What should I do with my poinsetta?

Question

I had bought a beautiful poinsetta which still looks great - however, when the leaves fall over I hate to throw it away.. What should I do to keep it alive??? I have heard keeping it in a dark place but not sure???? Thanks ;)

Answer 1

You could keep it indoors and enjoy it for the rest of the winter. Tend to it like any other houseplant, watering before the soil gets too dry and giving it enough sunlight and fertilizer. If you live in a southern climate (southern United States or tropical or subtropical) you can transplant it outside after the holidays and it will grow into a good size bush!!!
If you're from the north, there is a process where you use a closet or dark space to store it for a while in order to force new flowers to come back for the next holiday season. I don't know exactly what that process is and I don't know why anyone would want to spend all that time an energy. Why not just add the old plant to the compost pile and buy a new and different one this holiday season, especially since they are so plentiful? Those variegated ones are impressive. But if you must save the plant, any knowledgeable plant person at your local plant nursery should know what to do to save the poinsettia for next year. Here also is the link to the yahoo directory for poinsettias, a short list of links to good and useful poinsettia websites with all the information anyone could want on poinsettias: http://dir.yahoo.com/Science/Biology/Botany/Plants/Poinsettias/

Good luck and thanks for an interesting question!

Answer 2

Transplant it to a bigger pot for the rest of the winter. Store-bought plants are usually forced to bloom, so the leaves will fall off no matter what you do. That dosen't mean the plant is dead. Use some fertilizer (I use a formula for indoor plants) on it, and leave it near a window where it can get light (not too close- plants don't like drafts!) New leaves should start growing in a few days to a few weeks. I did that with mine- it took three weeks for new leaves to start growing in! The trick is, though, to put it in a bigger pot.Don't leave in a dark place- thats what you do with bulbs after they bloom, like hyacinths or tulips. Your poinsetta will just die. In the spring, if you want to plant it outside, you need to let it adjust to the tempetures first. Leave it outside for 20 minutes, bring it back in for 20, and repeat cycle for a few days (leave it inside at night), or just wait for a good warm spell to plant it. Good luck with your poinsetta!

Answer 3

Since the leaves have fallen away, check to see if it is still alive. Usually, if it is still alive, you put it in a very dark place, like the basement. In the fall, plant it near the house. By December, it will have grown to the roof. Leave it in the ground. During the next fall, cut it very near to the ground. It should grow right up the walls. Your success will depend on where you live. This definitely works in Florida.

Answer 4

I have heard to cut back the stalks and put in a dark place like a closet...I have never known anyone to successfully keep a poinsettia alive for another season.

Do a search for the care and tending of these plants to learn more from the more informed in this area.

Good luck!!

Answer 5

attempt this: In early June, bypass away the plant interior the pot, circulate it outdoors, and place it in a gently shaded region. proceed watering and fertilizing the plant at the same time as this is outdoors. Pinch each stem (do away with a million inch of terminal growth) in early July. Then, between August 15 and September a million, decrease or pinch the recent stems back, allowing 3 or 4 leaves to proceed to be on each shoot. After this 2d pinch, convey the plant indoors and back place it close to a window with a sunny exposure. If the plant isn't pinched, it is going to improve too tall and be gruesome. save the plant at a temperature of sixty 5 to 70 tiers F at evening and proceed watering and fertilizing. Poinsettias are short-day flora, meaning they flower approximately 10 weeks after the daylight hours shortens to approximately 12 hours or much less. as a result, to have the plant in finished flower with the aid of Christmas, save it in finished darkness between 5 p.m. and eight a.m. from the 1st component to October until Thanksgiving. in this era, any variety of sunshine exposure between 5 p.m. and eight a.m. will postpone flowering. A closet, opaque field or opaque fabric will save the plant in darkness throughout those hours. you would be wanting to place the plant close to a sunny window interior the daylight hours. proceed fertilizing the plant until mid-December.

Answer 6

trim it back and store it in a cool dark place until spring, don't water it, then when all danger of frost has passed you can plant it outside.

Answer 7

plant it outside, but if it freezes, make sure it's covered