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How much water do poinsettias need


Keeping Your Poinsettia Alive | Petitti Garden Centers

December 10, 2022

extending the life of your

poinsettia

The Christmas Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is the most popular holiday plant in the United States. Its festive color will last the entire holiday season and stretch well into winter, if you provide the simple support it needs including the right mix of light, room temperature, and water. If you purchased a poinsettia or received a poinsettia as a gift, read on to learn how easy it is to keep it alive all winter so you can enjoy it as long as you like.

view printable Poinsettia Pointers

How much light does my poinsettia plant need?

Supply 6 hours of bright, indirect light daily. Placement near a southern, western, or eastern window is great. It’s best to avoid direct sunlight, which can cause the colorful bracts to fade and the tips of the foliage to dry out. Poinsettias are not low-light plants. In a dark space with little natural light, the bracts will turn green and drop.

When should I water my poinsettia?

Water your poinsettia plant only when the top layer of soil feels dry to the touch. Thoroughly moisten the soil to the point that water is draining from the bottom of the growing pot. Discard any excess water that builds up in the saucer or decorative foil pot cover. If left to sit in excess water, poinsettias will develop root rot and die.

One helpful trick is to learn how to water poinsettias with ice cubes! With this technique, the ice cube waters the plant slowly and evenly as it melts. At the suggested rate of one ice cube per inch of pot diameter, a typical 6” pot would call for six ice cubes. Overwatering is the enemy of most houseplants during winter, so practicing good houseplant watering habits can make all the difference!

What room temperature is right for my poinsettia?

Set room temperatures at 60⁰-70⁰ Fahrenheit. Colder or warmer temperatures outside of this range can shorten the flowering and overall life of the plant. Also, be sure to prevent hot or cold drafts as best you can by placing your poinsettia plant away from cold windows, main entryways, or heating vents. Drafts like this can cause loss of moisture, leaf damage, and leaf drop. This is why, you’ll note, the plants are covered, sleeved, or otherwise bagged at the time of purchase – to prevent exposure to cold weather during the ride home! Once indoors, however, plants should be unwrapped immediately to prevent gases produced naturally by the plant from getting trapped, which hastens aging.

Should I fertilize my poinsettia plant?

Do not fertilize during the holiday season and subsequent winter months, especially while the plant is still flowering and displaying its colorful bracts.

If you decide to grow the plant year-round, a water-soluble or granular flowering plant food can be applied per package instructions April-November.

How long will my poinsettia stay in color?

Poinsettias typically flower anywhere from two to eight weeks, and some varieties display colorful bracts well into March with the best care. Once the flower bracts do fade, it’s best to put the plant into a state of dormancy, so it can rest up before the active spring growing season.

To induce dormancy, heavily prune the plant back to 4-8” tall, leaving one or two leaves per stem. Decrease the amount of water so that the top inch of soil is absolutely dry before reapplying water. Keep the plant in a cool location (60⁰F is best). Do not fertilize. Don’t worry if your poinsettia doesn’t show signs of fading until late March; every plant is different.

Caring for poinsettias

Curious to know what it takes to grow your poinsettia year-round and get it to rebloom next holiday season?

Watch this video with Noelle, Director of Education, all about poinsettias. In addition to sharing tips on how to be successful with your poinsettias during the busy holiday season, she also explains the care you can give your plant during spring, summer, and fall in order to trigger new blooms for next Christmas! Plus, she introduces 10 varieties we grow at our Casa Verde greenhouse growing facility in Columbia Station.

 

poinsettias for winter

With proper care and attention, poinsettias will add beauty to your home or office all winter long. As an indoor plant, all they require is the right balance of light, temperature, and water.

Learn More About Poinsettias

How Much Water Do Poinsettias Need?

For poinsettias, too much water will hurt them just as much (maybe more) as having too little. It’s important to find that right balance. Once you find it, your poinsettias will easily last you throughout the entire holiday season and well beyond.

How much and how often should you water your poinsettia? Get your questions answered here.

How much water is too much for poinsettias? How do you know when your poinsettia has had enough? How much is too little? What's the right amount of water for poinsettias?

Let’s find out.

Jump to:

How Often Should I Water My Poinsettia?

Feel the top of the soil in your poinsettia pot to see if it is time to water again.

The short answer? You should water your poinsettia about once a week.

HOWEVER...

How often you need to water your poinsettia depends on a few factors. The biggest factor is the quality, absorbency, and water retention capacity of the potting soil it is planted in.

Changing the soil doesn’t usually make a lot of sense because most people consider poinsettias a seasonal plant that they only plan to keep for four to eight weeks during the Christmas season. It probably makes the most sense to work with the soil and pot the plant came in.

So, the more correct answer is to water your poinsettia based on its needs.

What is a poinsettia’s water needs?

It’s better to take your poinsettia plant to water than to bring water to your poinsettia plant.

Poinsettias need to be allowed to mostly dry out before they are watered. There are two good ways to figure out if your poinsettia needs watering:

  1. Check the top of the plant’s potting soil. Press lightly with your finger. When the top of the soil feels dry to the touch, water your poinsettia.
  2. Lift the pot. If the pot feels light, it’s time to water your poinsettia again.

Even if the plant is only moist when you touch the soil, it’s not time to water it yet. Wait until the soil feels dry at the top.

There is a “best” way to water your poinsettia to give it the right amount of water without overdoing it and without creating rot problems.

The Right Amount and the Right Way to Water Your Poinsettia

Poinsettias prefer to have their water kind of all-at-once as opposed to frequent light watering.

A good soaking is the right amount of water for your poinsettia. Instead of watering it with a watering can like you do many house plants, it’s best to take your poinsettia to the sink and give it a good soaking. Run the water through until the soil is saturated, and the water runs out the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. Let it sit until it is not dripping, and then return it to its place of honor.

Signs you’re overwatering your poinsettia.

Dropping leaves can be signs of both overwatering and underwatering. It’s what part of the plant they fall from that tells you which is the problem.

The most common sign that your poinsettia is being overwatered is the yellowing and dropping of leaves on the lower parts of the plant.

Sudden wilting and dying of the whole plant are also a sign of root rot and overwatering. By this point, the plant often cannot be salvaged. You may need to get another poinsettia and try again, this time armed with a little more knowledge and experience.

Signs you’re underwatering your poinsettia.

Drying, curling, or wilting leaves are signs that your poinsettia is not getting enough water. Though this sounds like the symptoms of overwatering, there is a difference.

Leaf loss from underwatering is different than a loss from overwatering in that it occurs all over the plant. Leaf drop from overwatering happens at the bottom of the plant but not usually on the upper leaves or colored bracts.

Other Tips for Watering Poinsettias

Don’t let water stand in the saucer.

Unlike most house plants, where it’s wise to let some water pool in the bottom saucer and let the plant uptake it later when it needs it, poinsettias don’t like standing in a pool of water. It keeps their soil and their roots too moist, and it doesn’t give them a break they need by letting the soil semi-dry out.

Make sure water can drain through decorative foils or coverings.

Plastic or foil, or other decorative wrappings can cause poinsettias to stay too wet, often damaging or killing them.

Poinsettias often come wrapped in a pretty, colored decorative plastic or foil. These coverings are really good at holding in water. The result is that the pots can’t drain the way they need to, and there is often standing water left in the bottom of the foil that acts the same as a plant saucer filled with drained water.

If you want to keep the decorative wrap on your poinsettia plant (or if you want to use one of your own design), just make sure that the pot can drain. You can cut holes in the bottom of the foil, or you can cut the bottom out completely. You can also take the foil off when you soak your plant, let the pot drain in the sink for a while, and then slip it back into the sleeve. Just don’t try to water your poinsettia with an impermeable covering on it.

Don’t water too much or too often.

Overwatering is the most common killer of poinsettias. Don’t water your poinsettia more often than is needed, and don’t give it more water than it needs (puddles of undrained water is more water than it needs).

Adjust your watering schedule to your home or office.

All homes and buildings are different climate-wise. Some are kept hotter, some cooler, some are well-humidified, and some are very dry (dry air is a common problem in heated buildings in winter). What’s needed in a warm or tropical winter climate will be a lot different than what is needed in a cool or cold northern climate.

While there are general guidelines that will suit most of us, we all have our own little home microclimates that make the needs of the plants in our homes a little different. Trust yourself and let your plant guide you. Don’t follow a rigid schedule of watering if that’s not what your poinsettia is asking for.

Poinsettia or Christmas star flower at home: how to care for, save until next year and make it bloom again

Plants that bloom in the coldest and darkest winter months can be counted on the fingers. One of these “uniques” is the most beautiful poinsettia (the most beautiful euphorbia, the Christmas star). In winter, it blooms with small button-flowers, framed by bright bracts of red, pink, and white tones. It is they who give the plant a festive, recognizably "Christmas" look. nine0003

Poinsettias are usually bought on New Year's Eve or Christmas Eve as a temporary decoration. After flowering ends and the bracts fall off, the plant is discarded. This happens because poinsettia is very capricious. For many unlucky flower growers, it rots already in the first months of being in the house, for others it never blooms again. The Christmas star needs special care, taking into account its tropical origin, clear periods of rest and vegetation. In this case, it will delight you for many years, blooming anew every December. And it can bloom as much as 3-4 months! Therefore, it is still worth making friends with her and keeping her, despite the difficulties. nine0003 Poinsettia flowers are small, inconspicuous, but they are framed by bright colorful bracts

Contents

Christmas star flower: personality traits

Poinsettia has a complex character. She is extremely thermophilic, prefers a temperature range of 12-25 ° C. The summer heat above 25°C is negative. It does not tolerate dry air, so in winter, with running batteries, it has to be sprayed often. Any cold, draft can also be fatal for the Christmas star. Imagine: this flower in winter needs to be moved away from the window pane so that delicate leaves do not accidentally touch the cold surface. Here is such a sissy! nine0003 Varieties of the most beautiful poinsettia

Poinsettia is usually acquired in winter, during the flowering period. It is impossible to buy it on the street, at temperatures below 5 ° C. Even a short stay in such conditions is often detrimental to the poinsettia. After purchase, you can not transfer an open plant in the cold. Wrap it in paper, cover with a cloth, and only then take it outside. Otherwise, the poinsettia will get frostbite, the consequences of which can be the most unpleasant: from falling leaves to the death of the plant.

Poinsettia characteristics

Christmas Star: Care in Bloom (December-February)

So you bought a blooming poinsettia and brought it home. What's next? Follow these simple steps:

1. Place the poinsettia on a bright south, east or west window sill. In winter, the southern window sill is ideal for her, but with obligatory shading from direct sunlight.

2. Maintain temperature between 16-25°C. Do not open the vents so that cold air does not enter the plant. nine0003

3. Maintain high humidity. It is desirable that there are no hot batteries under the windowsill that reduce humidity. Dry air has a very bad effect on the plant, reducing its decorative properties (leaves dry, turn yellow, fall off). Therefore, in winter, spray poinsettia with warm settled water 1-2 times a day. Or use other methods to increase humidity. For example, place a plant pot (with a tray) in a wide extra tray filled with wet expanded clay. Or get a humidifier. nine0003

4. Water the poinsettia as needed. She prefers moist soil, but without stagnant water and dampness. Watering should be carried out with warm settled water only after the topsoil has dried. The water from the pan must be drained, otherwise the soil will become damp and the roots will begin to rot.

5. One month after purchase, if the poinsettia continues to bloom, feed it with a complete fertilizer for indoor flowering plants. So you prolong its beauty, add strength for further flowering. nine0003 Poinsettia with proper care can bloom up to 4 months!

Rest period (March-April)

After flowering, the bracts of the Christmas star fall off, and the leaves may also partially fly around. The first sign of the end of flowering is the appearance of green leaves on top of the bracts. During this period:

1. Place the poinsettia in a shaded, cool place with a temperature of 12-15°C.

2. Trim the plant. It is enough to leave shoots 7-10 cm high on the poinsettia.

Pruning poinsettia allows you to later form a compact, well-flowering bush0002 3. Minimize watering. Between waterings, the earth ball can dry out completely, this will only benefit the “sleeping” plant.

At rest, the home flower of the Christmas star should stay 1.5-2 months.

Vegetation period (May - September)

With the advent of warm weather, poinsettia begins active growth: new shoots and leaves appear, the root mass increases.

With the onset of warm and sunny days, the cut poinsettia bush begins to be covered with young leaves

The plan for caring for the Christmas star during the growing season is:

1. Transplant the poinsettia to new soil. It should be loose and moisture permeable. This composition is well suited: leafy soil, soddy soil, peat, sand in a ratio of 2:3:1:1. The pot can be taken a little more than the previous one. But remember that the larger the pot, the taller the poinsettia can grow. At home, up to 35-50 cm.

2. Place the plant pot on a warm, light window sill. Ideally, take it out to the balcony or garden. The place of detention should be light, but with shading from direct midday rays. The hot sun can scorch tender leaves. It is unacceptable to install a pot of poinsettia in a draft. nine0003

3. Keep the poinsettia at 16-25°C.

4. Water the plant sparingly, after the top layer of earth has dried to a thickness of 2-3 cm. Drain all the water that has spilled through the wood holes into the pan. If waterlogged, root rot is possible!

5. As top dressing in the spring and summer, use universal fertilizer (with the same content of N, P, K) or fertilizer for ornamental foliage (with a high content of N). With a violent growth, poinsettia responds to the introduction of humus, bird droppings, and humus. nine0003

6. Start shaping the poinsettia. As soon as the plant begins to grow, select the 4-6 strongest shoots, cut the rest (cut cuttings can be used for rooting). Thus, a compact, dense crown is formed and a decorative look of the flower is provided.

Preparation for flowering (end of September - November)

Under normal room conditions, without following certain conditions of maintenance, flowering of poinsettia can be difficult. In order for the laying of flower buds to occur, it is necessary to create conditions for the plant that are close to natural. In its homeland, in Mexico, the flowering of poinsettia begins after 2 months of short daylight hours with a duration of 10 hours. When keeping poinsettia in living rooms, such conditions are provided artificially. There are several options for how to do this:

Option #1 - Protect the poinsettia from light

Beginning in late September, from 6 pm to 8 am, cover the poinsettia with a cardboard box or an opaque plastic bag.

Option #2 - Provide a natural cycle of darkness and light

In the fall, place the poinsettia in a heated greenhouse or non-living room where there is no artificial light. Naturally, a short daylight hours during this period will be sufficient for her. nine0003

Option #3 - use light barriers

Unfortunately, under normal room conditions, the poinsettia on the windowsill will be illuminated by electrical appliances: lamps, TV screens, etc. Even a small amount of light that goes beyond the norms of a short daylight hours can “knock down” the flowering of a Christmas star. If you decide to make your poinsettia bloom on the windowsill, then use thick curtains as a screen from home light. After 6 p.m., pull them tightly so that the poinsettia on the windowsill is in the dark. nine0003

All this time:

At the end of November, after 2 months of short daylight hours, all manipulations can be stopped and the poinsettia can be placed on a bright, warm windowsill. Very soon buds will appear on it, followed by colorful bracts.

Beginning of flowering of poinsettia: buds and colored bracts appear on the apical cuttings Gradually bracts increase, flower buds open

The most beautiful poinsettia: video

How can the most beautiful poinsettia look like, how to care for it to preserve its decorative effect, how to make it bloom? All these questions are answered by the director of the garden center:

tips for growing: care, planting and transplanting, fertilizers and soil Peter Pete, watering, pruning, diseases and pests

Poinsettia ”) is an amazing evergreen shrub of the Euphorbia family native to Central America, which got its name in honor of the American botanist D. R. Poinsett, fascinated by its flowering in the last decade of December. Under natural conditions, poinsettia reaches a height of 4 m, but breeders have bred varieties with a height of only 30-50 cm with scarlet, pink, white, peach, yellow, blue, purple, gray and two-color bracts, eye-catching and enlivening any interior. nine0003

Native American legend says that the wild poinsettia was the favorite plant of Chief Montezuma. Franciscan friars who settled in present-day Mexico in the 17th century began decorating temples with purple poinsettia leaves at Christmas, and the tradition soon spread throughout the country. Today, a living gift for the New Year in the form of a flowering plant is becoming popular in Russia.

Indulge in "star capriciousness", create comfortable conditions for the poinsettia, and it will surely thank you with the wonderful flowering of its large leaf-shaped stars. nine0003

Recommended varieties

'Jingle Bells Sonora', 'Cinnamon Star', 'Regina', 'Enduring White', 'Floristera Pink', 'Cortez White', 'Lemon snow', 'Mars', 'Gutbier V-10 Pink", "Purple Rain", "RedfoxPremiun Miro", "Dolce Rosa", "Snow White", "Enduring Pink".

Repotting

How to repot a poinsettia. You can transplant it in the spring (April-May), after a dormant period, when the awakened plant will have young leaves. It is important not to damage the root system, because. even the slightest injury can cause great harm to the plant as a whole. The root of the star is small, so it can be transplanted into a pot larger than the old one by 3-4 cm in height and 1-2 cm in diameter. When transplanting, keep the root clod of earth, and in order to get the plant out of the old pot without injury, pour the soil with warm water 15 minutes before transplanting. Don't forget to water the soil mixture. nine0003

Poinsettia soil. Prefers slightly acidic soil (рН=5.4-6.3), consisting of leafy, clay-soddy, peaty soil and sand in the ratio 2:3:1:1. But you can not bother and buy a ready-made nutrient soil PETER PEAT "Universal" of the HOBBY line.

Housing and care

When does the Christmas star bloom? The poinsettia flower usually blooms at Christmas, which is why it has such a name. At the end of the flowering period, her leaves fall. nine0003

How to care for a poinsettia

Poinsettia Watering

Water abundantly when the soil dries out, although it is not recommended to water frequently. In case of cracking of the soil and drying of the leaves, thoroughly pour the pot with the plant with warm, settled water. In addition, you need to spray the leaves during flowering.

After each watering, after 30 minutes, drain excess water from the pan, and to prevent root rot, small PETER PEAT river pebbles from the DECO line can be placed in the pan. Do not allow water to stagnate in the tank during the recovery period (January-March). nine0003

Top dressing

In the spring-autumn period, 2 times a month, poinsettia needs foliar top dressing containing iron, zinc, molybdenum in the amount of 1/3 of the standard dose indicated on the package. Then its leaves will become brighter and fresher. During the flowering period, you can pamper the poinsettia a little with potash fertilizers (1/2 dose).

Poinsettia Trimming

Trimming must be done twice. The first time in early April, during the dormant period, to a height of 15 cm from the ground. The second time after the transplant, because. poinsettias begin to grow new shoots. nine0003

Excessive and overgrown shoots should be removed or cut off more radically. By giving the plant a neat appearance, you provide access to light to all its stems. The flower will be more magnificent, and the cuttings will rot less likely.

Post-flowering care

In Europe, the poinsettia is discarded when it has faded and lost its "party dress". But in Russia this is not accepted, especially since the plant is not cheap. Once the poinsettia has finished blooming and the leaves have fallen off, cut the stems 10 cm from the ground, place in a cool place and reduce watering by half. And in May, transplant it into a new pot with fresh soil PETER PEAT "Universal" of the HOBBY line, not forgetting to water it properly with warm, settled water. nine0003

Propagation

How to propagate poinsettia from cuttings

In August-September, from an adult poinsettia, cut cuttings 7-10 cm long with 4-6 leaves, making cuts directly under the lower node. Remove the lower leaves, and dip the cuttings in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes to get rid of the "milk" flowing from the cuts. Then for 4-5 hours, place in a stimulating solution of liquid humic fertilizer PETER PEAT "Live force: for soaking seeds." Fill a planting container with a depth of 6-8 cm with a moist substrate of sand, dry manure and humus (1:1:2) or PETER PEAT nutrient soil "For seedlings" of the HOBBY line and deepen the cuttings by 2-3 cm.

Keep the container at a temperature of + 24-28°C, cover it with a transparent film and turn on a phytolamp above it, suspended at a distance of 30 cm. Ventilate the cuttings 3-4 times a day and spray with warm water 2 times a day, constantly checking the soil moisture . Remove the film for 8-10 days. Feed immediately after planting and every 18-20 days with liquid humic fertilizer PETER PEAT "Living Force: Healthy Seedlings".

Rooting of the cuttings will end in 25-30 days, and when young leaves appear, the shoots should be pinched off, starting to form bushes. The optimum temperature for their growth is + 18-24°C. In the autumn, transplant the cuttings (with clods of substrate!) into pots 15-20 cm high and Ø15 cm high. Full-fledged plants will form only after a year. nine0003

Diseases and pests

Symptom Cause What to do/Treatment
Leaves are turning yellow. The plant is kept in a cool room and waterlogged regularly; low air humidity. Correct mode
Leaves are falling. Insufficient watering; waterlogging of the soil; lack of lighting; a sharp temperature drop in the room; the onset of a dormant period (March-April). nine0203 Correct mode
Why doesn't the poinsettia bloom? Failure to comply with light and temperature regimes; wrong soil; not enough food. Correct mode
Gray mold on shoots, inflorescences and stems; brown spots form on leaves.

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