How to Care for Poinsettia plants

Poinsettias mean Christmas to many, but this tropical beauty with red, white or pink blooms has a history that dates to the Aztecs. The plants were first brought to the United States by the American Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, in 1825, according to the University of Illinois Extension. At first, American botanists in warm climates raised them as outdoor shrubs and flowering plants, but their familiar red blooms eventually made them a holiday favorite in all climates. With proper care, you can enjoy your poinsettias well past the new year.

New Plants

• 1

  Keep your plant away from warm or cold drafts from heaters, open doors and windows, and don't let it touch a cold window pane. Poinsettias thrive in temperatures of 60 to 70 degrees during the day and 55 degrees at night.

• 2

  Place your poinsettia in a sunny window. Poinsettias like sun for about six hours a day, but direct sun and hot lights dry them out.

• 3

  Wrap the plant when in transport. Even brief exposure to cold can cause damage.

• 4

  Water your poinsettia, but not too much. The soil should not be dry to the touch, but it should not sit in water. Punch holes in the foil and let it drain into a saucer.

After the holiday

• 1

  Trim the colorful leaves, called bracts, as they fade, usually by spring. Leave 4 to 6 inches of stem on each branch.

• 2

  Fertilize your poinsettia it once a month with a household fertilizer once the blooms are gone, the UF/IFAS Extension at University of Florida advises.

• 3

  Water regularly.

• 4

  Move your plant outside when weather warms to daytime temperatures of at least

  60 degrees and nighttime temperatures are at least 55 degrees. By May, they will begin a new growth period.

Transplanting

• 1

  Select a pot no more than 4 inches bigger than the original one. Upgrade the plant's pot when the weather is warm enough to leave the plant outside in the sun.

• 2

  Transplant with a soil rich with organic matter, such as peat moss.

• 3

  Prune to keep plants full until no later than September.

• 4

  Bring them inside again when the weather gets cold.

Re-flowering

• 1

  Keep your poinsettia in total darkness 12 to 14 hours per day for six to eight weeks, when nights get longer. A good strategy is to move the plants to a dark closet and cover them with a box from about 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.

• 2

  Place the plants in a sunny window for six to eight hours during the day.

• 3

  Water the plants as needed.