How to Care for Poinsettias and Keep Them Fresh Through the Holidays

Poinsettias add an extra dose of cheer to any home around the holidays, but do you know how to keep them fresh and beautiful all season long? Read on for a few selection and care tips to keep your festive flowers healthy until the new year.

Poinsettia Selection Tips

Keeping poinsettias pretty throughout the entire holiday season starts at your local nursery or garden center. Here are a few tips for selecting the perfect plants to bring home:

• Avoid purchasing poinsettias displayed in paper or plastic sleeves. The leaves produce ethylene gas, which speeds up maturing, and sleeves can trap the ethylene gas around the leaves and lead to quicker deterioration. If your poinsettia does have a sleeve, remove it immediately when you arrive home.
• Choose a plant with a thick, sturdy stem that has dark green foliage down the stem to the soil.
• Check the flowers (the yellow parts in the middle of the red bracts). If any are loose or missing, select a different plant.
• Once you’ve selected the perfect poinsettias, take them home right away. Poinsettias don’t like the cold, so don’t leave them in a cold car while you continue shopping or running errands.

See more: Christmas Tree Care Tips to Keep Your Holiday Centerpiece Fresh

How to Care for Poinsettias

Once you get your plants home, keep them looking fresh and healthy through Christmas with these tips:

• Poinsettias are tropicals that love warmth and sunlight. Place them in windows facing south, east or west where they will receive a maximum amount of indoor sunlight every day. Six hours or more of natural light a day is best.
• Keep your plant away from both warm and cold drafts caused by radiators, air registers, or open doors and windows. 
• Make sure your container has at least one drainage hole. 
• Keep the soil slightly moist but never soggy. You’ll know it’s time to water the plant when the surface of the soil feels dry to the touch. Water just until you see water running out the drainage hole. Depending on the humidity of your home, most require water every four or five days.
• Keep your plants at a consistent temperature (between 65 and 75 degrees is best).

See more: Are Poinsettias Poisonous to Pets?

If properly cared for, a potted poinsettia can last in your home for up to 2 to 3 months. Follow these tips and you’ll have beautiful flowers during the weeks leading up to Christmas and beyond.