How can I keep my poinsettia going till next Christmas?

Quote by DanielleX
Dear Aunt Olivia,
I've got a poinsettia, which my Mum bought me for Christmas. I've kept the soil moist but not wet, like it says. The thing is the red things are starting to overtake the leaves. Do I nip off the red things or what?

I'd really like to look after it.

Thanks

D x

Quote by HeraTeleia
Couple of things. One, the red "petals" are actually leaves--it's the tiny yellow things that are the flowers. Two, you don't really keep poinsettias "going" as keep them alive. Which is different.

You need to force it into dormancy--convince it that it's winter--in order for it to "bloom" again next Christmas holidays. There are zillions of ways to do this (Google is your friend here); I do it by sticking my poinsettias out in the garage, inside of a cardboard box, sometime around now. The leaves all wither and fall off. This is fine. I water the plants minimally--think once a week at most--through to about late October. End of October, I bring them, quite dead looking, back into the house (and heat, light, etc.). The plants, thinking that it's Spring, then leaf out and by Christmas I have piles upon piles of poinsettia in full "bloom".

Should add, when I bring them back in, I give them a good watering and then keep the soil semi-moist to moist through the season.

xxJennifer (aka yr helpful florist)

Quote by farmerroger


Hope this will help Danielle

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=146

Quote by seeker4

I find ours does pretty well with just regular watering. And that the leaves usually overtake the bracts rather than the other way around. But, hey, different country, different climate, etc.