Mistakes To Avoid When Caring For A Poinsettia Plant

If you've visited your local nursery or garden center during the festive season, you were probably delighted with a magnificent display of stunning poinsettia plants (Euphorbia pulcherrima). These plants are perfect for adding to your décor around the holidays with their dark green leaves and bright red bracts. Nowadays, you can even find different hybrids with dyed bracts in shades of pink, white, blue, or orange. If you've been tempted to buy one of these or you were given one as a gift, you might be wondering if you can keep your poinsettia alive all year long. The answer is yes, provided you avoid some mistakes people often make when caring for these plants. Two of the most common mistakes include overwatering and underwatering. Poinsettias do prefer a moist soil that can drain freely, so if your plant is wrapped in foil or plastic when you first bring it home, either remove it or poke holes in the bottom so excess water can drain away and doesn't pool. Besides improper watering, other common mistakes include not keeping your plants warm enough, exposing them to drafts, or not feeding them at the right time. 

Avoiding these mistakes should help to ensure your plants stay healthy well past the holiday season. Of course, you'll need to do more than just the bare minimum is you want to encourage your poinsettia to thrive and produce more bright red bracts. Once you've mastered how to care for them, you might be keen to explore all the simple ways to incorporate gorgeous poinsettias into your holiday decor.

The first mistake to avoid is overwatering or underwatering your poinsettia. You should only water your plant when the soil feels dry to the touch. Ideally, you want to flush the soil with water until it flows out of the holes at the bottom of the pot and then let it drain completely. Never let your poinsettia sit in water, as these plants need perfect drainage for healthy roots. At the same time, make sure the potting mix doesn't dry out totally. If you're unsure of how often you should be watering your poinsettia or you don't like poking your finger in the potting mix, you may want to invest in an inexpensive device like the Dr.meter Soil Moisture Meter to make certain your plant gets the correct amount of hydration

Next, you'll want to avoid putting your poinsettia in the wrong location. These plants need bright light but should be kept out of direct sunlight. A south-facing window can be the perfect spot, but make sure you don't put your plant too close to a cold, drafty window. Poinsettias need daytime temperatures of around 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit with nighttime temperatures that don't drop below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold drafts will cause the leaves to drop. Being tropical plants, it's also important to not put them anywhere near heating vents as these tend to dry out the air too much. Finally, don't forget to give your poinsettia a balanced fertilizer from late winter until the end of summer so it continues to grow and thrive, blooming again when long winter nights return.