Reblooming Poinsettia
Instead of discarding your poinsettia after the Holiday season, take on the challenge of re-blooming it for the next year.
Here’s what you need to do.
Maintain and water the plant indoors from March to May. Once the blooms fade and the plant becomes leggy, cut it back to 4-6 inch stems. Reduce watering, (keeping it on the dry side during this dormant period) and place the plant in a sunny spot with temperatures of 60-70F until you see new growth.
In spring
Repot the plant in fresh soil and a larger pot if needed. When new growth starts to show, begin feeding your poinsettia with a well-balanced houseplant fertilizer every 2-3 weeks and continue throughout the growing season.
In mid-May/June, move your poinsettia outside (when night temps are above 50F) to partial shade, protected from the afternoon sun. You can sink the pot into your flower bed. Be sure to rotate the pot periodically so the roots don’t grow into the soil.
If the plant gets too tall and misshapen pinch back the lateral shoots between July-August to produce a bushier plant. Use the cuttings can also be rooted as new plants.
Initiate blooming
In the fall, when temperatures get below 45ºF for an extended period bring your poinsettia indoors. Poinsettias need short days and long nights to bloom. To initiate blooming you must expose the plant to 14 hrs of uninterrupted darkness (no cheating, even a small amount of light will break the cycle) followed by 10 hrs of bright light for a period of 8-10 weeks starting late September. Keep it in a room that you don’t use in the evening or place it in a black plastic bag or a box. (Don’t forget to take it out during the day.)
Grow indoors
Poinsettia needs a cool, bright location during the day with temperatures ranging from 60 to 70F. Water when the soil surface is dry and drain any excess water. Don’t let your plant sit in water as that can cause the roots to rot.
Continue to fertilize lightly every 4 wks with 15-16-17, or 20-10-20 until flowering begins (mid-December). Once the plant is in bloom stop fertilizing and resume again in March.
It takes 60-85 days depending on variety, temperature and light intensity for the bracts to show color.
Reblooming poinsettia requires persistent attention but can be a rewarding challenge!
more info Poinsettia care
When I lived in the Long Beach area of SoCal, I planted a poinsettia one year, after Christmas. I cut it back every year after it was done blooming. I’ll bet after 6 years, that plant got to 6′ every Christmas. And nothing but the normal watering of a backyard.
Hi I have a couple beautiful poinsettia that some of them leafs began to dry and droop . I keep it in my room and water them once a week. Is that normal ? Also Can I plant it in my back yard? Thank you
I have a pointsettia that I got for Christmas. It’s growing ok. But some of the leaves are going from green to burnt look. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Please help me.
Leaf drop
Hi! I had a beautiful pointsetta that the leafs began to droop. I have been watering it as your posts says. It is early December can I revive my pointsetta by Christmas time. Should I be removing the drooping leafs and if so how?
Everblooming poinsettia
My poinsettia plant bloomed before Thanksgiving and has stayed red up through today. The plant is really pretty and doing well. I don’t do anything special to it except,pinch off the yellow tiny stuff in the middle to keep it from getting leggy. I keep it in one window and water it as needed. I did the same thing last year too.The red went away for a short time and it turned red again. My question is ..Am I suppose to be doing something so it doesn’t stay red? I’ve been told that it’s not suppose to be red all the time.
I have a poinsettia that has come back to life over the summer on my screened in porch. It has beautiful green foliage, but is still in the original pot. Is it safe to repot it now (mid August) to a larger pot?
Also, should I pinch some of the leaves back now?
I never thought it would survive when I put it on the porch. The mixture of sunlight and shade must be the perfect place for the plant.
Hi I live in beirut -lebanon and I have read all the comments about caring and growing poinsettia but I found that there is a difference in tempreture during the monthes that you are talking about where in april and may tempereture here is already 25 to 28 celcius degrease so is it the same way I should have to take care of my poinsettia so should I now prune it though I am seeing new shoots and red leaves and even small buds as the ones that were when I first bought it ( I think flower buds as you have stated ) please help I want to know and should I repot it too in mid may after pruning it though it is blooming???
Thank you
Leaf drop causes
I got my pointsetta now and they have new growth coming out like it shows on the first picture and is does grow but when it get to a point where the leafs fall it is inside my livingroom so no cold drafts gets to it i water it every time the dirt is dry
Can you bring a dry brown stemed dormant poinsettia back to life?
Not re-blooming
I have a 5 year old white version (drug store bought) that has stopped blooming 2 years ago. even after the 10wk,14/day total darkness scenario (This year Oct to to today). Seems to be thriving otherwise. I water and fertalize (Elenor’s VF-11)simultanously. Cut back, as recommended every year.
What could be going on here? Thanks John
i would like to know what if i do not trim alot will it affect the growth because i would like to have it big by next christmas this is my 3 year trying to save them. i live in houston i also want to know would it be a good place to grow them.
I live in the tropics, are in the fall, the outdoor daytime temperature is 28-30 degrees Celsius, the night was 20 degrees C. My poinsettia is grown outdoors, plants grow very well. But recently in a number of trees, leaf wilting, curling, the leaves look rough and thicker than the other leaves, the leaves appear yellow spots. Meters of the plant root system development is quite strong. Please help me and tell me what my tree is sick or what lack of nutrients?
Rebloom poinsettia
I have another poinsettia from this Christmas — the blooms are still full and beautiful but the stems have lost all leaves. Can you give me step by step advice to save the plant appropriately for all seasons?
I love poinsettia plants. They can add to any outdoor garden when in bloom. However, I am in the Buffalo, NY area and would like to ralnt some poinsettia plants in my outdoor garden. Realizing that sometimes climate in this area is not condusive to growth and blooming, is it possible?
No bloom
I live in central Florida, I planted mine last year after Christmas. The leaves turned green and the plant has flourished. The red color has never returned. Is this normal or will it change colors again?
I’ve had a poinsetta from my place of work for several years now.. it’s alive, but i daresay not in the greatest shape. The stems are fairly long with a few leaves at the ends of each (in one case, almost a foot of “knobbly” surface.. other stems averaging 4-6 inches)
I’d like to trim the plant to make it bushier and to stimulate growth, but i’m not exactly sure where i should be cutting..(and i’m scared of trimming too much and killing the plant!). Should i be trimming all at once? or leaving some leaves..
Also, i’m in an office environment, and there’s nowhere for the plant to get good sunlight exposure. Just fluorescent lights during the workweek.
Thanks for your help!
I would like to plant my poinsettia’s outside and leave them outside. I have seen other poinsettias in my area planted outside and they seem to thrive. Is that possible in the Florida climate? If so, do I need to trim down to 8″ or can I leave the Red leaves on my plant?
i was wondering if my frost damaged pointsettia can be revived in the spring, it was absolutely gorgeous this winter but now it got damaged HELP!
thank you for your time
Can you grow a poinsettia from cuttings? If so, how would you do that?
Dec 1st 2007–I have a pointsetta that has lasted since last Dec. Leaves are fully green. is the above remarks on having it rebloom meaning the green leaves will turn red? If, not what do I do to get them red ?
When do I stop the dark/light process? Is it once the bracts show color or until in full bloom?
I have a poinsettia plant from December 2005 that I have had outdoors since spring. I would like to get it to bloom for this Christmas and have read the previous response. However, I would like to know the following additional information. During the 6 week period of darkness/bright light how often and how much should I water my plant? Should I fertilize before, during or after the 6 weeks and with what type of fertilizer?