Longevity of poinsettia plants?

Question

I'm going to purchase a poinsettia plant (red, specifically) at a local florist as a hostess gift for a party tonight. Will it keep if I leave it in my car for 4-5 hours, or should I bring it inside my office?

Also, how long will a good poinsettia plant last?

Answer 1

Many who keep poinsettias assume that it will last for months in the home environment. Cared-for properly, the poinsettia will give weeks of color and pleasure to its owner. Left in the car, however, it may not fair so well.

Bring it inside. Keep poinsettias away from warm or cold drafts from radiators, air registers or open doors and windows. Ideally poinsettias require daytime temperatures of 60 to 70°F and night time temperatures around 55°F. High temperatures will shorten the plant’s life. Move the plant to a cooler room at night, if possible.

You need to make sure that it's watered properly. Keep the soil damp but not sopping wet. The dampness should feel cool to the touch. The soil shouldn't be light brown or heavy and black.

Answer 2

http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0894/ANR-0894.pdf

Life Expectancy of the Poinsettia - The poinsettia is a perennial plant, so it can live for many years. However, the average span of time in which a poinsettia is most attractive in the home is 2 to 4 weeks. With excellent care, it could last from 6 to 8 weeks. The maturity of the plant when it was purchased also plays a role in longevity of your poinsettia.

Post-Holiday Care - If you want to maintain your poinsettia beyond the Christmas season, you will need to give it some attention on a regular basis. And, there are some critical times at which you will need to tend your plant.In early April, cut the plant back to about 6 or 8 inches in height and place it outside in the shade. Keep the plant watered. Fertilize the poin-settia regularly when new growth begins. Pinch growing tips every 4 to 6 weeks during the sum-mer to make the plant bushy. But do not prune any more after September 1. You can re-pot your poinsettia to a larger sized container in May. Use a potting mix similar in composition to the one in which the plant is currently growing. Bring the plant indoors before the threat of cool weather.

Answer 3

1st - What will the temp. in your car be for that time? Cool temps are the best, and in the 30s is okay if the sun is out to keep the plant from freezing. However, if it will be hot in your car, take it inside.
2nd - A good poinsettia CAN last for a number of years if taken care of properly. Water regularly, after the surface is dry to the touch, but do not keep the roots soggy. Typically, after the holidays, the plant should be kept in a cooler, very dim to dark area for the next 10 months or so (still water regularly, and transplanted ONLY if absolutely needed). Towards the middle of November, it can be brought back out into the light. This will cause the leaves to once again turn red.
Good Luck

Answer 4

Make sure you are buying a high-quality plant. This will help you have a beautiful plant throughout the Christmas season and further, if you want to try reflowering later. The plant you choose should have flowers that are just beginning to open, or better still, the plant should have fully colored bracts with the flower buds still very tightly closed. You can expect the appearance of the plant to decline somewhat after the flowers have fully opened and have fallen off.
The plant should appear full with uniformly dark green leaves from under the colored bracts to almost the base of the plant. The leaves themselves
should be completely free of disease and insects. The plant should be strong enough to stand on its own. No ties or stakes should be needed. Before you leave the store, ask for a protective
sleeve to protect the plant from wind, rain, or cold temperature as you transport it. Don’t buy a plant that has been stored in a sleeve or that looks wilted when the soil appears wet. This is a condition called epinasty from which the plant will not recover. A blast of cold air of less than
50 degrees F will give a severe shock to your plant and may result in leaf drop.

Answer 5

i think you should take it inside your office because 4-5 hrs is a long time for any flower to stay in the car&it also depends on the temperature at that time. now to ur second question,a good poinsettia will last long depending on how good you take care of this plant.i can give you a tip on how to do that-put 6-8 cubes into the soil everyday will do a good job of keeping the plant adequately moist which is very important for the plant to live.

Answer 6

It will be Just fine as long as the temperture remains above freezing . Preferbly 40 and up.
Poinsettias are grown under ideal conditions in order to get them ready for marketing. When they are subjected to a different envirement, they start going through a shock process .partickly in a home envirement where there is high heat and low humidity. They usually look good from two to three weeks and then start loosing their folage. This doesn't mean that the plant is dying , it is adjusting to the new envirement.You. With lots of TLC ,it can survive. Keep it in a well lit COOL location with 50% humidity or better .I live in Ohio and my buddy has one in his bathroom over 15 yrs old.

Answer 7

As long as the plant is not in the sun it will be fine. Poinsettia's can last for years. My Mom had a hugh 20 year old poinsettia tree in her yard that started as a samll potted plant. It all depends on the care it gets early on.

Answer 8

It depends where you live.
If it is freezing cold, then yes, take the plant inside with you.
If it is extremely warm, then yes again, take it inside the office.

Poinsettia's cannot withstand extreme temperatures, but they are sturdy plants, and if taking the plant into the office is a hassle for you, leaving it in your car for a few hours shouldn't hurt it.

3 years ago, I bought a poinsettia plant, a small red one, and it's still thriving and turned red again in time for Christmas!

I do not have a green thumb, believe me, but this plant is quite hearty and we have repotted it 3 times.
I let the soil dry out, on average 3 days during the summer, and then soak the soil.
It is very dry where I live, so during the winter I water it nearly everyday.
We even take the plant with us on vacations!

The colorful leaves are not the flower, but the tiny yellow buds inside are!

The plant has lost nearly all its leaves during the summer months, but there were green buds, and new chutes.

This Christmas, our poinsettia is 10 times the size that it was when we first purchased it!

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Answer 9

We have had the same poinsettia for 7 years now. We put in a closet at least 12 hours a day in the warmer months and clip off the stems in groups of 7, I don't really know why, but it always comes back strong in the late fall.

Answer 10

I would assume if you do not leave it in direct sunlight and your car does not get too hot the plant should be fine. My mother had a poinsettia that has lasted 6 years now and is still going strong. Just need to know how to care for them... I manage to kill mine with in about a week usually. :)
Good luck