A passion for poinsettias

November/December 2008

Your holiday poinsettia: It’s a keeper!

By David Ross

If you’ve got a poinsettia in your home this holiday season or plan to purchase one, you’re certainly not alone. These colorful, showy plants are the most popular holiday home decoration, with millions of them sold during the six weeks that lead up to Christmas.

Traditional red poinsettias are still the most popular by far, but now there are white, pink, blends, speckled and even custom-painted poinsettias available to fit every decorating need. These members of the Euphorbia family are also available in almost every size imaginable – from a few inches tall to over 5 or 6 feet tall.

How should you care for your poinsettia?

• Provide bright light and moderate temperatures, generally between 60 and 70 degrees.
• Water when the soil has begun to dry. Tip! If your house is on the cold side, let the soil dry a little more between waterings.
• Remove decorative pot coverings if they prevent water from draining out.

Peppermint Twist Poinsettia, from Paul Ecke Ranch

After the holidays, some people enjoy re-blooming their poinsettias. Want to try it? Here are some tips from our friends at Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas in San Diego County. They grow more than 70 percent of the nation’s flowering poinsettias and have been the leading supplier of the festive plant for generations.

David Ross is a horticulturalist and manager for Walter Andersen Nursery in San Diego and Poway.

How to re-bloom your poinsettia

Courtesy of Paul Ecke Ranch

When the poinsettia's bracts age and lose their aesthetic appeal, there's no reason to throw it out. With proper care, dedication and a certain amount of luck, you too can re-bloom your poinsettia!

By late March or early April, cut your poinsettia back to about 8" in height. Continue a regular watering program, and fertilize your plant with a good, balanced all-purpose fertilizer. By the end of May, you should see vigorous new growth.

Place your plants outdoors, where they can bask in the warmth of spring and summer, after all chance of frost has passed and night temperatures average 55° F or above. Continue regular watering during the growth period, and fertilize every 2 to 3 weeks.

Ice Punch Poinsettia, from Paul Ecke Ranch

Pruning may be required during the summer to keep plants bushy and compact. Late June or early July is a good time for this step, but be sure not to prune your plant later than September 1. Keep the plants in indirect sun and water regularly.

Around June 1, you may transplant your poinsettia into a larger pot. Select a pot no more than 4 inches larger than the original pot. A soil mix with a considerable amount of organic matter, such as peat moss or leaf mold, is highly recommended. In milder climates, you may transplant the plant into a well-prepared garden bed. Be sure the planting bed is rich in organic material and has good drainage.

The poinsettia is a photoperiodic plant, meaning that it sets bud and produces flowers as the autumn nights lengthen. Poinsettias will naturally come into bloom during November or December, depending on the flowering response time of the individual cultivar. Timing to produce blooms for the Christmas holiday can be difficult outside of the controlled environment of a greenhouse. Stray light of any kind, such as from a streetlight or household lamps, could delay or entirely halt the re-flowering process.

Starting October 1, the plants must be kept in complete darkness for 14 continuous hours each night. Accomplish this by moving the plants to a totally dark room, or by covering them overnight with a large box. During October, November and early December, poinsettias require 6 to 8 hours of bright sunlight daily, with night temperatures between 60 to 70° F. Temperatures outside of this range could also delay flowering.

Continue the normal watering and fertilizer program. Carefully following this regime for 8 to 10 weeks should result in a colorful display of blooms for the holiday season!