Poinsettia season has arrived, filling our homes with dazzling color just as the world outside turns gray and cold. If bringing one of these beautiful blooming plants home with you is part of your yearly Christmas routine, or if this is your first try, here’s all the tips you’ll need to know to keep your Poinsettia looking bright and beautiful throughout the entire season!
Temperature and humidity: Poinsettias prefer temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid drastic temperature drops, cold drafts, and placing plants next to a cold window… this can cause leaves to wilt. Poinsettias can’t handle frost and can be damaged or killed if temperatures go below 50 degrees, even for a brief time… this means getting a poinsettia home during the holidays can be dicey in Iowa/Illinois! Avoid leaving them in an unheated car, and protect it with a light covering when transporting it from store to car or car to home.
Light: When you purchase a Poinsettia from us for the holidays, it’s primed and ready to perform and will keep on looking good for several weeks no matter where it’s displayed. To make your Poinsettia last even longer, give it as much natural light as you can in mid-winter; however, avoid placing directly in front of hot south-facing windows.
Water: Over-watering is a common killer of Poinsettias. Water your Poinsettia when the surface of the soil feels dry to the touch, but not every day. Remove any foil around the container to allow water to drain. Generally, watering once or twice a week will be perfect if you moisten the soil thoroughly. Avoid wetting the foliage. Make sure your Poinsettia is not sitting in water! On the flip side of that, don’t let your Poinsettia sit dry for too long either. Once the plant gets too dry, it will start dropping leaves!
The famous question: Are Poinsettias safe for pets? Let’s start by saying that despite what you’ve heard, the poinsettia plant is “generally overrated in toxicity.” However, if a stem is broken, the plant leaks a white, milky sap, which can be irritating to mouths or skin if not washed off. So if your pet ingests pieces of a poinsettia, he or she may get an upset stomach, though likely nothing worse.