Decorate With and Care of Poinsettias






POINSETTIAS

Poinsettias can help you create a very festive entranceway. But if you live in a cooler climate, you should keep them inside. With reasonable care and proper lighting, your Christmas poinsettia can be year-round houseplants, providing brilliant red, white or pink color until spring and delicate green foliage during the other months. Here are some tips to help you keep these beautiful plants healthy and colorful.



LIGHT
Poinsettias draw vitality from natural light -- the more the better. As indoor winter plants, they do best near a window with lots of light. Otherwise, they will tend to shed their leaves prematurely.



WATERING
Keep your poinsettias moist -- never let the soil dry out completely. Test the soil surface with your finger. Add water daily or soak thoroughly at regular intervals. Make sure that drainage is good too.



TEMPERATURE
Normal household temperatures -- 62º to 72º -- are ideal for poinsettias in bloom. Night temperatures can drop to 55º. Avoid heated rooms above 75º, temperatures below 50º, chilly drafts and heating systems.



HUMIDITY
Humidity above 50% is preferred. Especially low humidity can be very harmful, as the thin leaves are very delicate. Use a plant mister regularly to ensure adequate moisture.



FEEDING
Poinsettias benefit from regular, constant feeding during the growing season. They prefer a balanced formula fairly high in nitrogen. Reduce the feeding strength by one-half during the winter.



INSECT CONTROL
Check the plants regularly for signs of infestation. For white flies and mealy bugs, treat plants with an insecticide recommended for this purpose.
AFTER CHRISTMAS
When Christmas color fades, cut the poinsettias back to about 8". Although this pruning may look severe (and you may feel cruel), new shoots will emerge in the spring. Keep the plants in the house or take them outside for the summer when the night temperatures exceed 50º. It is not necessary to repot the poinsettias. Continue to prune or pinch back as desired for shaping during the summer months. Be sure to bring the plants indoors before night temperatures dip below 50º, to ensure healthy-looking leaves.



ANOTHER SEASON OF BLOOMS
If you leave your poinsettias exposed to normal household lights at night, they will remain year-round foliage plants. To bring them to bloom again, they must be handled in a special way. Poinsettias are short-day, or winter-blooming, plants. They start to bud when nights become 13 hours long, as winter approaches. Any stray light at night at this time interferes with the flowering process. Beginning October 1 until full bloom, probably in early December, poinsettias must have 14 hours of total darkness daily. To achieve this, set the plants in a closet or cover with a large cardboard box every night from 5pm to 7am. Night temperatures during this period should be 62º to 67º; lower temperatures may delay blooming. Provide full natural light during daytime hours. Continue darkness control until the centers are well formed -- for about 9 to 10 weeks. Night lights and lowered night temperatures may then be resumed, and your poinsettias will provide another colorful season.