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Poinsettia: how to care for the Christmas Star?
The poinsettia, also known as the Christmas star, is a flowering plant in the euphorbia family. Its colourful flowers add an exotic touch to the festive season. It blooms from December to February, making it one of the stars on florists' Christmas stalls. Here are our tips for looking after your poinsettia, so you can enjoy it for as long as possible.
The poinsettia: how do you look after the Christmas Star ?
The poinsettia, also known as the Christmas star, is a flowering plant in the euphorbia family. Its colourful flowers add an exotic touch to the festive season. It blooms from December to February, making it one of the stars on florists' Christmas stalls. Here are our tips for looking after your poinsettia, so you can enjoy it for as long as possible.
Sunshine and temperature for the poinsettia
The poinsettia is a shrub native to tropical areas. In its natural habitat, it can grow up to four metres high. Don't worry, this festive houseplant is discreet without losing any of its splendour. Because of its origins, the Christmas Star requires special care in our parts of the world. The poinsettia needs sunshine. Quite simply, it hates the cold and draughts. Choose a spot for it in a heated room, but don't put it near a heat source (forget the radiator). Poinsettia leaves are fragile and break easily, so choose a spot where they won't get knocked about.
Watering the poinsettia
During the flowering period, it is advisable to water the poinsettia by soaking, as soon as the soil is dry. Use lukewarm water (at least 20°C) and make sure the roots are not immersed in water for too long. To aid drainage, we recommend placing clay balls in the bottom of the pot.
Bouvard'd advice : The quality of the flowers will depend on the quality of your potting soil. Note that it is not advisable to add fertiliser to your potting compost during the flowering period. Outside this period, we recommend fertilising the soil once a month with liquid fertiliser.
How do I prune a poinsettia?
If well cared for, the poinsettia can flower again at Christmas.When spring arrives, the Christmas Star loses its leaves and bracts and goes into a well-deserved vegetative rest. To encourage new growth, you can prune your poinsettia in April. To do this, gently prune back all the branches by no more than ten centimetres.How do I get a poinsettia to bloom again ?
To make sure your poinsettia's pretty, colourful flowers come back the following Christmas, outside the flowering period, we recommend that you :
• Prune the stems in early spring as explained above ;
• Reduce the amount of watering and wait for the soil to dry out between waterings (always use temperate water)) ;
• Place your poinsettia outside during the summer ;
• Resume more regular watering and add fertiliser to the mould from August/September ;
• Put your poinsettia back inside at the end of September.
Did you know ? The colour of your poinsettia's leaves reflects the plant's state of health. If the leaves turn white, it's a sign that you've over-watered your Christmas Star. Yellowing leaves, on the other hand, mean the atmosphere is too dry.
