poinsettia that I have had since 07. It bloomed this year. However the new growth is curling up. I have it outside on the front porch where it receives no direct sun. I have seen no bugs. I was wondering what I should treat it with?
Thanks.

By: Frank Bernardo

Frank Bernardo — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:00:12 +0000

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?