With the end of Christmas, it’s time to take down the tree, put away the decorations and take better care of the poinsettia than ever. Only if you don’t want this species native to other latitudes to end up perishing during the holiday season. The poinsettia is one of the most difficult houseplants to grow, but with a little skill and patience, it may once again show off its beautiful red leaves next year. Below, we explain everything you have to take into account.
After Christmas, the flowering period ends and the poinsettia begins to lose its lower leaves. If you keep the ones at the top, it means that it has acclimatized well to our home and that it can survive the winter and resprout. This is a time that you should take advantage of to transplant it to a larger pot. Don’t leave it beyond February!
After transplanting, prune the stems about 10 centimeters from the base, always above the leaf node. Don’t forget to apply a healing paste on the cuts. This is a fundamental task to guarantee its survival.
Another task that cannot be delayed too long after the end of the holidays is that of the subscriber. This is a determining time of its vegetative cycle and that is why, between the months of February and March, you should nourish it with a growth fertilizer. Later, towards October or November, you will have to provide it with a specific flowering fertilizer.
The poinsettia belongs to the cactus family and does not require large doses of water to survive. It is enough to water it once or twice a week, at most, although the frequency will largely depend on the temperature and humidity conditions of the environment.
The effective way to water it is not to do it directly on the plant. To do this, place a plate of water under the pot and, after 15 or 20 minutes, remove the excess water and replace the plate. That’s just the amount of water your poinsettia needs!
This plant should be in an environment between 16 and 22 degrees. Excess heat could cause leaf loss. Likewise, you should try to place it in a space with lots of light and where, at the same time, it is protected from drafts (remember that it is an indoor plant). During the winter months, you can place it near a window where it can receive direct light, while in spring, you will have to remove it from the sun to prevent it from wilting.
