Poinsettias are vibrant tropical plants that require careful watering to keep their festive appearance from fading. Too much or too little water can quickly transform them from lush to lifeless. To help your poinsettias thrive throughout the holiday season, use these eight effective watering tips designed to keep your poinsettias looking good until the new year.
Marty Baldwin
1. Start with a healthy plant.
When shopping for a poinsettia, avoid a bedraggled plant, even if it's the only one left at the store. Poinsettias that have had a rough journey to the marketplace might have broken stems, limp or curled leaves, and limited foliage at the base of the plant. Unlike some other houseplants, these tender tropicals don’t recover quickly and will likely look less-than-festive for the duration of the holiday season.
Instead, search out a poinsettia with dark green leaves and lush, brightly colorful bracts. The button-like structures in the center of the leaf clusters—which are actually the plant's flowers—should be barely open and not shedding pollen. A healthy poinsettia easily keeps its good looks for six weeks or more.
As with any houseplant, check poinsettias for pests before purchasing them—the last thing you want to do is bring home an infested plant. Signs of a problem include holes in leaves, thin white webbing around foliage, or of course, visible pests (which, if present, are often found on the undersides of leaves).
2. Check the soil moisture daily.
Yes, daily. Poinsettias are usually grown in a soilless mix that mimics their native soil and dries out rapidly—especially in the low-humidity indoor conditions of most homes in winter. When the plant's soil is dry to the touch, it’s time to water. Poinsettias thrive when their soil is allowed to just barely dry out between waterings.
Poinsettias are tropical plants heralding from regions with well-draining sandy soil and rain showers. Replicate these conditions in your home, and your poinsettia will be happy.
3. Remove the cover before watering poinsettias.
Even though poinsettias need frequent water, they despise soggy soil. When poinsettias are watered in their decorative covers, the excess water pools in the bottom of the cover, creating waterlogged soil. Before watering your plant, slip it out of the decorative plastic or paper cover.
4. Let your poinsettia soak.
An easy way to ensure poinsettias receive ample moisture at watering time is to set the plant—removing the decorative pot cover first—in a baking pan or shallow tray. Then, water the plant with room temperature water until the excess water runs out of the bottom of the pot.
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Leave the pot in the tray for 15-30 minutes. It will absorb any needed water that collects in the bottom of the tray.
When watering, be sure to tip your watering pot close to the soil, avoiding the leaves. Getting a poinsettia's leaves wet can cause problems like leaf spot.
5. Don’t leave water in the cover.
After letting your poinsettia soak, set your plant in a sink where any excess water can drip out before returning the pot to the decorative cover. Or if you want to just put it back in the cover, check back a little while later and dump out any unneeded water to prevent the plant’s soil from becoming waterlogged. The same applies if you use a saucer under your plant's pot instead of a cover.
6. Avoid nearby heat sources.
Vents, radiators—anything that is moving warm air—will cause the soil of nearby poinsettias to dry out more quickly. If possible, place your poinsettia near a sunny window, away from heat sources. Poinsettias thrive when the air temperature is 60°F to 70°F, and you won't have to water it quite as much.
7. Watch for yellow leaves.
Overwatering causes leaves on the bottom of the plant to turn yellow and drop off. In time, the lower half of the plant becomes a bunch of leafless stems. At the first sight of a yellow leaf, check the soil moisture. Do not water the plant until the soil surface is dry to the touch. Also, check the decorative pot cover to ensure excess water has not collected in the bottom, causing soggy soil.
Overwatering poinsettias can cause the leaves on the bottom of the plant to turn yellow and drop off, leading to leafless stems. Avoid letting excess water collect in decorative pot covers or saucers, which can result in soggy soil and damage to the plant's health.
8. Don't let your poinsettia wilt.
Poinsettias are quick to let you know when they desperately need water. Their leaves will look curled and droopy. Unfortunately, when poinsettias reach this point, their growth is often so compromised that it is difficult to return them to full health. While it's best to avoid letting your plant wilt even a little bit, if this does happen, water your stressed poinsettia as soon as you notice the problem, following the watering practices described above.
Frequently Asked Questions
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While some people like to put ice cubes on top of a plant's soil and let them water the plant as they melt, it's not recommended for poinsettias. It's hard to make sure you water thoroughly with this method, and poinsettias are particularly finicky about their water needs.
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To ensure a poinsettia is thoroughly watered, it's best to do both. Water it from the top while it's set in a shallow dish, then allow it to sit for a while so it can absorb some additional water from below.
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A poinsettia's leaves can signal a variety of stresses. They may look wilted if the plant is too close to a source of heat (like a heat vent) or to a chilly window. Also, make sure you're not overwatering, which can result in wilted-looking and yellow leaves that drop.
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