The poinsettia is one of the most popular seasonal plants on earth. These plants are commonly known as Christmas plants because of their beauty, shapes, sizes, and colors.
Many gardeners consider them one of the trickiest plants to maintain. However, poinsettia care is not that difficult if you pay a little bit of attention to the plants in the right manner. Follow the instructions below for better poinsettia care:
Poinsettia Care Guide
Many factors are required for poinsettia care such as water, humidity, light, and fertilizers. Let’s dive deeper and discuss these factors in detail…
Choose a Suitable Place for the Poinsettia
Selecting the appropriate place for a plantation is the most crucial factor for poinsettia care. If you don’t choose a suitable place for the plants, you will never get the desired results. You should choose a place for poinsettia where it can receive at least 6 hours of indirect sunlight every day.
Further, don’t let the leaves touch the cold surfaces like cold window panes because this can cause them to freeze. As a result, leaves will fall off.
Temperature
The ideal temperature is between 65 to 70oF for the proper growth of poinsettia. Try to avoid exposing the plants to cold drafts and heat from open fires and radiators, etc.
The too low temperature will freeze the plant. Similarly, the too hot temperature will cause severe damage. So try to maintain ideal temperature during night and daytime as well.
Water the Poinsettia
Instead of soggy soil, poinsettia likes moist soil. Watering the plants too much is as bad as too little for most houseplants. The same is true for poinsettia as well.
Therefore, you shouldn’t water the plant when you feel that the soil is dry. Watering frequency depends on different factors such as the size of the plant and the temperature.
If you leave your plant too long without water, the leaves will begin to wilt and droop. So it is crucial for poinsettia care to check the soil regularly. Water the plant if necessary.
Fertilize the Plants
During the blooming duration, the plant doesn’t need fertilizer at all if you have already added organic compost into the soil. However, it becomes necessary to fertilize the plants after 6 to 8 weeks of the plantation.
If you don’t want to keep your poinsettia all year round, you don’t need to add fertilizer. Because many gardeners prefer buying a new plant each year instead of caring for the same one. If you want to keep the same plants, you can use a water-soluble fertilizer. Water-soluble fertilizer not only maintains the green foliage of the plants but also promotes new growth.
Prune the Plants
Pruning is very necessary for poinsettia care as it keeps the plant healthy and fresh. You should cut all old and pests affected leaves and stems. In addition to this, when the bracts turn a muddy green, you should cut back the stems to a length of about 6 to 8 inches.
August is the best time for pruning so you can cut the new shoots by about an inch. And, leave only a few leaves on each branch for fertilization.