A Poinsettia should last the entire Christmas season. By now all of the bracts of your Poinsettia should be fully colored, with no green at the edges. Plants should be perky, not wilting or droopy. Your poinsettia should not have any yellowed or fallen leaves. If you find that some of the foliage has gotten yellow or has dried some take those leaves off. The will never recover.

You should place the plant in a sunny window, but should not allow the leaves or bracts to touch the cold windowpane. The ideal daytime temperatures for poinsettias range from 60 to 70°F (16-21°C), without keeping the plant too warm or too cold.

Poinsettias may have red, white or pink bracts. The colorful bracts are not flowers, but modified leaves. The flowers are in the center of the bracts. Those flowers are surely very open by now.

Poinsettias require plenty of bright, indirect light for best performance. Make sure that your plant is kept in a spot that gets plenty of bright – indirect light.

Keep your Poinsettia most to the touch, but not soppy wet. I remember my Mom use to say “poinsettias don’t like their feet wet!” So I am reminded that poinsettias like a lot of little watering not a few big ones.

Poinsettias are non-toxic. Our hybridizers have made sure that poinsettias are safe in your home or office.+

However, it is for the bracts that people buy poinsettias. The red color varies from a deep, velvety burgundy to a lighter scarlet. The pink varieties may be anywhere from carnation pink to fuchsia, while white poinsettias are usually more of a rich cream, often with a green or pink tinge. "

Your local florist can be a great source of information on how to take care of your Poinsettia - all you have to do is call or stop at your flower shop. Satisfaction is only a purchase away.
Keep your plant out of the sun and away from drafts – and don’t place them on a heat producing appliance.

By Patrick M. Gustaf, AAF, SDCF
Gustaf's Greenery