Poinsettia care during the winter
Dec 13, 2024, 8:00 AM
FILE: Employees at the Pentland Plants garden centre prepare Poinsettia plants ready to be dispatched for the Christmas season on November 23, 2015 in Loanhead, Scotland. The garden center grows around 100,000 poinsettias, a traditional Christmas house plant. The Midlothian business supplies a host of garden centers and supermarkets across Scotland and the north of England in time for Christmas. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
(Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — The poinsettia is one of the most popular holiday plants, one that’s hard to miss this time of year. Despite being a tropical plant, with just a few simple care tips it can certainly embellish your home in the winter.
History of the poinsettia
According to KSL Greenhouse Host Taun Beddes, poinsettias were first introduced commercially by Paul Ecke, who founded the Ecke Ranch in California in the early 1900s. For quite some time the Ecke Branch was the primary breeder for poinsettias.
“You would give poinsettias out on Christmas Eve or maybe the 23rd because they were so fragile that they would only last for about two days before they get foliated.”
Beddes said they used to be tall and leggy. But thanks to all the breeding that happened over the last 50 to 75 years, poinsettias are now compact enough for people to grow as houseplants.
Keeping them warm in a cold environment
Because poinsettias are tropical plants, they are very sensitive to cold temperatures. They prefer areas where the temperature ranges between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, you have to be extra careful if you’re purchasing them when the highs are in the low 30s.
“I prefer to buy my poinsettias from garden centers because they oftentimes will not only put the little decorative sleeve on the bottom pot wrapper, but they’ll [also] put a plastic and a paper wrap on them,” said Beddes.
If the wrap is big enough, you can use it as a cover to protect it from the cold air outside and keep it warm enough until it gets home.
You got it home safely. Now what?
You can start by giving it some lukewarm water.
“A lot of times our water in the winter is 40 to 42 degrees [Fahrenheit], and it’s just too cold for the poinsettias,” said Beddes. “Let it drain for 20 or 30 minutes before putting it back in the foil wrapper.”
One of the most common mistakes people make when caring for their poinsettias is overwatering them, according to Utah State University Extension Professor JayDee Gunnell.
“The worst part [about] poinsettias this time of year is if you’re watering it more than once a week, you’ll notice little black gnats flying around,” said Gunnell. “Those are fungus gnats, and they thrive in really waterlogged soils.”
Once you’re done watering, place your poinsettia in an area that’s not by a window or a heat register. Being near a heat register will dry out the soil more quickly, said Gunnell.
Gunnell also said you won’t need to worry about fertilizing them since most of the garden centers will have already done that for you.
Read more from the KSL Greenhouse show:
- Using ornamental grass to add to a yard’s architecture
- How to select and care for a living Christmas tree
- Cutting down your Christmas tree this year? Here’s where to start
KSL Greenhouse is on every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. You can also find more gardening info at our linktr.ee.
