How to grow poinsettias

What are poinsettias?

Choosing poinsettia for your home

Buying poinsettia

Where to grow and poisition your plant

Poinsettias like bright light, out of direct sunlight. Additionally they need to be away from draughts and like minimum temperature of 13-16°C (55-60°F), so somewhre like a table a little away from a window in a living room is usually ideal. Just try to avoid places like: window sills with there is drying radiator heat or cold night temperatures behind curtains, draughty hearths and unheated rooms like porches.

How to plant

Choosing a healthy plant should mean that you have little to do but water the plant while you enjoy it over the festive period, making them pretty easy to care for. 

How to water

• As a rule of thumb, only water when the surface of the compost has begun to feel dry
• Place the pot in a bowl of tepid water to allow the compost to soak it up for 10-20 minutes. Lift it out of the bowl, let it to drain, and then return to its decorative plant pot

How to feed

Caring for older plants

Getting poinsettias to produce colourful bracts again

• Prune back the plants hard in April, to about 10cm (4in), and keep at a temperature of around 13°C (55°F)
• In early May, repot them, using three parts John Innes No 3 mixed with one part grit. Grow on in a light, cool place over summer
• A temperature of 15-18°C (60-65°F) is ideal for the summer
• Flowering and bract colouring is initiated by short day-length, occurring naturally in December and January. They need on average 8-10 weeks of short days (aim for less than 12 hours of light) so need the days artifically shortened by from late September if you want to ensure they in bloom for Christmas. Cover plants or put in a dark room after twelve hours of daylight every day and protected from artificial light sources (e.g. turning on the lights in their room)
• Plants need a constant temperature of around 18°C (65°F) to colour up well

Poinsettias generally don't suffer from pest and disease.

The most common problem is cold damage, usually caused by plants being sold in unsuitably chill locations such as on pavements or in the draft of store doors. Where this damage has happened before you buy, you will often see the leaves and bracts begin to fall off within a few days of purchase, a few at a time, over a couple of weeks. There's no way of recitifying this, so where possible buy your plants from a warm location, such as a heated greenhouse at a garden centre or store. However, cool, draughty temperatures at home can also be an issue, so if the leaf/bract drop doesn't begin shortly after purchase, check it's warm, light and the compost is just moist - as these problems are less severe (compared to the frosty weather that plants can encounter outside), plant's should stop dropping leaves/bracts if these condition are improved.

Occasionally poinsettia can succumb to:

• Grey mould when overwatered
• Common pests of indoor plants such as scale insect and mealybug 

Toxicity

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is considered to be considerably less toxic than other Euphorbia species. However, it is best to avoid ingestion and contact with milky sap that may cause skin and eye irritation.

​If you're a member of the RHS, you can use our online Gardening Advice Service, via MyRHS, for any gardening queries and problems.