Poinsettia gets all the votes at Christmas for its red bracts and ruby foliage match the colors of the party: red and green. But once the season is over, how can you get it to bloom again? Is it doomed?
Poinsettia, or “Christmas star”, invades garden stores when end-of-year feasts come around.
Its famous appeal lies in the colored bracts that surround the flowers. Red bracts are most common, but there are also pink, salmon orange, yellow, cream, white, mottled cultivars, all with bright green leaves in the background.
Poinsettia grows in the wild in Mexico where it easily reaches six feet (two meters) tall. In more temperate climates, it grows much smaller, even sometimes dwarfish, which is ideal to decorate tables.
- Poinsettia can hold its rank in decorating homes all year round!
How to make poinsettia red again
The challenge is to make the poinsettia bracts turn red again for the second Christmas in a row! These colored leaves only appear during days with the shortest daylight hours.
- To make leaves turn red, you need to reduce exposure to light for 2 months.
As early as September, place it in a room that is exclusively lit up by natural light, and check that it stays in complete darkness for 14 hours on a 24 hour day. Do this for eight weeks!
Another solution is to stash your plant in a closet every day from 6 pm till 8 am the next morning… or cover it with a carton box for that span of time. Once the eight weeks are over, treat your poinsettia normally again. At night, let it sleep at a temperature of 60 to 65°F (15 to 18°C). And it will flower again – hopefully! – at Christmas.
Steps to make it bloom again in Winter:
In September, give it only natural light. Make sure it’s in complete darkness for 14-hour nights. Better if the room is rather on the cool side, too.
In November, bring it out to your living room and let it feel normal room temperatures.
Comparatively, days will feel longer to the plant and it will bloom again!
Don’t throw your poinsettia away!
Too often, poinsettia has a sad fate once the party is over… and ends up in the trash (or, slightly better, the compost pile…)! After the blooming, simply place it in a cool room and give it water at regular intervals. At the end of spring, reduce watering. When leaves start falling off, the plant is entering its dormant phase. When this occurs, let the soil dry up completely for a month. At the end of this phase, cut it back quite short, 4 inches (10 cm), and water to trigger the vegetation phase. Place it then in a warm spot.
Poinsettia appreciates surrounding temperature between 60 and 74°F (15 and 23°C) while avoiding hot, dry air and drafts. Proper moisture must be ensured (immerse the pot in water at room temperature, then drip excess water out without ever letting water accumulate in the saucer). Also give it a lot of light. You can bring the plant outdoors between May and September and feed it fertilizer over the summer.
Post-blooming Poinsettia care, a summary:
- Place your poinsettia in a cool room.
- Water regularly, not too much, until spring.
- End of spring, stop watering to trigger leaf fall. Keep soil dry for a full month.
- Cut back stems to 4 inches.
- Start watering again and place in a warmer spot.
- Gardening: poinsettia care
Hello,
The Poinsettias are at work and no one is there over the weekend. Should I leave them in the dark room over the weekend (am trying to get red leaves for Xmas)
Thank you!
Hi Liz! Yes, that’s actually a better option than to let them think days are suddenly getting longer again.
My four poinsettia l bought this past mid Dec still has all the pinky red leaves on it today April 11. I had planted it in full sun here in central Fl, but dug them up March1 to transplant to north side of house where they are loving it. I was shocked that they still look beautiful.
That’s really a testimony to how well you’ve been treating them! Congratulations! In tropical countries they can even grow to shrubby heights, too.
What should I do with my poinsettia after Christmas?
Hi Leanne! Well, actually, there are a few steps you can do:
Place your poinsettia in a cool room.
– Water regularly but only a small amount, like a half-glass every couple weeks, until Spring.
– at the end of Spring, stop watering. This will lead to old leaves falling off. Keep the soil dry for a full month.
– Cut the stems back to 4 inches (about 10 cm), and start watering again and place in a warmer spot.
Living in South Africa with winter months May to September/October when should I start the “cupboard treatment”?
In the Southern Hemisphere, you’d start the “cupboard treatment” in March instead of September, with the goal of triggering red leaves end of May. That way, you’re tricking the plant into thinking winter is over right when it’s in full swing! Nice way to have color around when most other plants are dormant.
Thank you Gaspard! This info was really helpful.
I´m actually living in a tropical island and there is a lot of sun and sometimes rain but no snow or cold weather that´s why i was asking about the sun light. The stems on the plant are already reddish but the leaves are still green. Any other advice with regards to watering, like would the rain wetting be good for it and when would be the best time for watering?
Really appreciate all the advice you are giving.
Regards,
Clyne
Since cold temperatures aren’t a problem, it’s perfectly possible to let it get rainwater, it’s the best possible water for potted plants. As long as the pot drains well (it must absolutely have a hole at the bottom), there won’t be any issues. You’re very welcome!
If i just started putting my poinsettia plant in the dark, just the ending of November, would it still turn red?
What’s for certain is that it will in every case still turn redder than if you hadn’t begun doing so! It might not be a complete flush of red, but it will nicely mix reddish center with green crowns, which is also pretty Christmas-y, too.
Thanks you Gaspard!
That brings me to my next 2 questions.
1. Is the night the best time to put it in a dark room for 12-14 hours?
2. Do i need to take it out of the dark room and put it outside to get fresh air and natural sunlight but not direct?
Sure thing!
1. Yes of course night is better. Say 6 pm to 8 am or 5pm to 7am. You’re not blocking out light entirely, just pretending winter days are already at their shortest. That way, when you bring out for “longer” days in a warmer room, the plant thinks it’s Spring.
2. Yes, to give it light. Keep it cool but not freezing cold. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, a north-facing window in an unheated room such as a garage is perfect, but outside is also fine as long as it doesn’t freeze.