Care of the Holiday Poinsettia
item we purchase for decoration and also for gifts is the poinsettia. Since a poinsettia is a living plant, you will need to give care to poinsettias in order to keep them looking great for guests. I will be sharing information on poinsettia care from the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture from a publication by Bob Polomski, Extension Consumer Horticulturist and Nancy Doubrava, Clemson University HGIC Information Specialist.
Just how common is it to find a poinsettia decorating a home or business? In the United States, more than 70 million poinsettias are sold each year. That is a lot of individual plants. The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is said to have been introduced to the United States in 1825 by Mr. Joel Poinsett. He was from the state of South Carolina and was the first United States ambassador to Mexico.
I would say one of the biggest changes in regards to buying poinsettias is the color options. When you think of poinsettias, most people will automatically think of red poinsettias. The color is from the bracts modified leaves. Of course, the red poinsettias are easy to find, but you may also find white, pink, peach, yellow, marbled and even speckled color options available. I am not an interior decorator, but the different colored bract options can help you in matching plants to your overall decorating efforts. For the gardeners, note again that I said the bracts or modified leaves give the color and not an actual flower. According to our information, the actual flower part of the poinsettia is the small, yellow blossom in the center of the bracts.
You should be able to find poinsettias for purchase now. We still have four weeks from now to the Christmas holidays and you do not want the poinsettia to fade. How you manage the poinsettia can help keep the plant looking great throughout the holiday season.
Where you place the plant in the home is the first step. The area needs to provide indirect sunlight each day. In fact, the poinsettia needs at least six hours of indirect sunlight in the home daily. Direct sunlight can cause the bracts to fade. The colorful bracts are why you bought the plant in the first place so protecting them should be high on your list. Our information states that if direct sunlight cannot be avoided to try to filter the direct sunlight with curtains or light shade.
The temperature around the poinsettia is important, too. Too much heat will cause yellow leaves and bracts to fade also. Daytime temperatures should not exceed 70 degrees and also do not place near drafty areas or spots that will get heat or dry air from appliances, fireplaces or ventilating ducts, per Doubrava and Polomski. Cool temperature are not good, either. You can have problems, too, if the temperatures drop below 50 degrees F.
Proper watering efforts is a key to success also. Only water poinsettias when the soil feels dry to the touch. They will not perform well in soil that is too wet or soil that you let dry out completely. Most poinsettias will come in decorative pot covers over the actual planting container. When you water, take the plant and container out of the pot cover and water until you see water coming out of the drainage holes and the soil is saturated. If the container does not have drainage holes, that may be a problem that will need fixed to keep a poinsettia in good condition. You do not have to worry about fertilizing a blooming poinsettia during the holiday season.
Next week, we will take the care of poinsettias more in-depth in regards on how to manage them after the holiday season. Yes, you can keep them and even try to reflower the poinsettia.
Finally, I want to put in a plug for our Gordon 4-H program. This is the time of year where our members are selecting topics for project achievement for 2018 public speaking competitions. The top fear for many adults is the fear of public speaking. Project achievement is designed to help young people conquer that fear at a young age. For information on 4-H or additional agriculture areas, contact Gordon Extension at 706-6298685 or email gbowman@ uga.edu.