Tips to get poinsettias to last all year long
Published:Monday | December 5, 2016 | 10:59 AMKeisha Hill
Poinsettias are not only for the Christmas season anymore. Although a major staple when it comes to the festive period, with a little tender loving care, your poinsettias can look gorgeous all year long. Not only will it bring some year-round colour to your space, but it will also save you some extra cash next Christmas when it is time to decorate for the season again.
If you love gardening and nurturing houseplants, you will find the poinsettia to be worth the effort to get them to re-bloom the following year. Poinsettias bloom naturally at Christmas because they need long nights to flower and short nights to grow.
According to Geoffrey Shields, managing director of Shields & Shields, a leader in Jamaica's horticultural industry, poinsettias do best when the temperature is between 65 and 75 degrees.
"Poinsettias like lots of direct light. Place your plants near a southern, eastern or western window and keep the soil moist while they are still in bloom. Do not allow poinsettias to sit in water. Instead, gently remove the plant from its container, soak it well and place it back in the pot," Shields said.
"The main thing that affects them is light and water. Never put them in a dark room or in the full sunlight. Too much sunlight and the plants will break, and too little sunlight will cause the leaves to fall," he added.
Shields said you can allow your poinsettias to go a little drier between watering during the spring. This is also the best time to start fertilising.
"Look for a spot that gets good morning sun and partially shaded afternoon sun. Poinsettias also tend to do well on a patio or under a tree. Just protect them from full or hot sunlight or they dry out so fast that you have to water daily," he said.
A good rule of thumb, he said, is to water the poinsettia plants three times per week until the pot gets heavy and then water them again when the pot gets light.
It is important, he said, to also watch for insects which tend to accumulate on the underside of leaves. Organic insecticides will help correct the problem, but be prepared to use them more frequently than heavy-duty chemical insecticides.
Once your poinsettias have bloomed, Shields said you do not need to add fertiliser. Just keep watering as you do each Christmas.
"To ensure the plants last all year long, you can put them in a huge pot with a good potting mix or take them out of the pot and place them outside in a flower bed where they can take more light, however, they must be in an area where they have at least 14 hours of darkness to flower," Shields said.