Post Christmas Poinsettia Care
With the holiday season winding down, you may be asking yourself the age old question, “what do I do with my poinsettias?” The short answer is to either relegate it to the compost pile or keep it as a houseplant which is very do-able.
Poinsettias are a tropical dry forest large, leggy shrub native to southern Mexico and northern Guatemala. This tells you they like it sunny, bright and warm. In their native habitat they go through a period of drought each year which causes the leaves and bracts to drop. With proper care and attention, poinsettias can live indoors to be 10-20 years old!
If you decide not to keep it as a houseplant, perhaps gift it to your plant loving friends, family or neighbors. They may or may not thank you for that! You can also bid it farewell and off it goes to the compost pile. Wear gloves when chopping up the branches as the plant's white latex sap can be a skin irritant and source of allergy reaction to some people and pets. Ingestion causes stomach irritation, nausea and cramps. Contrary to popular belief, this plant is not poisonous.
Please know that poinsettias can grow perfectly well in your home after Christmas. They love a very bright room, but not direct sunlight, which can burn the leaves. We are fortunate in Saskatchewan to have many sunny winter days. They will eventually reach a mature height and width of 60 to 90 cm. Height and width also depends on the variety you purchased. If you do decide to keep your poinsettia, there are two possible scenarios that may occur after the holiday season is over.
Do not be surprised if the poinsettia goes dormant, losing its foliage and bracts from January to March. If this happens, decrease the watering and keep the plant on the dry side. Water every two weeks. Overwatering usually results in root rot. Put the plant in a warm, shady location. When new growth begins in spring, prune it back to 12 to 15 cm tall, leaving a few outward facing leaf buds on the bottom of the plant. This promotes stem branching. Repot into a size larger plastic pot and gradually introduce it to more light. Use a quality tropical soil such as Pro Mix with added perlite. The plastic pot can be put into a more decorative glazed ceramic pot after repotting. Make sure the plastic pot has excellent drainage.
The second scenario is that some poinsettias will hold onto their leaves and colorful bracts for weeks or even months.
So, if the poinsettia continues to show bract color and is doing well, give it one application of half strength all- purpose water soluble tropical plant fertilizer in January. You can also top up the depressions in the soil with fresh soil. Put it in a bright room, but away from cold drafts, fireplaces and furnace vents. A regular room temperature is good. They also benefit from a little extra humidity as our homes are so dry in the winter. Small humidifiers are available online or in retail hardware stores.
Wait until the top 2.5 to 5 cm of soil is dry and then water thoroughly with room temperature water. Remove any excess water in the drip tray. If the leaves are wilting, turning yellow and dropping off the plant, you are probably overwatering it. On the flip side, when the plant is under watered it may show the same signs as overwatering but usually the leaves dry and curl up before falling.
If the plant happens to totally dry out, do water it thoroughly until the water runs out the bottom of the pot- wait a few minutes, then water again. Get rid of any excess water in the drip saucer. You can also immerse the pot in a sink filled with warm water. Soak the soil for ten or fifteen minutes. If the root ball is thoroughly wet, the pot will feel heavy.
Closer to spring the poinsettia may experience a brief period of dormancy. The flowers or tiny yellow bloom tips in the centre of the colorful bracts will turn black. The bract color will fade and the plant will drop those bracts and leaves. Dormancy has broken when you see new leaf buds form. It is time to prune the poinsettia back and repot.
No matter when you repot, follow the same steps.
Use a new plastic pot one size up from the original. Move a four inch into a six inch pot; a six inch into an eight.
Buy a good quality tropical soil such as Pro-Mix. You can add a bit more perlite to this soil to create excellent drainage and aeration around the roots.
Lightly water the poinsettia if it is dry.
First cut back the poinsettia stems to an outward facing leaf bud to about 12 to 15 cm tall. Poinsettia stems are naturally hollow.
Take the poinsettia out of its original pot and inspect the roots. Healthy roots are ivory or white. Trim back any that look dark, diseased or brown. Gently loosen a few of the healthy roots, pulling outward. Cover the new pot drainage holes with a coffee filter. Put some of the new tropical soil in the bottom of the pot and place the root ball in the pot making sure the top of its soil is just a bit below the rim of the pot. Fill around the root ball with new soil; gently tamping it down. Water thoroughly and let the pot drain. Give the newly repotted poinsettia a couple of weeks to settle into the new soil. Most top quality tropical soil mixes have enough fertilizer to feed a plant for three months. Poinsettias are heavy feeders though, so you can add an extra half strength all- purpose water soluble fertilizer feeding every two weeks during the growing season. Always water first, then water again with the water soluble fertilizer.
If you plan to put your plant outside in the summer wait until outdoor temps are at the very least 12.5 C (preferably higher) before setting it out, first in dappled shade, slowly acclimatizing it to a brighter area. A very bright location out of direct sun is the best.
In early summer, prune stems back 5 to 8 cm from the growing tips to encourage bushiness further down the stem. This can be done again in mid to late summer if the plant becomes too leggy.
Take it back inside well before a light frost occurs.