Poinsettias - Beyond Christmas Day

Everyone loves this exquisite plant native to Mexico. For some, it might not even feel like Christmas, without the bold red plant gracing their living room along with their Christmas tree.

The poinsettia comes in a few colors, with the most common being red and cream. Personally, I'm not enamored with the cream variety, since they appear to me as simply 'washed out.'

Many people become frustrated when they're unable to make this holiday guest last the season, let alone beyond that - so, the first key to understanding the plant, is knowing beforehand that the poinsettia is a fragile plant and needs be handled in certain ways, in order to extend the life of this elegant flora.

Poinsettias enjoy bright sunlight - always place them where they can receive the most sun during the day. The hotter the better, so don't worry about burning the leaves. A day without moisture, will cause poinsettias to drop their leaves prematurely.

You need to keep the environment moist for its health and welfare. Keeping the plant wet (especially further down,) will cause the roots to rot. The only time the soil should feel truly wet on the surface, is the day you water it and perhaps the following day.

Constant humidity is a must from the very beginning. When you first bring your plant into your home, fill the overflow saucer with gravel. Each time you water your plant, the water will seep down through the soil into the gravel and evaporate back up around the plant, maintaining its own small ecosystem.

Another aid to humidifying your plant, is to mist it twice daily. Once early in the mornings and another around 4pm (using GMT -8 hours,) in the afternoon. Try to keep an even temperature in the house day and night. If you decrease the temperature at night, you may cause the poinsettias leaves to drop. It would be better to keep a lower temperature during the day, so that when you turn your heating down at night, the difference won't be so treacherous to your plant.