Poinsettia Care Guide

Chip Watson
Poinsettia Grower

Poinsettias are green plants with long-lived bracts (vividly colored leaves) and golden-yellow flowers. The typical household environment is suitable for maintaining vigor of the plant as long as you keep the following guidelines in mind:

Placement

Place your poinsettia in a room with sufficient natural light. If you can comfortably read fine print using only the present light, the room is generally okay. You should also avoid drafts or excess heat from appliances.

Cooler room temperatures will prolong the color intensity of your plant's bract color, so do your plants a favor by keeping the room temperature between 60 and 72 degrees.

Avoid overwatering your poinsettias and they'll serve as a wonderful holiday accent

Watering

Appropriate watering of your poinsettia is critical and often the cause of problems. Water your plant thoroughly when the soil surface is dry to the touch. For a typical plant in a 6" pot, this might be a 8 oz glass of water twice a week. Overwatering is often responsible for more deaths than underwatering, so only apply water when it is needed.

Please note that the popular 'Winter Rose' variety is extremely sensitive to overwatering. At Estabrook's, we grow this specific cultivar in a clay pot to minimize watering mishaps. Please pay special attention to providing it with appropriate water levels.

Aftercare

When the holidays are over, it doesn't mean it's the end of your poinsettias. When the bracts age and become muddy green, you can cut the plant back to 8" and grow it as a foliage plant. It can even be placed outside when temperatures warm up. For maximum success, fertilize with balanced nutrients once or twice during the season.

In early fall, return the plant inside and provide it with 12 or more hours of continuous darkness for 3 weeks. With proper care, your poinsettia will produce colored bracts again!

Christmas Trees Have Arrived

Gather your family and friends to decorate the tree this weekend

As we gather this week to give thanks for our many blessings, our thoughts naturally turn to family, traditions, and the holidays. Along with decorating the house with festive wreaths, dressing up a fence with fragrant roping, and putting up the twinkling lights, selecting the family Christmas tree is one of the timeless traditions of the holiday season.

Fresh balsam trees from the woods of Maine have arrived at Estabrook's, ringing in the holiday season. The ultimate symbol of the season, our trees are available in a wide range of sizes that are prefect for homes of any size.

In our holiday emporium, you'll find all the sparkling ornaments, glittering lights, and festive garland to make this year's tree something special. Whether you're celebrating your first Christmas in a new home or using heirlooms that have been passed through generations, you're sure to find a special touch to add to this year's tree.

Holiday decorating is much more fun when shared with family and friends, so take advantage of this weekend to get into the holiday spirit and enjoy the most wonderful time of the year.