Poinsettia

Should you feed a poinsettia?

Should you feed a poinsettia?
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  • Lester Lawrence

Don't bother fertilizing your poinsettia while it's blooming, it isn't necessary. Similarly, if you don't intend to keep the plant and your goal is to simply enjoy it as a holiday decoration, no fertilizer is needed. However, be sure to keep the plant well watered, but never soggy.

  1. What fertilizer should I buy for a poinsettia?
  2. How long can you keep a poinsettia alive?
  3. How often should you fertilize poinsettias?
  4. How do I maintain a poinsettia?
  5. Why are the leaves on my poinsettia falling off?
  6. Do I water a poinsettia from the top or bottom?
  7. How do you get a poinsettia to turn red again?
  8. What do I do with my poinsettia after Christmas?
  9. When should I cut back my poinsettia?
  10. Is Epsom salt good for poinsettias?
  11. Do poinsettias like sun or shade?
  12. Can you use ice cubes to water poinsettias?

What fertilizer should I buy for a poinsettia?

Some common fertilizers used for poinsettias are 15-0-15, 15-16-17, 20-10-20, and EXCEL Cal-Mag 15-5-15. But other fertilizer types can also be used to grow good plants. For example, I've been using 20-0-20 with superphosphate added to the growth medium for a couple of years with great results.

How long can you keep a poinsettia alive?

Today's poinsettias can last longer than ever, often for months. To help yours stay pretty, follow this advice from Ron Wolford, creator of the Poinsettia Pages: Place your poinsettia in indirect light after bringing it home. Poinsettias need six hours of light daily (fluorescent light will work).

How often should you fertilize poinsettias?

Fertilize as needed every 2 weeks with an all-purpose houseplant fertilizer at recommended rates. During this time, side shoots will develop below the bracts and grow up above the old flowering stems.

How do I maintain a poinsettia?

Keep the poinsettia plant actively growing all summer by watering and fertilizing regularly. When the top of the soil feels dry, liberally apply water to moisten the soil completely, and allow the excess to drain away. Add no more water until the top of the soil is dry again.

Why are the leaves on my poinsettia falling off?

Poinsettias will classically drop their leaves if they are exposed to sudden changes in temperature, drafts or overly cool or dry rooms. They also will lose leaves and wilt in response to an extreme need for water. When choosing a plant, pick a healthy, full one with no discoloration on the foliage.

Do I water a poinsettia from the top or bottom?

When you water your poinsettia, try not to get much water on the leaves, try to get the water straight to the roots and soil. I like to water mine in the sink, so I can pour plenty of water to it and it can drain out the bottom.

How do you get a poinsettia to turn red again?

How To Get a Poinsettia To Turn Red

  1. Help your poinsettia to turn red by placing it in total darkness for 14 hours each day, starting eight weeks before you want to display it.
  2. During the day, the plant needs bright light, but it should be placed in complete darkness every evening.

What do I do with my poinsettia after Christmas?

Toss the poinsettia when you grow tired of it or it becomes unattractive. For those home gardeners who enjoy a challenge, it is possible to get the poinsettia to bloom again next season. Cut the stems back to within 4 to 6 inches of the soil in March. The poinsettia may also be repotted at this time.

When should I cut back my poinsettia?

In late spring, when overnight temps outdoors are above 50 degrees, prune new shoots back to four inches and sink your poinsettia—pot and all—into a protected spot in your flower bed and let it stay there until early fall when overnight temps dip back into the 40s.

Is Epsom salt good for poinsettias?

You can help your poinsettia even more by giving it a teaspoon of two of Epsom salts that provide magnesium. Without magnesium, the leaves will turn yellow. Poinsettias like a generous amount of water, and mulching around the trunk will help keep moisture in the soil.

Do poinsettias like sun or shade?

Poinsettias need a minimum of six hours of indirect sunlight each day. Protect the plants from freezing temperatures, especially when transporting them. Place them in a light-filled room away from drafts. They do best in rooms between 55 and 65 F at night and 65 to 70 F during the day.

Can you use ice cubes to water poinsettias?

If you can water the poinsettia well once per week, placing 6-8 ice cubes in the container every day will do a good job of keeping the soil adequately moist.

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