If you want to learn on How to Grow Poinsettias then you should check our detailed guide. When you see poinsettias the first thing that comes to mind is Christmas. It is a beautiful plant that almost every house has one during the holidays. What is great with poinsettias is the fact that you can plant it and keep not only during the holidays but also all year round.
Below we will give you tips on how you can grow and take care of poinsettias. You can grow poinsettias inside your house in pots, outside in your lovely garden or you might have decided to keep them in your greenhouse.
We will also give you tips on how you can grow your lovely poinsettias from seeds and how you can prune them when the time comes. Let’s have a look at all this lovely information.
Growing Poinsettia Plants Outside
Poinsettias grow best in USDA hardiness zones from 10 to 12. The temperatures outside shouldn’t be less than 45 degrees F. Poinsettias can grow outside if you take care of them properly. The location that you will plant the poinsettias is very important.
They need to be planted in a sunny area and they have to be protected from the winds because they are sensitive plants. In order to grow, they need a well-draining soil that will be slightly acidic too. The soil must drain well when you water it, you don’t want the roots to rot.
When the time comes for you to plant it in the ground you should create a hole. The hole should be wide enough. It should be about the size of the root ball that the plant has. Add mulch to the area around it up to 3 inches in this way, the soil will be moist enough.
Water and fertilize the poinsettia. Water the base and not at the leaves. Depending on the soil that you have you might need to fertilize it either one time each month or more.
Growing Poinsettia Plants Indoors
Growing your poinsettia plant indoors would be ideal, especially if you leave in an area where the climate is cold. You should also place it where it will have plenty of sunlight. The right temperature for poinsettias to grow indoors would be 65 degrees.
What poinsettia also needs is water. You don’t need to overdo it with watering. You only need to water the plant when you feel that the soil is dry when you touch it. What you should do is to add slowly the water.
You should do that because water needs to be absorbed before you add some more. When you start to notice that the saturation slows down and the water doesn’t drain then you should stop watering it.
Fertilization is also important when you grow your poinsettia indoors. Poinsettia is a plant that needs to be often fertilized. You can use a rounded liquid fertilizer that will help your plant. An analogy that you can use is 12-12-12 or even 20-20-20 and you will have a great result.
Fertilization should take place once per month. Have in mind though that when fall comes you will have to stop fertilization. In this way, you will help the plant produce flowers and thrive.
You should also provide long nights without any sunlight because you want the color of the leaves to change and from green and to take this lovely red color that we all expect it to have, especially during Christmas time. You should do that from 9 to 10 weeks until you see the flower bracts form on Poinsettia.
Keep the plant in complete darkness 14 to 16 hours per day and during the morning place it to a sunny window. Once the Christmas period is over and you notice that the small yellow flower wilt you should prune it. Prune it at least 10 inches tall. Also, stop watering it until spring comes. Let the soil dry before you start watering again.
How to Grow Poinsettias in a Greenhouse
In a greenhouse, the environment is controlled. As a result, poinsettias will have the right temperature and humidity level and in this way, they will grow properly and successfully. If you take care of them they will be able to grow from 5 to 6 feet and they will produce their amazing flowers.
The temperature of your greenhouse should be from 65 to 70 degrees F. Additionally, when you will place them inside your greenhouse don’t place them close to the doors, keep them far away. You don’t want the temperature to change. Make sure that there will be plenty of sunlight for at least 6 to 8 hours per day.
You should water them every 4 days only when you will realize that the soil seems dry. Fertilize them once per month and use a liquid fertilizer. Once they will lose their leaves maintain the temperatures at 60 degrees and reduce the fertilizer and the watering process. Do it one time each month.
How to Grow Poinsettias in Florida
Florida is known to have 2 types of native poinsettias the Painted Leaf also known as E. Cyathophora and the E. Pinetorum which is an endangered variety that only grows in the lower part of South Florida.
The care of these poinsettias is exactly the same as the one that we mentioned earlier. The stem of the first variety can grow up to three feet high and the leaves are different from plant to plant. They can be wide or even narrow.
They love to grow in sandy and dry soil. What is great with this variety is the fact that it doesn’t need to be fertilized. The lovely bees and butterflies are going to visit this plant and that is more than necessary for it. This variety will bloom all year long and particularly during spring and late fall.
Additionally, you won’t need to provide any particular protection during the winter because you can transplant your poinsettias in pots and place them in your house. The results will more than amazing.
How to Grow Poinsettias from Seeds
Growing poinsettias isn’t difficult at all, what you need to do is to follow our tips and you will have lovely poinsettias. This beautiful plant has leaves that look like flower petals and they are called bracts. There are small yellow parts in the center of the bracts and the pollen is produced there and this is exactly where the seeds will be created.
There are both female and male parts in the poinsettia. This plant has the ability to self-pollinate or to cross-pollinate. If you have them in your garden the pollination will occur naturally by the lovely butterflies, bees and other insects. If you keep them in pots you will have to pollinate them on your own.
What you need to do is to follow these simple steps. First, you’ll need to have a cotton swab. What you’ll need to do next is to brush it against every flower and ensure that there is pollen on it. In a while, you will start to notice the seed pods. There are big and bulbous green things that grow on stalks out of the flowers.
When you’ll have your seeds you should place them in a paper bag and keep them in a dry place. Once the pods start to look brown and dry you will find your seeds inside the bag. The seeds will be inside the pods and they will be small and dark.
Before you use your seeds for germination you should store them in a cool place for about 3 months. After the 3 months, you will be able to plant them. When you will plant them make sure that the seeds will be at least ½ under the soil.
They will sprout in a few weeks so don’t worry about it. Make sure though that the soil will be warm and moist. Once it’s mature you’ll have your amazing poinsettia plant.
How to Prune a Poinsettia
When you will have your beautiful poinsettia bloom on the holidays you should also take care of it once the holidays will be over. You shouldn’t neglect it once the holidays are over. If you prune it and take good care of it you will be able to keep it for years.
If you have it in your garden then your poinsettia can grow into a small shrub and can reach up to 10 feet in height. There are some things that you have to consider before you start pruning your poinsettia.
The first thing that you’ll need to do is to disinfect your pruners. You always need to keep your tools clean if you’ll do that you will prevent the diseases from spreading to the plant.
You have to wipe out your blades with a paper towel that you will have soaked in alcohol. In this way, you will protect both your tools from rusting and you’ll also protect your poinsettia.
Additionally, you should remove the old blooms. The pruning should be done during early spring and late winter. You should cut the stems from 4 to 6 inches and each should have up to 3 leaves. As a result, you will have new growth.
Thus, you should prune the growing tops. As we mentioned above if you leave up to three leaves then your poinsettia will be ready to bloom. During the summer you should continue pruning it every four or six weeks. After fall you should prune it less often.
Trimming should be done with larger poinsettias and in this way, you will be able to maintain and its shape and size. Don’t forget to always check the soil and water it when necessary.
Conclusion
Poinsettias are wonderful plants that you have them in your house. It isn’t difficult to grow and take care of it as long as you do it properly. Whether you keep it inside your house or in your garden make sure to follow our tips.
In this way, your plant will be healthy all year long and by the next holidays, it will have created its wonderful red leaves.
