How to Care for a Poinsettia

A poinsettia is a simple way to bring December color indoors, and with a little care it keeps that color for weeks, often 6 to 8 weeks and sometimes longer. It is a tropical plant, so the one thing that matters most is warmth: keep it out of cold air, cold windows and drafts, and it will reward you through the holidays and into the new year.

When it arrives

1. Get it inside quickly. Poinsettias hate cold. Even a few minutes below about 50°F can damage the colored leaves and green leaves, so don't leave it in a cold car, on a stoop or by a drafty lobby door. If a doorman is holding it for you, pick it up soon.
2. Carrying it yourself? If you pick one up from a shop on a cold day, keep it covered or sleeved all the way home, and go straight indoors.
3. If it came in a plastic sleeve, slide it off once the plant is inside, gently and from the bottom, so you don't snap the brittle stems.
4. Deal with the foil. The decorative foil or paper around the pot looks festive but traps water. Punch a few holes in the bottom and set the plant on a saucer, or slip the foil off when you water.
5. Check the soil. Push a finger into the surface. If it feels dry, water now; if it is moist, wait.

Watering

• Water when the surface is dry to the touch. Check every day or two; in a warm apartment that may mean watering every few days.
• Water thoroughly so the whole root ball gets wet, then let it drain.
• Never let it sit in water. Once it has finished draining, empty the saucer or the bottom of the foil. Soggy soil rots roots, and the plant wilts and drops leaves.
• Don't let it dry out completely either. A plant that goes bone dry will wilt and start dropping leaves. If it wilts, water right away; it often perks up within a few hours.
• No fertilizer is needed while it is in color over the holidays.

Light and temperature

• Bright, indirect light. A spot near a sunny east, west or south window is ideal, as long as the plant is not pressed against cold glass and no leaves touch the pane. Filtered sun is fine; avoid hot direct midday sun on the bracts. Around six hours of good light a day keeps it looking full.
• Comfortable room temperature. About 60 to 70°F during the day and a little cooler at night suits it best. That is ordinary apartment temperature.
• Keep it away from heat and drafts. Radiators, steam pipes, heating vents, fireplaces and frequently opened doors all cause leaves to yellow and drop. Hot, dry air shortens its season too.
• Office or lobby? Make sure the heat stays on at night and over long weekends.

After the flowers fade

First, a little botany. The big red, white or pink "petals" are not flowers at all. They are bracts, colored leaves. The true flowers are the tiny green and yellow buds in the center of each cluster, called cyathia. Florists look at these little flowers to judge how fresh a plant is: tight, unopened centers mean it has plenty of season ahead. Once they have opened, shed and dropped, the bracts gradually fade.

Most people enjoy their poinsettia through the holidays and then compost it, and that is perfectly fine. If you want to keep it as a green houseplant, here is the routine:

• Keep watering when the surface is dry and give it your brightest window.
• In early May, cut the stems back to about 3 to 4 inches and repot in fresh potting mix. Once new growth appears, feed it monthly with a houseplant fertilizer.
• After nights stay above about 55°F, it can summer outdoors in partial sun or stay in a sunny window. Pinch the tips through summer to keep it bushy, stopping by early September, and bring it back inside before nights drop below about 60°F.

Getting it to color again for next December is harder. From about late September or early October it needs long, completely dark nights (at least 14 hours of darkness, for example 5 PM to 8 AM, every night) until the bracts color up, usually by early to mid-December, with bright light during the day. Even a lamp or streetlight through the window can stop it from coloring, so in a city apartment it takes a closet or a box and real discipline.

Common problems

Why are the leaves dropping?

Usually cold, a draft, or a sudden change of temperature, or the opposite, a spot too close to a radiator. Watering mistakes are the other cause: soil left soggy in the foil, or allowed to dry out completely. Move it to a steady, bright spot and check the drainage.

Why is my poinsettia wilting?

Feel the soil. If it is dry, water thoroughly and it should recover within hours. If it is wet and the foil is full of water, the roots are waterlogged: tip out the extra water, let it drain, and wait for the surface to dry before watering again.

The edges of the colored leaves are brown or damaged. What happened?

Brown, glassy or blackened patches often point to cold damage, sometimes from the trip home or from touching a cold window. Pinch off the damaged bracts; the rest of the plant can carry on. If a plant from us arrived damaged, contact us within 3 days with your order number and a photo (see our refund policy) and we'll take a look and make it right where we can.

Why are the bottom leaves turning yellow?

A few yellow lower leaves are normal as the season goes on. Many at once usually means too little light or too much water. Move it to a brighter spot and let the surface dry between waterings.

Good to know

• Pets. The ASPCA lists poinsettia as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Its milky sap irritates the mouth and stomach and can cause vomiting, but the ASPCA itself calls it "generally over-rated in toxicity". Keep it out of reach of pets, and if one eats some, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. More in our guide to pet-safe flowers.
• The "deadly" myth. Poinsettias are not deadly. Poison control data from 1985 to 1992 recorded more than 22,000 poinsettia exposures and no deaths. It is still a plant to keep out of reach of small children and pets.
• Sap. The white, milky sap can irritate skin. Poinsettias are related to the rubber tree, and people with a latex allergy may react to the sap, so wear gloves if you trim it and wash your hands afterward.
• Colors. Red is the classic, and white, pink, cream, marbled and speckled types are common. Ask us what we have in a given season.
• Season. Poinsettias are a late-fall and winter plant, mostly Thanksgiving through the holidays. Browse our winter and holiday flowers, and for another holiday favorite see our amaryllis care guide.