Growing Poinsettias as Houseplants. This year, the greenhouses produced more than 12,000 poinsettias. If you want to go the extra mile, you can take a few extra steps to ensure your plant flowers again in time for the next Christmas. I watered them when soil feel dry in touch. Poinsettia… Last year, I decided to try to keep them alive all year so I’d have them ready for the next holiday season. Poinsettias are traditional Christmas flowering plants that will last throughout the Christmas season, and some people try to re-flower the plants again for next year. Yes. I keep mine for a few years usually and they do very well. • Poinsettias do best at daytime temperatures of 65 to 70 degrees. With proper poinsettia plant care, they will give you many years of beauty. PRINCETON — Carefully cultivation including 10 hours of darkness a day for 10 weeks went into growing the poinsettias filling a local greenhouse just in time for the holidays. Some stores sell poinsettias in cellophane cones that … Poinsettias need not disappear after the holiday season. Do not allow poinsettias to sit in water. When June arrives and the possibility of frost is past, it's time to move the poinsettia outside. Poinsettias have long-lasting flowers – their bracts will remain showy for several months. As I pinched some of them off, a lot of that white hormone stuff came out. After the danger of spring frost has passed and night temperatures exceed 50 degrees, plant the poinsettia pot in the ground in a well-drained, slightly shaded spot outdoors. A good rule of thumb, he said, is to water the poinsettia plants three times per week until the pot gets heavy and then water them again when the pot gets light. Poinsettias are tender, tropical perennials, so, theoretically, if you provide the right conditions indoors (explained in full above), and never expose the plant to temperature extremes or shock it, it could last for many years. "To ensure the plants last all year long, you can put them in a huge pot with a good potting mix or take them out of the pot and place them outside in a flower bed where they can take more light, however, they must be in an area where they have at least 14 hours of darkness to flower," Shields said. Poinsettias need not disappear after the holiday season. If all else fails, the plant may need to be discarded. Every year I get a couple poinsettias for decorations. Poinsettias are cheery plants that are widely grown indoors over Christmas for their brightly coloured bracts. Poinsettias won't live long with waterlogged roots. Additional Tips for Moving Poinsettia Plants. Read on to … Keep the plant in a cool, draft-free area and provide plenty of water. Poinsettia care is easy throughout the holidays. Last year I bought a tiny one and ‘bonsaid’ it.. Each time a leaf grew slightly big I took it off and I know have a tiny poinsettia with tiny little leaves. Poinsettias bloom naturally at Christmas because they need long nights to flower and short nights to grow. Notoriously difficult to get to flower for a second season, poinsettias are high-maintenance plants that have a series of specific requirements if they are to survive past the holiday. Keep the plant in bright light, but not in direct sunlight, for at least 8 hours a day. One of the biggest mistakes people make with poinsettia plants is overwatering them! This one reason alone is why you are probably killing your poinsettias every year. Red is the most durable with white being the most finickiest with pink right in the middle. DON’T Forget to Protect the Plant in the Car. • Check the soil daily. Just keep watering as you do each Christmas. During this time, it is best to prune the plant back to around 6” tall. When the leaves begin to yellow or when the plant is no longer desired as an ornamental, gradually withhold water. parts are actually the leaves. That’s possible with the right care, experts say. Outdoors, these cheerful tropical plants can be cultivated year-round in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. According to Geoffrey Shields, managing director of Shields & Shields, a leader in Jamaica's horticultural industry, poinsettias do best when the temperature is between 65 and 75 degrees. Knowing that they are tropical plants, it is important to remember that these blooms need a lot of light, high humidity, and warm temperatures to thrive. They don't like to be transplanted when that big, so mine didn't make it after that. Not only will it bring some year-round colour to your space, but it will also save you some extra cash next Christmas when it is time to decorate for the season again. It grew to over 6 ft tall and was just as wide. They start to appear on the market in late November and are still available for purchase through the first week of January. Just follow these simple rules: Light: Place your poinsettias in an area where they'll receive a minimum of six hours of bright (but not direct) sunlight each day. How to Care for Poinsettias. Indoor Move When evening temperatures begin to drop in August or September, move the plant indoors and keep the soil moist. Set the pots into a basin of water with a few inches of water in it. Place it in a shady spot and both water and fertilize it regularly. Nothing says Christmas time more than those bright red poinsettias! Poinsettias are relatively easy to keep alive during the short holiday season, but getting them to rebloom next year is a much bigger undertaking. Poinsettias’s elegance and signature vibrant colors make people want to preserve their plants beyond New Year’s Day. A bit of temperature fluctuation is best. Temperature: These plants prefer temperatures from 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and from 60 to 65 degrees at night. It has a highly unusual beauty, with colorful bracts being the main focal point, brought on by a curious ritual of alternating light and darkness. Every year in the US, approximately 70 million poinsettias of many cultivated varieties are sold in a six-week period. This year, the family has too many poinsettias. The first half of … The colorful flower bracts (red, pink, white, or bicolor pink and white) should be in proportion to the plant and pot size. During this time, side shoots will develop below the bracts and grow up above the old flowering stems. To get poinsettias to re-bloom, limit its exposure to sunlight or this will affect the blooming process. Poinsettias are not only for the Christmas season anymore. Learn some helpful hints on how to take care of your poinsettias so they will last a wee bit … 5 How long do poinsettias live? They grace our homes during that festive season, bringing holiday cheer, but did you know that you can keep those gorgeous blooms alive and thriving all throughout the coming year. These plants produce brightly colored bracts -- modified leaves -- that turn red, pink or white during the holiday season. Your poinsettia may only bloom in December, but like a gift that keeps on giving, it will need your attention all year round. In the fall, take your poinsettia plant indoors way before the first frost to avoid chilling injury. They are often disposed of once they start to fade, but with a little care, you can keep them all year and the bracts will colour up again the following year. That signature vibrancy is why many people would like to preserve their poinsettias to last beyond the New Year, which is possible with the right care. I thought it was stressing itself out. 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