how do you look after a poinsettia plant please? mine is tall and spindly but flowering beautifully?

Question

friend tells me to get rid of it but it was a gift. will it die if i cut it back? what shall i do? can i take cuttings off it? will they grow?

Answer 1

I can offer a bit of hope. I have a poinsettia that is two years old. It started to get spindly and I got worried that it would die. It was so ugly that I took a chance and cut it back - it lived, and it grew back its foliage. I left it outside over the summer and the sun and weather helped it along. Now it is back in the house in a sunny window and doing fine. Just be sure it gets plenty of sunlight after you cut it and don't over water it (very important - water it enough to soak the soil thoroughly once about every 10 days). Good luck!

Answer 2

Poinsettia plants get tall and spindly. That's just what they do. Their branches are very delicate and break easily in heavy wind or even rain. They do best under an eave or sheltered by other trees. However, they need as much sun as possible to really thrive.

They don't do well in pots or large containers. If you got yours that way, it will have to be transplanted or it will die. Most gift poinsettias are cuttings that are bred for show and don't transplant well, although I've done so successfully for years. The problem is that they might last until the first frost, but then get whacked by the cold. They are a semi-tropical plant and don't do well away from temperate coastal areas.

They can be raised from cuttings, but I've never had any luck doing that. Also, be careful of the white sap as it is mildly toxic - won't kill you except in large amounts, but if injested can make you sick. (It can be toxic to small animals and should be kept away from children!)

Sorry for all the negative. I love poinsettias, but they are probably best enjoyed for the short time that they last, then discarded. If you live along a warm coastline, or have a hot house, you can keep them going for years. Hope this was helpful.