5 Reasons Your Poinsettia's Leaves Are Falling Off, and How to Solve the Problem

Poinsettias are the iconic plant of Christmas. They dominate decor in December, their red, pink, and white hues bringing tropical color into homes in the depths of winter. So it’s as disappointing as coal in your stocking when your poinsettia starts dropping its leaves before you've opened a single gift. Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are native to the tropical regions of Mexico and Central America, so they’re sensitive to the dry air in a heated home. Those falling leaves are a cry for help.

Here are five common reasons your poinsettia is shedding its leaves, and simple steps you can take to save it.

1. Temperature Trauma

If your poinsettia is near a door or window where it’s exposed to drafts of cold air, or by a heating vent where it’s hit with blasts of hot air, the leaves will rain off the plant like confetti. Poinsettias will drop their leaves immediately if they’re exposed to temperatures below 60°F, too.

The Fix: Move your plant to a spot with a stable temperature between 65 and 75°F. Keep your poinsettia well away from drafty windows and doors, heating vents, and fireplaces.

2. Too Much Water

This is one of the main causes of stressed, leaf-dropping poinsettias. Give your poinsettia too much water and its roots will be unable to take nutrients from the soil and feed the plant because they are drowning. The result: the poinsettia gets stressed and the leaves fall off.

The Fix: Only water your poinsettia when the top inch of soil is dry to the touch. Poke your finger in the soil to check if your plant needs water. Then make sure any excess can drain away by removing the decorative foil or paper the pot was wrapped in when you bought it. It will trap water, causing overly soggy conditions that can cause root rot. If you must have pretty paper on your poinsettia, poke a hole in it so water can drain out of the pot properly.

3. Not Enough Water

Besides overwatering, too little water can also cause leaves to fall off your poinsettia if your plant gets too wilted. Some leaves may recover after you water again, but the plant will likely drop several leaves as a way to conserve the limited moisture it can access.

The Fix: Water your poinsettia from the bottom. To do this, take the decorative paper off the poinsettia and place it in a sink or tray filled with one or two inches of water. Let it sit for an hour. The soil will soak up water through the drainage holes in the pot bottom via capillary action. This gives your poinsettia a long, deep drink that saturates the roots without drowning them.

4. Dry Air

Heating systems notoriously create desert-dry air in our homes in winter that poinsettias and many other tropical houseplants don't tolerate well. Poinsettias need humidity of 50 to 75 percent, and houses tend to have a humidity of 20 to 30 percent in the winter when the heat is cranked. Low humidity causes the edges of the leaves to dry out, brown, and curl before falling off.

The Fix: Place the poinsettia on a pebble tray (a shallow dish filled with pebbles and water). The evaporating water increases the humidity around the plant. Make sure the bottom of the pot is above the water level, not touching it, to prevent your poinsettia's roots from sitting in too much water.

5. Light Deprivation

Poinsettias aren’t low light plants. They like sunshine and need at least 6 to 8 hours a day of bright, indirect light to stay healthy. Put your plant in a dark place in your house too far from a window, and the plant will weaken and drop its lower leaves.

The Fix: Place your poinsettia in the brightest spot you have, preferably by a south- or west-facing window. Or spotlight it with a cute grow light on a timer that ensures your plant automatically will get the exact amount of light it needs to thrive.