Poinsettia ...
the care and feeding of

Poinsettias offered for sale at Christmas have been raised in a greenhouse with steady 60 to 70° temps, high humity and full sunlight. Buy your plants from a store that matches those conditions and you'll end up with a healthier plant.

Check the yellow pollen on the red and green bracts. If the pollen is already showing, the blooms will not last as long as those that haven't released it yet.

The leaves should be a deep green. Yellowish foliage might mean the plant hasn't had enough light, or too much water or not enough water. Don't buy it.

Once you've found your perfect poinsettia and bring it home, try to place it where it will get as much sun as possible while keeping it sheltered from drafts. Water the plant regularly, but don't overwater or let it stand in water. And, you can throw in a weekly dose of weak fertilizer that will keep the blossoms bright.

Watch for yellowing foliage, which means too much water or not enough light. Wilting leaves say the plant is either too dry or too wet, or is being hit by a draft. Change your watering plans and try moving the plant to see if that helps.

When your poinsettia is done blooming, the plant will shed the mature bracts and leaves. If you want to try and bring it back for next year, now is the time to stop fertilizing and give the plant just enough water to keep it from shriveling. One benefit of living in Florida is that you can plant poinsettias as part of your landscape plan. Cut it back to about 6" tall and plant it outside, watering and fertilizing regularly through the spring and summer. From September on, make sure it doesn't get any light other than natural light. Come next Christmas, you'll have one more beautiful poinsettia at your home.