Oh, Those Poinsettias!

For over 36 years working in tropical greenhouses I have handled my share of Poinsettias to last several life times. In each of the many retail greenhouse I would order, process, clean, price and display hundreds of plants from just before Thanksgiving to a week before Christmas. The greenhouse would glow with these plants in so many sizes that it would often confuse even the most determined shopper. We had plants is pots sizes ranging from tiny 2 inch pots to huge 10 inch hanging planters. And every plant continued to look as good as the day it arrived even after several weeks.

I was in charge of displaying and selling these little beauties, and I made sure each customer went home knowing what was needed to ensure the plants not only held up the entire Christmas season, but also what to do to keep them going for years to come. Few people realize that Poinsettias are succulents and perennials. They are Euphorbias that are indigenous to tropical Mexico. Through the years, these plants have been cultivated into many different colors and bract styles that hardly resemble their ancestors. As the top leaves turn color, they turn in to bracts that have developed to attract insects for flower pollination. The true flowers are tiny yellow specs within the colorful top leaves and are so small that the plant developed this method to attract insects through visual color.

Like most succulents, poinsettias need very high light to remain lush through the winter months. Many people decorate their home with these plants by setting them in a corner to add color to a normally dark area, unfortunately this is the worst thing for the plant because it cannot photosynthesize enough to keep its leaves and leaf drop is the result. These plants are warm-weather lovers and windows with a cold draft is probably the number one killer of poinsettias during this season. The fact that most succulents need high light and very little water while in flower does not seem to be a high priority for most folks. All too often, customers come to me and ask why their plant has dropped all its leaves and is wilted even though the soil is moist. Not good. Too much water will cause leaf drop and root rot which in turn causes the plant to wilt and look dehydrated. It actually is dehydrated because the roots have rotted and no water can reach the top bracts. Once it is overwatered, it is doomed.

The best places to purchase your poinsettia are greenhouses, a garden center greenhouse, or a retail grower. This is because poinsettias are very sensitive to any type of movement, especially when brought out in to the cold. Those plants sold in big box stores and convince stores are usually those plants bought from huge growers in the mid states that have thousands in one greenhouse. They are shipped to distribution centers of the chain and then are shipped to the individual stores and placed in conditions not conducive to what the plant requires for optimum health. If you do get one of two from one of those chain stores, try to get one as soon as it comes in to the store because the longer the plant is there, the more stressful the conditions. Also make sure the plant is wrapped well in some type of paper. All too often I have customers come to me with a very drooped plant that got chilled when coming out of the store and going in to the home. Just a few minutes in temperatures below 50 degrees F is enough to kill the plant usually overnight. To ensure that your plant makes it through the season-and beyond-when you take it out of the store and the temperature is below 50 degrees F. make sure the plant is wrapped in paper and do not leave it in your car while you continue shopping. These are warm weather plants and if chilled can die within a few days.

When brought in, place the plant in a very bright area where it can get some direct early morning sun or afternoon sun or high light all day. Water the plant when the top of the soil becomes dry to 1/2 inch below the surface; then give it enough water to fill the top of the pot. Never water until it flows out the bottom of the pot and remember to take off any decorative foil that surrounds the pot, or at least put holes in the bottom so any excess water can drain out. Never allow the pot to sit in water.

The plant is in its flower cycle and does not need any fertilizer from you. The bright light will give it enough energy to survive until the growing season in spring. The most important thing at this time is to give it bright light and water it only when the surface begins to dry. Then only water what is dry so you do not over water.

I know many customers who say their plants stay colored until May of the next year. This is because the plant received enough light to maintain all of its leaves through the winter. March is the start of the new growing season. The plant still needs a lot of light. Many people put their plants outside for the summer once the night temperatures remain above 50 degrees F. and this is good unless it is planted in heavy soil. Tropical plants have evolved in soils that are loose and high in nutrients due to the rapid breakdown of all the litter on the forest floor. So planting in heavy soil found in out temperate climates will only stunt the root growth.

When March begins, the plant will start to grow new growth on that top of the stems. This will cause the colored bracts to fall off and this is the time to transplant it into a larger pot. Use a good loose, rich potting medium. After a few weeks, after new growth develops, begin to use a good all purpose fertilizer to aid in more growth. If the plant has lost most of its leaves and managed to struggle to this point, be sure to use an organic fertilizer higher in nitrogen, the first number on the label that channels the plant's energy in to growing stem and leaf development. After several new leaves appear, pinch the tips out of the center to cause the plant to bush and grow more tips. Continue keeping the soil moist all summer. I recommend keeping the plant in total shade for the time it is outside so the transition inside to lower light levels will be less stressful.

In July, begin using a fertilizer high in prosperous to generate buds for the new flowering season. Pinch the tips one more time. In late August stop the fertilizer and cut the top off third of each plan tip. This will help to prevent the lower leaves from dropping when brought back inside. In the northern states, the plant cannot stay out after the nights reach 50 degrees F. It can still go out during the day, but must come in at night to prevent stress from cold that can kill it very quickly. Once inside for the winter, it needs a cool dark night and bright sunny days to come into flower. To force the plant into its flower cycle, place the plant in a basement or cool dark room at night. You can cover the plant with a paper bag or black plastic to block light. During the day, return it to the bright light. Repeat this procedure until you see the top leaves begin to turn color. Once the bracts begin to develop, you can leave the plant in the sunny room night and day.

The true flowers are yellow and very small. The bracts develop to draw the attention of insects for pollination. When the flowers are gone, the plant, being, a perennial, can grow into a large bush. I fact, in southern Florida the poinsettia plant often surrounds yards in the same way that evergreen shrubs surround yards in northern states. The difference of large red flowers in winter and spring bring a festive air to the tropics without decorating. The larger plants are very easy to train and many Florida growers shape these plants into tree forms for the northern floral market. Anyone with a very bright sun room, especially in areas where the sun shines most of the year, can enjoy poinsettias for decades.

It is easy to grow a tree form from a short plant and depending where you live, can take just a few years to many years. Poinsettias love warm, humid air and tons of light. By using a high nitrogen fertilizer weekly during the growing season, the plant will grow quickly. To develop a tree, allow one main stem to develop and remove the stems and leaves from bottom stems as they grow in. This will allow top growth only. Once the plant reaches the preferred height, the tips need pinching in order to branch out. The more the tips get pinched, the more stems develop and the smaller the leaves develop as the plant ages. Using the high nitrogen fertilizer will help the stem to enlarge as the plant ages. If you really want a quick tree in the shortest amount of time, do not allow the plant to flower. This will allow all the energy to go into stem, height and leaf development.

In the same way, if you allow three of four stems to grow along side each other, you can braid them into one stem after the plant reaches the desired height. Once the top grow multi tips, you can no longer grow the braided stem longer. It will continue to grow in girth and eventually grow together creating a very beautiful specimen.

Poinsettias are very susceptible to may insects that love the fluid milky sap within the stem and leaves. White fly is one insect that often devastates a poinsettia and if an infestation develops, it can be very difficult to get rid of it entirely. Many of the insecticides sold in retail stores can burn the delicate leaves if not used with great care. Besides chemical insecticides, using white fly traps are a very effective way to trap the adults, but it will not affect the eggs or larvae. I often suggest using both an insecticide and the traps to handle an infestation for white fly because of the different stages that will re--infest the plant after it seems that all of the insects are dead. Diligence and determination is the best weapon against the loss from white fly. The best cure is a preventative one by doing a weekly check of the plan tto spot early insects, which can often stop an infestation before it begins. If you see eggs on the underside of the leaves, remove all leaves and throw them into the trash where they will get burned. Never put infested leaf litter in a compost as the insects will winter over and end up in one of your gardens. Aphids, mealy and scale also love poinsettia although they are not quite as difficult to get rid of but you need to be very careful and check it daily if you want to grow a huge specimen over many years.

For many years, poinsettias have been thought of as being very toxic. However, after many tests done in universities and medical laboratories the results found no deadly toxins in any part of the plant. Of course, it is not considered eatable and may cause illness if ingested. There are many other tropical plants that are common to the home that are truly toxic and are harmful if ingested. There are many sites on the web listing many common houseplants to be toxic and deadly to children and pets. This is if the plants are ingested and get into the blood stream. My cat love to chew on spider plants (Chlorophytum) and it is listed on several sites as being very harmful. Well, what it does to these carnivores is aid them to rid the swallowed fur they get from grooming. They do not ingest the plant material and it aids in elimination of the fur they also cannot ingest. Most kitties like to chew on plants that have long grass-like leaves. Many times it is not what is in the makeup of the plant but rather what is on the plant that will affect your pet. The residue from insecticides is sometimes more harmful than the plant itself.

So if you love to decorate with this very common holiday plant, remember to give it what it needs and with a bit of patience and care, it will be a specimen that will decorate your home for many years to come.