Proper care now will carry these past the holiday season CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS

By Barb Delisio

OSU Extension master gardener volunteer

Everyone loves a poinsettia plant to help celebrate the holiday season.

The new varieties are breathtaking – white, pink, marbled pink and white and the exciting new blue.

I’m a traditionalist, though: I like red.

Also, I want small poinsettia plants so I can move them around the house wherever I want a splash of color.

Usually I buy three or so, no larger the 10-12 inches high so I can use them as table decorations and my guests can see and talk over them without having to move my living centerpiece.

A nice splash of red on a dining room table is great eye-catcher.

Poinsettias are a tropical plant, brought originally from Mexico, where they are a native. Joel Poinsettia, the first ambassador to Mexico, brought back the plant to South Carolina around 1828. He is credited with naming the popular holiday plant.

One of the many questions we get at the OSU Extension office is, “Are poinsettia plants poisonous?” The answer is no, but they are not meant to be eaten.

In 1996, a study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine reported that they are not poisonous, but some people may be allergic to the milky sap and small pets may choke on its fibrous leaves.

So just be careful with the plants around small children and pets.

When buying a poinsettia, make sure the leaves and bracts are well wrapped to transport it from the store to your car and your car to the inside of your home.

Exposure to below-freezing temperatures, even for a short period of time, can injure the leaves and bracts.

The red bracts are actually a modified leaf, not the flower. If you look closely in the center of the bracts, you’ll see the tiny yellow flowers.

Check for flowers that are not open yet or just opening with little pollen, as the plant drops leaves and bracts shortly after pollen is shed.

When you get your plants into the house, place them where they can have six hours of natural daylight.

Day temperatures should not exceed 75‚∞degrees, and night temperatures should not go below 65‚∞degrees.

Avoid putting them in direct sunlight and do not let the plant touch the windowpane.

I put my plants on the dining room table and leave them there. The room has a lot of natural light, and they do fine.

Remember, poinsettias are tropical plants and do best in moist conditions. Water when the soil feels dry.

I pour water directly onto the soil until it drains through into its saucer. After about an hour, I dump out any water that still may be in the saucer.

If you water too much, the bottom leaves will turn yellow and fall off. If you don’t water enough, the bottom leaves will wilt and drop.

Never put your plants near a heat register or in drafty areas. Poinsettias need a constant temperature with no highs or lows below the 75-65 degree mark.

If you can follow these few directives, your plants should last you through the holiday season and even into the spring.

I want poinsettias for the holidays, so after a few weeks into the new year, I pitch my plants. I feel they have served me well and I’m ready to move on to something else.

If you decide to keep your plants after the holidays treat them like any other houseplant. Continue to water as listed above.

In early spring, we’ll do another article on caring for your poinsettia through the summer and getting it ready for re-bloom during next year’s holiday season.

To view a video about poinsettia care, visit http://go.osu.edu/greatpoinsettia.