Growing Poinsettias for Christmas

The Poinsettia is the most popular of flower plants during Christmas with U.S. sales over 60 million. First called "painted leaf" and "Mexican fire plant" it was renamed Poinsettia (Poinsettia pulcherrima) to honor Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first Ambassador to Mexico and the person who brought the flower to the United States. Poinsettia Day, which by Act of Congress honors Joel Roberts Poinsett, is always on December 12^th (Poinsettia died on December 12, 1851). We also have Mr. Poinsett to thank for what is now the Smithsonian Institution.

With a bit of planning you can have beautiful Poinsettias in time for Christmas. Poinsettia seeds are difficult to find so you will need to purchase cuttings in late May to ensure you will have plants for Christmas.

A good Poinsettia should last through Valentine's Day and can be moved outdoors. Make sure water the plant thoroughly and let it dry completely between watering. If you decide to plant it outside once the holidays are over, make sure you have had the last freeze in your area and move your plant to a sunny location either directly in your garden or in a pot. You can trim your Poinsettia to ensure it retains its nice rounded shape. You'll want to apply a general purpose fertilizer once a month. If you are lucky enough to have your own plants you can take your cuttings from your own plants.

Regardless of where you get the cutting, place it directly in soil and water daily. You'll also want to mist the leaves every day. Poinsettia cuttings are prone to diseases, fungi, and gnats so watch your plants carefully for these. While fertilizer is not necessary immediately, Poinsettias do well with nitrogen once the cutting starts to root.

Poinsettias temperature tolerance is a narrow range between 72 F and 85 F. Make sure you bring your Poinsettias indoors if the temperature in your area dips below 72 F at night or rises above 85 F during the day. Poinsettias do not tolerate the cold even if the exposure is brief and they grow best in partial sun/partial shade.

Once your cutting develops leaves you can stop misting it every day. Your Poinsettia is healthy if the leaves are dark green and the flowers brightly colored. Poinsettias bloom slowly, but once in bloom have long lasting flowers.

While your cuttings are growing you may notice that some of your Poinsettias that have kept around all year are not blooming. You can try to force them to bloom in time for Christmas, but it's not easy. The key is to begin in September and keep the plant in complete darkness for about 14 hours a day. Any light (even a night light) can ruin this process. In November you can bring the plant into a room in your house where it will get at least six hours of sunlight, where it can stay through Christmas, by which time with a little luck, it will be in full bloom. You may have to talk sweetly to it every day.

Once your Poinsettia cuttings have matured into blooming plants you can add them to your own Christmas decorations, give them away as Christmas presents, or even donate them to a church, nursing home, or other organization that could use some Christmas cheer. I've been known to anonymously leave a Poinsettia plant on the front porch of someone I thought needed a pick me up. Remember, those "holiday blues" can be rough on some people and Poinsettias are such cheerful plants.