Poinsettias are just as easy to care for as other tropical houseplants. Those who boast of fantastically beautiful plants for weeks probably just have these five good habits.
1. They water their poinsettias moderately and regularly
Normal-sized poinsettias are happy with 100 ml of water per watering, which is about as much as you’d fit in a champagne flute. Mini poinsettias only need a very small amount of water – about half a shot glass, while XXL poinsettias need much more.
People who get poinsettias to shine for weeks reach for the watering can when they notice that the soil has dried out since the last watering. After watering, the soil is well moist but not soaking wet. You should also use room temperature water.
How to find the optimal time to water, plus more information about common watering mistakes, can be found here.
2. Give them a bright, warm place
Winters are dark in the UK. Nevertheless, the poinsettia needs light so that it does not deteriorate.
Experienced poinsettia keepers know this and place them in a location where they get as much daylight as possible. After all, it is no secret that the light intensity decreases dramatically with every metre away from the window.
For optimum light yield, you can even clean the windows before decorating for Christmas.
3. Ensure comfortable temperatures
As a plant of Mexican origin, the poinsettia likes it nice and warm. Temperatures between 15 and 22 degrees Celsius are ideal.
4. Keep the poinsettia away from the window when you open it.
Three or four times a day, everyone opens the windows to let in fresh air. Too much moisture in the room causes mould, not to mention the bad smell of stale air.
As long as the window is open, prudent poinsettia owners put their plants in a place where the cold air won’t reach them. A few minutes after closing the window, they can be brought back into the light!
5. Wrap the poinsettia up warmly on its way home.
True poinsettia lovers shake their heads at people who carry their poinsettias from the shop to the car in temperatures below 12 degrees Celsius without a protective paper wrapping.
The same goes for those who cannot resist an offer of plants in the draughty entrance area of a shop. However, the leaves on these stars will fall in a few days. Low temperatures cause the tropical plant to lose its leaves.
Those who know better buy poinsettias in bright, warm sales rooms. Without wrapping them in paper, true poinsettia lovers would never take the plants outside in low temperatures.
Instead of continuing to shop, you should go straight home so that the poinsettia can get into the warm as quickly as possible.
