Gardening Tips, Common Problems, Vegetable Gardens, Plants

Most people regard poinsettias as disposable. They are bought or given as gifts around Christmas and expected to dry out and die about a week after New Years…if they last THAT long!

Well I received a white poinsettia for Christmas this year and have confiscated my sister’s white poinsettia – which was going down hill quickly. My goal is to grow both of these poinsettias in pots and have them healthy, happy and ready for next Christmas.

Repotted Poinsettia Plants

The first thing I did was replant them into new pots – they came in those really cheap plastic throw-away pots that were way too small for them. I put about an inch of gardening stones at the very bottom of the new pots. This helps with drainage. Then I added enough potting soil to allow the plants to sit high in the bigger pots. I wanted the roots to be no more than an inch or so from the rim of the new pot.

After carefully removing the plants from the old pots, making sure to retain as much of the original soil as possible, I gently sat them in the new soil and filled in around the sides. You want to keep the original soil around the roots – this will prevent the plant from going into shock.

I felt that the original soil was quite moist, so I did not water them into the new soil as I might normally do. I’ll watch them this week and if the soil seems dry, I’ll water. With poinsettias, you want to let the soil dry out before watering. Since I added the rocks to the bottom of the new pots, I’m not too worried about over watering, but I still have to be wary about it.

I’ve posted some photos of the plants in their new pots. Every few weeks I’ll post new photos and keep you updated on how they are doing.

If you save your poinsettias from year to year, please let me know. I’m open for all the pointers I can get!

Thanks and Happy New Year!

A healthy Poinsettia plant can last for months or even years!

‘Tis the season for Poinsettias! These beautiful plants are synonymous with the Christmas season and if you’re not giving anyone a Poinsettia, chances are, you’ll be receiving one (or more!).

So we’ve put together some information about caring for this lovley plant – pass the info along to anyone you gift with a Poinsettia this year.

Some background and history of the Poinsettia:

• Poinsettias are the most popular flower plant during the Christmas season. They are the largest flowering plant crop in the U.S., with sales of over 63 million pots!
• Native to the warmer southwestern U.S. climates and Mexico, Poinsettias are susceptible to cold and frost. So don’t leave them in your car while you shop – bring them home as soon as you buy them.
• Poinsettias are named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first Ambassador to Mexico who brought the plant back to his Greenville, S.C plantation. He grew them and gave them out as gifts.
• Poinsettia Day is December 12th. It was declared in honor of the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett on December 12, 1851.
• Poinsettias are not poisonous as many believe. But eating them could give you a stomach ache.

How to Choose Healthy Poinsettia Plants

• Look for lots of dark green leaves and bright colored flowers. If the leaves or flowers are dry or brown around the edges, choose another plant. Look for flowers that are completely open. Poinsettias are slow to open, but once they bloom, the flowers will remain full and attractive for several weeks.
• If the weather is cold, make sure to wrap up the plant well for the trip from the store to the car. Even short exposure to cold and wind can damage your Poinsettia.

How to Care for Your Poinsettia

• Poinsettias are easy to keep. They retain their blooms long after you have put away the Christmas decorations, possibly lasting until Valentine’s Day. Keep them in a sunny room with an ideal temperature range of 60 – 70 degrees. Don’t put them near drafts, and don’t put them near high heat, like a furnace vent or fireplace.
• Water thoroughly, then let the soil dry between watering. If they begin to dry out, water them and they will bounce right back. If the leaves turn lighter green, give more sunshine.
• During the summer move your plant outdoors to a sunny location or plant it directly into your garden. Give it a good trimming. Use general purpose fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks.
• Bring the plant indoors before the first frost. Poinsettias cannot survive a frost.

Forcing Poinsettias (to bloom at Christmas time)

Forcing Poinsettias to bloom is a difficult task. Many have tried, but few succeed. But, if you want to try, follow these instructions:

• Any time in late September put the plant in total darkness for 12-14 hours a day. **Any small light can upset the process. During the day, it should get six hours or more of sunlight. Continue this process daily until early November, then bring it out into the room. Now with a little luck, your Poinsettia will be in full bloom during the Christmas holiday. Fingers crossed!

Tip: A black plastic bag works well. Place the plant in the bag and  twist tie it at the top. Each morning, remove the twist tie and lower the bag to the floor.

Got a tip for caring and keeping Poinsettias? Click here to send it to us or feel free to leave it as a comment to this post.

You may think that just because it is cold, and the first frost has already laid a white blanket across your garden that your role as a gardener is on hiatus for the winter. Sure, if you WANT to go on a winter sabbatical, you most likely more than deserve it after working in your garden all spring, summer and fall.

But if you’re like us, you may want to keep your hands dirty and your thumbs green, so here are some activities for gardeners during the winter (reprinted courtesy of: Emmitsberg.net)

Activities for Gardeners in the Winter Months:

• It is a good time to clean and repair your garden tools. Check the rototiller, lawn mower and sharpen tools.
• Transplant and maintain your houseplants.

Divide some of your plants to start as gifts for upcoming holidays such as Easter and Mother’s Day.

Starting African violets from leaf cuttings is an easy skill to learn. Select a leaf of medium size, slide your finger down the leaf stem and push down at the base. The stem should break away from the parent plant. Leave the stem on the leaf, and dip the stem in rooting powder. Insert the stem at an angle into the soil mix. Place the leaf and pot in a plastic bag, blow in some air and tie it shut. Keep the bag in bright light but not direct sun. If you see mold or moisture in the bag, open it for a few hours to let the excess water evaporate. The stem will root in about a month. When the leaves are an inch long open the bag. In 6 to 8 weeks small leaves will form at the base of the leaf. When they get to be half the size of the mother leaf, carefully separate them from the mother leaf and repot the plants individually. The plants should blossom in six months, if given bright light, warm temperatures and fertilizer.

• Build a bird feeder or purchase one. Watching birds in the winter is a great activity for the whole family. Buy an inexpensive bird identification book, which will make this activity even more fun. Try putting out different birdseed mixes to see whether different birds come to feed.
• Sprout seeds for eating. They do not require light for germination and are very nutritious. You can buy alfalfa seeds at a health food store and they will sprout in a short period of time.
• Now is the time to get a bargain on Amaryllis and Paper Whites. Buy a couple and start them at different times to have a continual bloom during the winter.
• Consider purchasing or even building an “Indoor Grow Lab” that will allow you to start plants from seeds, propagate root cuttings, raise flowering foliage and vegetable plants, force plants to flower and experiment with how plants respond to light. Instructions for building a lab are available at the Extension Office or library, if you are handy with woodworking tools. The cost will probably be $100 – $150.
• Visit a local nursery and drink in the beauty of what is growing and blooming.
• Attend a flower show in your local area – they usually begin to be scheduled in February and March.

Another important winter gardening activity is to start planning your spring planting. How about re-designing the layout of your garden and plotting which plants will go where. And check out local and online nurseries for end of season sales on bulbs, seeds, equipment and more.

As a gardener, what do you do during the winter? Leave a comment on this article or click here to use our handy contact form to let us know! We would love to hear from you.