The Hort Report: Just because Christmas has passed doesn’t mean you can’t keep poinsettias looking fresh

The first few days of 2025 have been snowy, but we need snow to get into the ground and seal it to help protect the roots of various plants, trees, bushes and shrubs from the cold temperatures. 

Christmas has passed, but you can keep your poinsettia looking fresh for several more weeks and keep it alive until next Christmas.

Poinsettias need at least six hours of bright sunlight — not direct sunlight — every day to keep their bright leaf color. During this time of the year, put them in a well-lit room with an east-facing window to allow plenty of sunlight.

Poinsettias do best with a temperature between 65 and 70 degrees during the day and a little cooler at night. Don’t put them next to a heat vent, which would cause the poinsettia to dry out faster. A cold air draft will cause the leaves to drop off faster.  

Poinsettias like humidity where they are in the house. You might need to run a humidifier in the room. 

Don’t overwater your poinsettias. Keep the soil moist, and only water when the soil feels dry in the top 1-2 inches. If you don’t, your poinsettia can die.

Poinsettias shouldn’t sit in water. If a poinsettia sits in water, this will cause the roots to rot, causing it to die. Remove any foil or wrapping that the plant came in to allow air to get into the roots, helping keep them and the poinsettia healthy. 

Don’t fertilize your poinsettia while it is in bloom. If you plan to keep your poinsettia after it has quit blooming, fertilize it once the bracts have dropped off for the season. Once the bracts start to fall off, start to withhold water. Don’t let the soil get 100 percent dry, but water enough so the stems don’t wilt. 

Move the poinsettia into dark, dry cool place. The best place might be a closet, where the temperature can be between 50 and 60 degrees. Starting in April and May, put the Poinsettia back into a sunny location. Cut the branches and stem back to about six inches above the soil level. 

Repot your poinsettia with new potting soil into a new pot. Spread the roots out in the new potting soil, then water the poinsettia into the new potting soil. Add more potting soil if needed. Let the soil settle in around the roots. Let extra water drain out the bottom of the pot. Good airflow is important. You don’t want the roots to get root rot, causing the poinsettia to die.

As the poinsettia plant starts to grow again, start fertilizing it. Use a balanced water-soluble fertilizer like 20-20-20 per gallon of water.

You can keep your poinsettia growing all summer into early fall by keeping the soil moist and fertilizing it every week. Once the poinsettia starts to green up, you can begin to pinch it back.

When the poinsettia stems have grown to about 10 inches, plan on starting to pinch the stem and branches to make them stronger and help the plant bush out more. Keep pinching them once a month until the middle of September.

As 2025 seed catalogs come in, make a list of your needs to get to make this year’s garden plan work. Make sure you have enough room for all the vegetables you want to plant. 

Thanks for all your questions in the past. I appreciate all of them and look forward to them in the future. Call me at 573-588-2040 at Shelby County Implement, email me at sci63468@hotmail.com or contact me on Facebook at Greenwell’s Greenhouse Group. Ask me anytime you see me. 

Pat Greenwell is the owner of Shelby County Implement in Shelbina, Mo. He was a high school agriculture teacher for 11 years. He has taught adult vocational agriculture since 1987. He also is a research assistant at the Truman State University Ag Department Farm.