Whether you bonk the name or not , chances are you ’re intimate with poinsettias . These stunning champion - shaped flowers have become apopular Christmas palm , making their way into many family and solemnization . Native to Mexico , these beautiful plants are bonk for theirbright red , festive prime . Although the classic reddish diverseness remain the most popular , hybridizers have created poinsettias with cream , pink , salmon , xanthous , and livid blooms , too !
But why are they so closely associated with the holiday season ? It has to do with where they grow natively . Their bloom time in their native region aligns with the wintertime calendar month ( and thusly the vacation time of year ) in colder regions .
Poinsettia blooms symbolize the Star of Bethlehem and have a substantial place in Mexican culture , so much so that there is a popular legend in which a girlfriend is told by an backer to bring a green goddess to her church building ’s Nativity , where it blooms into a red painted leaf .
Although poinsettia are democratic in colder region during the vacation , many masses treat them as one - off plants and dispose of them after the blooms give way back . With proper care and patience , your poinsettia plant can pull round past the time of year and even bloom again !
How to care for poinsettias at home
Poinsettia care is rather simple during the flower season , especially because they often arrive potted flop from the nursery . You do n’t need to worry about repotting this plant right away ( and should n’t plant it outside unless you live in hardiness zone 9 through 11 ) . Here ’s what you should focus on or else :
Step 1 : Keep them in an environment that ’s consistently between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit .
This admit keep them away from drafts and pose them so their leaves do n’t touch stale windowpane glass . picture to the cold will have your Christmas star to stop bloom , and may cause damage .
tone 2 : Place the Mexican flameleaf in a humid environs .
Since poinsettias are native to Mexico , they postulate a humid environment to survive in . If your menage is dry during the wintertime , conceive getting a humidifier to place in the room with your Christmas flower or put your plants on a tray of pebble take with water .
whole tone 3 : Give your Mexican flameleaf rough 6 to 8 hours of bright , soft luminosity per day .
soft light is important , as lineal sunlight can burn these plant life .
tone 4 : body of water when the surface is dry to meet and impregnate until weewee get along through the drain hole .
Step 5 : Use a well - drain , peat - basedpotting soil to found your Christmas flower .
Most Mexican flameleaf will come pre - potted from the greenhouse . If they are n’t , or if you need to repot yours , then using the correct filth is all-important .
Step 6 : Keep your poinsettias out of reach of your pets or kid .
While poinsettias are n’t deathly toxic to people or pets , they can make your furred friends sick if the plant is eaten .
Step 7 : Watch for yellow or dropping leave .
If the leaf on your poinsettiasstart to yellowor drop , it ’s an indication of a problem . Most likely , it ’s due to ancestor rot because of underwatering , overwatering , or over - fertilization . Some leaves will also fall because of unequal lighting .
Encouraging your poinsettias to rebloom
After the vacation time of year when the salad days die back , many hoi polloi toss of their poinsettias thinking they ’re a one - and - done form of plant — but they are n’t a lost cause ! Before you get free of the gorgeous gifted plants , consider keep them around for another twelvemonth to see if you could encourage them to flower again . Diligent poinsettia care combined with a specific cognitive operation is the best way to get your planst to rebloom the following twelvemonth . Here ’s what to do :
Step 1 : bit by bit decrease the amount of tearing from December to early spring , letting the stain dry out out before watering again .
If the theme start up to shrivel , the plants are getting accentuate from lack of piddle .
pace 2 : Relocate your Christmas star to a cool spot where it ’s around 60 degrees Fahrenheit after a couple calendar week of decreased watering .
Step 3 : Cut back the poinsettia stems to about 4 inches in May using sterilized shear or scissors hold .
Step 4 : Repot ( withfresh potting soil ) into a container the next size up .
footmark 5 : Place the poinsettia stems in a bright window with diffused light , maintain the temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit .
Step 6 : weewee when the soil feels dry .
dance step 7 : Fertilize every two workweek with a poinsettia - specificliquid fertilizeronce you begin to see newfangled increment .
Step 8 : Move your lobster plant alfresco when summertime begin , place them in a shaded surface area .
Step 9 : squeeze the stems back to 1 in to advance well - branching plants in July .
If unpinched , the plants will grow leggy .
Step 10 : Pinch the stems again in mid - August , when the stems have branched out more , get out three or four leaf on each prow .
This is also a good metre to land your Christmas flower back indoors .
tone 11 : Move the poinsettias into unadulterated darkness between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. in October .
Any calorie-free exposure , even the small amount , will delay bloom . poinsettia are affected by the distance of the days and fare October , we ’re come on daylight savings time and shorter daylight hours . To successfully rebloom , your poinsettias need about 10 weeks of 12 to 14 hour of dark per 24-hour interval .
dance step 12 : Return the poinsettias to the sunny window at 8 a.m. , where you ’ll summarise lacrimation and fertilizing per your agenda .
stone’s throw 13 : Repeat this cycle until the last workweek of November .
At the end of November , you’re able to block up moving your poinsettias . Leave them in the sunny windowpane , and you should see buds forming soon .
footfall 14 : Stop fertilize around the middle of December , and keep water your poinsettia as normal .
stair 15 : start again at step 1 if you want to keep your Mexican flameleaf alive to blossom for the next year .
Using poinsettias as holiday decorations
Euphorbia pulcherrima are one of the boldest , burnished vacation decorations — even more so because they bring lifelike , beautiful flush to the equality . They can be used as minimally or as extravagantly as you need . A simple path to contain poinsettia as interior decoration is to replace some of your houseplant on plant put up or tabletop ( of course , you ’ll be moving your houseplants to a impermanent localisation as opposed to disposing of them ) .
you may also take fresh painted leaf rosiness cut and habituate them in flower arrangements , centerpiece , and wreaths . They make a expectant span with scented pinecones and glittery ornament balls , poise out wise fragrances with festive decor .
you’re able to findmore lobster plant decor ideas here !
