{"id":120410,"date":"2023-12-16T08:06:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-16T14:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/?p=120410"},"modified":"2024-12-10T10:01:28","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T16:01:28","slug":"how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Grow and Care For Poinsettia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Poinsettia (<em>Euphorbia pulcherrima<\/em>) is the houseplant star of the holiday season as it&#8217;s the most popular&nbsp;potted plant&nbsp;in the&nbsp;United States, and with a few tips you can keep yours looking happy and healthy through the&nbsp;Christmas season&nbsp;(and beyond if you don\u2019t mind some extra work).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While we are used to seeing the Poinsettia during the cold months of the year, it&#8217;s actually a tropical plant native to Mexico and a member of the <em>Euphorbiaceae<\/em> family. While it is an indoor plant during the holiday season, in its native area they can grow to shrubs reaching 10 feet tall. There are over 100 different types of cultivars but &#8220;Prestige Red&#8221; is the most popular one that is seen around Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The colorful leaves (from white to light pink to bright red) are the plant&#8217;s response to shorter sunlight hours in the winter, which is why they don&#8217;t bloom all year long. The &#8220;flowers&#8221; of Poinsettia aren&#8217;t actually petals, but types of leaves called bracts, but there are tiny yellow flowers in the center of the bracts (called&nbsp;<em>cyathia<\/em>) which attract insects and fall off after pollination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related:<\/strong>\u00a0Learn to <a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-christmas-cactus\/\">Care for Christmas Cactus<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/jade-plants\/\">Jade Plants,<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/grow-and-care-for-parlor-palms\/\">Parlor Palms<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/caring-for-pilea-plants\/\">Pilea Plants<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-care-for-monstera-plants\/\">Monstera Plants<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-care-for-calathea-plants\/\">, Calathea<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/spider-plants\/\">Spider Plants<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/peace-lilies\/\">Peace Lilies<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/5-tips-for-caring-for-fiddle-leaf-figs\/\">Fiddle Leaf Figs<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-aglaonema-chinese-evergreen\/\">Aglaonema-Chinese Evergreen<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-care-for-golden-pothos\/\">Golden Pothos<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-care-for-snake-plants\/\">Snake Plants<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-care-for-a-rubber-tree\/\">Rubber Trees<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-dieffenbachia\/\">Dieffenbachia<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/money-tree\/\">Money Trees<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-care-for-orchids\/\">Orchids<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-care-for-string-of-pearls-plants\/\">String of Pearls Plants<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/?tp_image_id=120475\" src=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care.jpg\" alt=\"poinsettia on a table\" class=\"wp-image-120475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care.jpg 1333w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-67x100.jpg 67w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-40x60.jpg 40w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-750x1125.jpg 750w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-730x1095.jpg 730w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-700x1050.jpg 700w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-550x825.jpg 550w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-156x234.jpg 156w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-how-often-should-i-water-poinsettia\" data-level=\"2\">How often should I water Poinsettia?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-how-much-sunlight-do-poinsettia-need\" data-level=\"2\">How much sunlight do Poinsettia need?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-should-i-fertilize-my-poinsettia\" data-level=\"2\">Should I fertilize my Poinsettia?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-temperature-and-humidity-for-poinsettia-plants\" data-level=\"2\">Temperature and humidity for Poinsettia plants<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-repotting-poinsettia-plants\" data-level=\"2\">Repotting Poinsettia plants<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-pruning-poinsettia-plants\" data-level=\"2\">Pruning Poinsettia plants<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-propagating-poinsettia-plants\" data-level=\"2\">Propagating Poinsettia plants<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-how-to-get-poinsettia-to-rebloom\" data-level=\"2\">How to get Poinsettia to rebloom<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-diagnosing-common-problems\" data-level=\"2\">Diagnosing common problems<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/?tp_image_id=120480\" src=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-5.jpg\" alt=\"poinsettia and a watering can\" class=\"wp-image-120480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-5.jpg 1333w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-5-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-5-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-5-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-5-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-5-67x100.jpg 67w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-5-40x60.jpg 40w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-5-750x1125.jpg 750w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-5-730x1095.jpg 730w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-5-700x1050.jpg 700w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-5-550x825.jpg 550w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-5-156x234.jpg 156w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-often-should-i-water-poinsettia\">How often should I water Poinsettia?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll want to keep the soil moist but not soggy (that can lead to root rot), so feel the top of your soil and once the soil surface starts to feel almost dry it&#8217;s time to water again. You can also check the water content by lifting the plant and when it feels lightweight compared to when you watered it, it&#8217;s ready for a drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use a pot with <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3N6QwRM\">drainage holes at the bottom <\/a>to prevent root rot, or if you like the decorative foil they come in, remove it from the foil and water in the sink replacing it back in the foil once excess water has drained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-much-sunlight-do-poinsettia-need\">How much sunlight do Poinsettia need?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To get adequate sunlight indoors, your Poinsettia required bright indirect sunlight. Keep them where the light is bright near a sunny window but don&#8217;t let the light directly hit the plant as full sun can damage the leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/?tp_image_id=120478\" src=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-3.jpg\" alt=\"pink poinsettia\" class=\"wp-image-120478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-3.jpg 1333w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-3-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-3-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-3-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-3-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-3-67x100.jpg 67w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-3-40x60.jpg 40w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-3-750x1125.jpg 750w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-3-730x1095.jpg 730w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-3-700x1050.jpg 700w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-3-550x825.jpg 550w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-3-156x234.jpg 156w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-should-i-fertilize-my-poinsettia\">Should I fertilize my Poinsettia?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are just keeping your plant over the holiday season, then there&#8217;s no need to fertilize it. If you are trying to keep it beyond Christmas, you can fertilize it every month with half strength<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3RjCbEk\"> all-purpose fertilizer<\/a> once you see new growth starting to appear on the plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-temperature-and-humidity-for-poinsettia-plants\">Temperature and humidity for Poinsettia plants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Indoor Poinsettia will do best between 65-70\u00b0 F and you&#8217;ll want to keep them above 50\u00b0 or you risk damage or them dying due to cold. If you want to decorate your porch with them, you&#8217;ll have to live in a place that doesn&#8217;t drop below 50\u00b0 at night. If you are buying one from a store and it&#8217;s cold outside, keep it covered with a bag and don&#8217;t let it sit in a cold car for hours before taking it inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like most plants, you&#8217;ll want to keep your Poinsettia away from areas with big temperature changes, so place them away from outside doors, cold drafts, heating vents, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since they are a tropical plant, Poinsettias enjoy more humid locations, so you can put a humidifier in the room with them to keep them happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-repotting-poinsettia-plants\">Repotting Poinsettia plants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are just keeping your plant over the holiday season, you won&#8217;t need to worry about repotting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are trying to keep it alive until the next holiday season, in&nbsp;late spring or early summer you can remove the plant from the old pot and carefully wash the old soil from the roots of the plant. Repot your poinsettia into a larger pot that&#8217;s about 2 to 4 inches bigger than the original container. Use a <a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/3N6QwRM\">pot with good drainage<\/a> and choose a soil mix that has a lot of organic matter (like peat moss).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pruning-poinsettia-plants\">Pruning Poinsettia plants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If your plant has become leggy, it&#8217;s best to prune Poinsettias in later winter. Use clean sterilized scissors or shears to prune it back to about 5 inches above the soil line to promote more compact growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also do a second round of pruning in late May by cutting off 2-3 inches from the tips of the branches to encourage more growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also prune off faded or dried parts of the plant as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/?tp_image_id=120477\" src=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"pink poinsettia\" class=\"wp-image-120477\" srcset=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-2.jpg 1333w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-2-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-2-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-2-67x100.jpg 67w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-2-40x60.jpg 40w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-2-750x1125.jpg 750w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-2-730x1095.jpg 730w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-2-700x1050.jpg 700w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-2-550x825.jpg 550w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-2-156x234.jpg 156w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-propagating-poinsettia-plants\">Propagating Poinsettia plants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can actually propagate Poinsettia plants from cuttings and grow yourself a new plant within a few weeks. To propagate Poinsettia:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Add potting soil to a small cup or small pot.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use pruning shears to cut off a 3-4&#8243; section of an actively growing branch and pinch off the lower leaves leaving the top leaves to provide water for the plant.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Optional, but you can dip the cut end into <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/47Yt4OI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">a rooting hormone<\/a> before sticking the cut end into the dirt.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Once the cut end is planted in the dirt, keep the new plant in a humid area that&#8217;s away from direct sunlight. You don&#8217;t need to water it as it will pull water from its leaves, but to increase the humidity, you can mist the leaves with water and put a small plastic bag over the cup to encourage it to grow.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In about four weeks you should notice roots growing from the cutting and you can replant it in <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3T5ykMm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">a pot with drainage holes<\/a> and start to water as usual.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/?tp_image_id=120476\" src=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"poinsettia\" class=\"wp-image-120476\" srcset=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-1.jpg 1333w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-1-67x100.jpg 67w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-1-40x60.jpg 40w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-1-750x1125.jpg 750w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-1-730x1095.jpg 730w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-1-700x1050.jpg 700w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-1-550x825.jpg 550w, https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-1-156x234.jpg 156w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-get-poinsettia-to-rebloom\">How to get Poinsettia to rebloom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to keep your plant alive all year long and see it bloom again next holiday season, you&#8217;ll need to give it some extra care as they can be quite finicky and particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Start to hold back on your watering in April so that the plant begins to dry out (but not so little water that the stem starts to shrivel) and place it in an area that&#8217;s around 60\u00b0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In mid-May, you can prune back the plant to about 4&#8243; stems and repot the plant in a slightly larger pot. Put the plant in a spot with lots of indirect light and start to water it regularly again. As new growth starts to appear, you can begin to fertilize it monthly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pinch back the stems once in July and again in August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In order for the plant to&nbsp;bloom, it needs to have a &#8220;short-day&#8221; treatment of 10 weeks of 12 hours or less of sunlight each day, so starting in October you\u2019ll have to keep the plant in long nights of total&nbsp;<em>uninterrupted<\/em>&nbsp;darkness from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. daily and give it 6-8 hours of bright light during the day.&nbsp; You can put the plant in a closet or even under a box, anywhere that&#8217;s warm but dark! Night temperatures round 60 degrees is the optimal temperature to promote flowering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Poinsettia&#8217;s colorful bracts should start to be a bright color in early December, and although they can be lot of work, it&#8217;s a fun experiment to see if you can successfully mimic the darkness it needs to show its true colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-diagnosing-common-problems\">Diagnosing common problems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Wilted or curled leaves:<\/strong> The plant probably needs more water. Give it a good watering and see if the leaves perk up within a day or two.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Leaf loss:<\/strong> Leaf loss can be due to many factors like underwatering, overwatering, too cold, or too dry of a climate. If the soil is dry and the leaves are falling, try watering to see if that restores the plant. If the soil feels wet when they are dropping then you may be overwatering and need to let the soil dry out almost fully between watering. Check to make sure the plant is away from cold areas (like right next to a window or near a door draft) and you can try a humidifier or plant mister if you suspect your air is too dry for the plant.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Whiteflies:<\/strong> These are the most common pests for Poinsettia so check the undersides of your leaves for a white insect before purchasing to avoid them all together as they are very hard to treat. If you find a few on your plant at home, it&#8217;s best to tolerate them over the holiday season and then discard the plant after and look for a whitefly free one next year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lower leaves yellowing:<\/strong> If the bottom leaves of your plant are yellowing and falling off, it may be due to not getting enough light and you may need a sunnier location with more indirect light.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><h2 class=\"custom-faq-title\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><details class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1701282896752\"><summary><h3 class=\"schema-faq-question\">Are Poinsettia toxic to humans or animals?<\/h3><\/summary> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">While the sap of the plant can cause a skin rash, the plant itself is actually not as toxic as has been historically thought. It is not fatal if eaten, but kids or pets can develop a mouth rash and stomach upset if ingesting any of the plant parts, so it&#8217;s best to leave it out of reach.<\/p> <\/details> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is the houseplant star of the holiday season as it&#8217;s the most popular&nbsp;potted plant&nbsp;in the&nbsp;United States, and with a few tips you can keep yours looking happy and healthy through the&nbsp;Christmas season&nbsp;(and beyond if you don\u2019t mind some extra work). While we are used to seeing the Poinsettia during the cold&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":120479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[124,1926],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-120410","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-indoor-plants","8":"category-plants","9":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.5 (Yoast SEO v26.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Grow and Care For Poinsettia - A Beautiful Mess<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Poinsettia are beautiful holiday plants and with a little care you can keep them looking good throughout the holiday season and beyond.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Grow and Care For Poinsettia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Poinsettia are beautiful holiday plants and with a little care you can keep them looking good throughout the holiday season and beyond.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Beautiful Mess\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/abeautifulmessbyelsieandemma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-16T14:06:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-10T16:01:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-4.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Laura Gummerman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@abeautifulmess\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@abeautifulmess\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Laura Gummerman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Laura Gummerman\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5839c617c0ffa8c1168e9338ba6ddc4c\"},\"headline\":\"How to Grow and Care For Poinsettia\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-16T14:06:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-10T16:01:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/\"},\"wordCount\":1572,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/poinsettia-care-1-4.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Indoor Plants\",\"Plants\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/#respond\"]}],\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"FAQPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/abeautifulmess.com\/how-to-grow-and-care-for-poinsettia\/\",\"name\":\"How to Grow and Care For Poinsettia - 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