Poinsettia’s are the most popular Christmas houseplant in the UK – if you’ve just got yours and you wondering about how to care for it, James from James Comish Landscape & Horticulture has given us five tips to help you succeed.
- Keep them in a bright place. The weather is far from dull in their native Mexico, so they won’t appreciate a dark corner!
- Keep them warm. Again, Mexico is not renowned for being cold. If it drops below 10C in the area where your Poinsettia is kept, it’s no good. Princettia would probably tolerate it, on the other hand!
- Water little and often. Don’t let the plant wilt as that could promote leaf drop, but also don’t over water as this can encourage root rot problems.
- Feeding should not be much of a problem for a plant already in colour, as the grower will have done most the work on that side of things. However, if you want to keep the plant throughout the following year, regular feeding will be required.
- The most important point: if you want a Poinsettia to survive, buy it from a grower, reputable garden centre or nursery. They will stock quality plants and keep them in the right conditions to keep the plants happy. Most people blame themselves for not being able to keep Poinsettia alive, but the supermarket has already killed the plant for them. Buy your Poinsettia as your last purchase for the day and take it straight home back into the warm.
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If you like Christmas plants, you might also like our article on choosing a real Christmas tree! Click here to read.
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