Don’t Make These 7 Poinsettia Care Mistakes This Year

Poinsettias, with their brightly colored bracts, spruce up the home and garden during the winter holidays, but some care mistakes can harm their appearance. If you have a poinsettia that doesn’t look great, or you just brought one home and want to make sure it survives, we can help!

These beautiful tropical plants have flashy, colorful bracts that surround their small, inconspicuous flowers. The bracts respond to the shortening of daylight hours similarly to deciduous trees, but changing colors. The seasonality of this color change has made them highly popular as houseplants in the winter.

The fact that they are tropical and rather sensitive means that they have some specific care needs. If you brought one home and aren’t sure how to avoid losing it before the season ends, we have some tips for you. Here are some mistakes to avoid when caring for your holiday poinsettias.

Overwatering

Close-up of blooming soil in a large flowerpot, covered with fallen, wilted red bracts and dry, gray-green, curled leaves. — Ensure well-draining soil to prevent waterlogged roots.

Like most plants, poinsettias are sensitive to overwatering, and this is one of the most common care mistakes. This is especially true when you’re growing them indoors. Soil dries faster outdoors, so overwatering is more difficult. Tropical are usually moisture lovers, so it can be tempting to give your plant more water when it’s looking sad, but it’s not always the best course of action.

These holiday helpers like moist but well-draining soil. It should also be slightly acidic and rich in organic matter, like compost or peat. Because these materials hold moisture, it’s even easier to wind up with soggy roots. Soggy roots often lead to root rot, and then you have a mess on your hands.

If your plant’s leaves are droopy and anemic, yellowing, or becoming pale, you might be overwatering it. It’s best to allow the top inch or two of soil to dry between waterings. Snip off the damaged foliage and take a watering break, and it should perk up.

Something else to look for is mold on the surface of the soil. Chronically over-watered soil is the perfect place for mold to grow. If you notice this, step back your watering.

Underwatering

Close-up of a potted plant with delicate peach-orange bracts and dry gray-green leaves against a white background. — Ensure proper humidity to keep your plant thriving.

An under-watered poinsettia is no good either. As I mentioned, they are tropical, and they do appreciate moist soil. Be careful in trying not to overwater so that you don’t inadvertently under water.

An underwatered poinsettia will look different from an overwatered one. If it’s not getting enough moisture, the leaves will become dry and crisp. They will eventually wilt, dropping toward the ground and curling up before they fall.

If you see those leaves start to wilt and curl but not turn yellow, it’s probably a lack of moisture. Never let the soil dry completely. Only the top inch or two should ever dry out.

Another moisture factor to consider is humidity. Because they are tropical, these plants need higher than average humidity. The air inside your home is drier in winter when the heat is running, and the air outside is drier as well. It’s a good idea to buy your plants a humidifier for the colder months.

Leaving it Out in the Cold

Close-up of a stunning plant with striking red bracts, deep green foliage, and tiny yellow flowers at the center in a large white pot on the porch. — These plants can’t tolerate cold—bring them indoors for warmth.

Coming back to that tropical factor, poinsettias do not tolerate cold, and it is a mistake to leave them outside. I know this may come as a surprise to some. Why are they so popular in the winter if they aren’t winter-hardy? Well, because they’re beautiful, and that’s reason enough for me.

I know many, including myself, who like to decorate the front porch with them around the holidays. If you live in the South, you might be able to get away with this as long as you bring them in during a frost. When I say they are not cold tolerant, I mean that they are among the most susceptible to frost of any plant I own.

If you live in a cold climate, I wouldn’t even risk it. Bring them straight indoors and keep them there, where you can enjoy them and keep them alive through the New Year.

Too Much Light

Bright red bracts surround the yellow central flowers, contrasting against the dark green, pointed leaves in a glossy burgundy pot on a sunny windowsill. — Ensure proper soil content and moisture to prevent sunburn.

Another issue you may run into caring for a poinsettia is finding the right exposure. In their native environment, they are small to medium-sized shrubs that grow on forest edges in Central America. While they appreciate full sun, if they get too much without the proper soil composition or moisture, they can take on damage.

If you place your plant in direct sun, you may end up with sunburned leaves without consistent watering. Sunburn will manifest as bleaching of the leaves and bracts initially. After a period, they will begin to brown at the edges, and the veins may turn yellow.

Not Enough Light

Close-up of pale burgundy bracts and green foliage with a blurred street view in the background from a window. — Keep them near bright windows for optimal light exposure.

You can also give your plant too little sunlight, and that’s not good either. Without enough exposure, the bracts may turn back to green, and other foliage may become pale and ultimately drop off. They don’t tolerate shaded places.

The ideal light situation for your poinsettia is some full sun or bright, indirect sun for six or more hours daily. Keep it within a foot or two of a brightly lit window, but set it out of direct sunlight for best results. A few hours of sun early in the day will not harm it, but the afternoon sun is too harsh.

Uncontrolled Temperature Shifts

Rich red bracts and yellow-tipped flowers are set against dark green, glossy leaves in a large pot surrounded by fallen leaves. — Avoid placing near vents to prevent leaf drop.

Shifts in the environment are a factor that is easy to overlook. Nevertheless, it is important, and specifically to this plant. They like consistency and gradual shifts in their environment. If you place this one near a heating vent or in a drafty space, it may let you know by dropping leaves. It will also affect the speed at which the soil dries.

The ideal temperature range for your poinsettia is around 75°F (24°C) during the day and slightly cooler at night. Lower than 60°F (16°C), and it may begin to suffer. Fortunately, this is a reasonable range that isn’t difficult to achieve in the home.

Something to note: When it’s very cold outside, it’s colder just inside your windows. On cold nights, the plants that sit close to the window will experience a shift, and they may not like it.

Fertilizing Too Soon

Close-up of male hands in white gloves adding fresh soil to a plant with red bracts and bright green foliage in a glossy red pot, next to a similar plant in a green pot. — Avoid fertilizing during dormancy to prevent root stress.

You may get the urge to boost those bracts by fertilizing, but it’s not a great idea. Even though they look like they are in an active state, they are actually dormant in the winter and won’t use the fertilizer.

Fertilizing dormant poinsettias is another major mistake. The roots don’t take in that fertilizer to utilize it, so it sits in the soil and around the roots. This causes a buildup of salts on the roots and fertilizer burn, which causes serious stress.

Put a pause on fertilizing until it enters an active growth phase again. This usually happens around March. You’ll know it’s happening because new foliage will turn up. That’s when you should resume. Use a balanced formula once a month until next winter!

Key Takeaways

To keep your poinsettia looking healthy and happy for the holidays, there are a few simple elements to pay attention to. Keep the light bright and the soil moist but not soggy. Mind the temperature and give it a bit of humidity, and it will look gorgeous all winter!