Growing Your Own Poinsettias to Save Money for Christmas Presents

For gardeners with a little extra space who may not know what to do with, there are few better ideas than growing poinsettias. www.gardenersnet.com claims that poinsettias are the number one flowering plant crop in the U.S. with annual sales of over 63 million plants. If you love plants, and the yuletide colors of the poinsettia then you know how much it can cost to decorate your home with them come December. Then in January, what do you do with them? 99% of people just let them die and toss them out. It's a shame to do that with a potted plant.

You can save money and enjoy practicing your gardening by keeping them them alive and replanting them in the spring. It is a lot easier than you think to accomplish this. The best and easiest way is to buy live plants during the holidays or before and keep them indoors. Poinsettias are very sensitive to the cold, so care must be taken to keep them away from very cold objects such as windows and direct outside exposure.

Poinsettias should be kept near bright light, especially during the afternoon for at least six hours per day. Water them when the surface of the soil is dry and only until water begins to leak out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. These plants love humidity, so during the winter they should be misted lightly and regularly. Do not over-fertilize them. Wait at least until April and then only very lightly with a balanced fertilizer.

In the spring, after the chance for frost drops to nil, it is safe to move your poinsettias outside. At first you will want a partly shaded area and then after a couple weeks you can expose them to direct sunlight. When you are ready to transfer them to the ground, you should keep in mind that they love rich soil, but can thrive in less than ideal ground situations including excessive clay or sand. pH should be between 5.0 and 7.0.

You will want to trim the poinsettia by removing the dying flowered leaves (known as bracts) and exposing the stem for about 5 inches. During the summer you can begin to fertilize more regularly, at a rate of about once every 2-3 weeks. You will also want to stunt them just a bit by pinching off new shoots. This will promote branching and a bushier plant.

Another thing to remember is that poinsettias flowering is prompted by darkness. During the fall when the night hours grow, the poinsettia will be triggered to flower. However, they need complete and uninterrupted darkness for 12-14 hours each night. Because of this, care must be taken not to place them near windows where lights will be on or near streetlamps. They must remain in total darkness.

Before you receive word of the first frost of the year, your poinsettias must be moved indoors. It only takes one frost to kill them. Once they are inside, then they can be enjoyed for the holidays and process can be repeated for years to come. I know I have enjoyed my poinsettias for three seasons now and will continue as long as they will last.