Learn how you can have a poinsettia rebloom every year. Instead of throwing it out after the holidays, keep it as a houseplant.
If someone gives you a beautiful poinsettia this holiday season do not throw it out after the festivities are over. Keep it as a houseplant and you will be rewarded with pretty blooms next year.
A few years back I created this easy poinsettia centerpiece for our Christmas table.
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After I cut off the blooms I kept the plant with my other houseplants in the dining room and watered it around once a week. As you can see it quickly grew back.
I wasn't sure if it would turn red again but low and behold in February, a year plus later, this plant is in full bloom. And, I did nothing but water it and give it some supplement light along with my other plants.
The Key for Poinsettia Rebloom
Now it would have been nice to have it bloom at Christmas instead of February. So I did some research and found that the key to getting them to rebloom is to make sure that they receive long periods of darkness in late fall or early winter. Most suggest around 14 hours. You can do this with a dark bag or box manually by covering the plant in the early evening and removing it in the morning.
Here are detailed instructions for those eager to try this process.
P.S. Did you know that the colorful petals on a poinsettia are not flowers but leaves? The tiny yellow part in the center is the flower. Click here for more fun facts about poinsettias.
It's early December as I write this post and the same poinsettia plant is just starting to go into red mode (see above). I think since I live in Pennsylvania where we naturally have shorter days might be the cause, even though I haven't done anything new.
So I'm pretty sure that it will not be in full bloom come Christmas, but that's okay with me.
P.S. You may also enjoy learning about the Christmas Cactus or this Poinsettia Centerpiece idea. See them and many more on my Gardening Page.
Mary Cromwell
Mary Cromwell
Patti, I live in Florida and planted my Poinsettia outside nd up to this year it has grown to 5' and has bloomed the past 3 years. We had the house washed this late spring and some of the chemicals must have landed on the plant. It has lost a good majority of its leaves and looks very sickly. What can I do to save it?
Patti Estep
Mary, I'm so sorry to hear about your Poinsettia. I live in PA so I can only grow one indoors. However, I wonder if you could contact your local extension unit for specific advice. Here's a link for one in Fla and there is a phone number at the bottom. https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/ Outside of that I would suggest treating the plant with some fertilizer and perhaps cutting it back just a little to see if that promotes new growth. I hope you are able to save it.
Jeffrey
I got mine from my church last week when they asked people to take them home for free. I’m going to try to get it to rebook this year. The little flowers have turned brown and fallen off, but the colorful leave are still on the plant, do I cut them off now or do I wait until they fall off? Thank you in advance for your help.
Patti Estep
Jeffrey, the first time I did this I cut the plant back because I used the flowers for an arrangement. However, in the last couple of years I have not done anything but water it regularly and give it decent light and it "blooms" every year. Often it's in late January or February but I believe that's because I don't force it into darkness earlier.
Corrina Todd
I get the poinsettia plant when they're selling amount after the season and I keep them in the house until October and then I just put them in the closet for about 40 days and I'll bring it out and then it blooms and yes the leaves turn red and I spray the leaves as well as the plant.
Patti Estep
Corrina, that sounds like an easy way to get "blooms" for the holidays. Thanks for sharing.
Nina
Do you water them while they are in the closet?
Patti Estep
Nina, you should water them normally. If you decide to put them in the closet for the 14-16 hours of darkness that still leaves you plenty of time to water them when they come out of the closet.
JoAnn Hunter
I plant my poinsettia plant outside when weather is warmer and it makes a beautiful green plant.
I bring it in before frost are to cold and have tried to get it to rebloom but have not had any luck. Our basement may be to cold, but I do use plant lights on my plants. I water them 1st of month but do not use any fertilizer. I will try again since I have 3 new plants now.
Patti Estep
JoAnn, I'm sorry to hear that yours are not reblooming. I'd check out this post from my friend Melissa which is very extensive. Maybe it will help.
https://empressofdirt.net/poinsettia-care-reblooming/
Christine
What a blessing this post is, Patti! Every year my mom in law always buys me a Poinsettia for Christmas. I don't have the heart to tell her, but every year I somehow find a way to kill it! Thank you so much for the tips! I would really love to save this one! 🙂 Wishing you and yours a VERY Merry Christmas and a joyous and healthy New Year!
Patti Estep
Thanks Christine. It really seems to be happy with little help from me. I still have it in the same nursery pot it came in. You can always put it in a pretty pot that's a little bigger, nursery pot and all if you don't like the look. Just make sure that the bigger pot has drainage or double check that the poinsettia isn't sitting in water. I've killed many a plant with too much water and not enough drainage.
Merry Christmas to you too and I wish you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.
Carole West
This is so great and you are absolutely correct the center is the flower and so many people don't realize that. I remember learning that when I worked in a floral shop years ago. We should get hundreds of poinsettia's in beginning around thanksgiving and caring for them was all about keeping that soil moist. Great tips!
Patti Estep
Thanks, Carole, I love hearing about your florist days. Having a floral shop has always been a dream of mine. This blog is not the same but similar enough to feed my passion. I can see you incorporating more of that knowledge with your brand in the future. I know, add it to the list. 🙂