Poinsettia Care: From the Shop to After the Holidays

Key takeaways

1. Most poinsettias are damaged before they reach home: buy on a mild day and wrap the plant for the trip.
2. Bright indirect light, 16–21 °C (60–70 °F) and no draughts keep the bracts colourful for weeks.
3. Water when the surface is dry, then let it drain; soggy compost and cold cause most leaf drop.
4. To keep it, prune in spring, grow it on in summer and give 8–10 weeks of long nights from early autumn.
5. Poinsettia sap irritates skin, eyes, mouth and stomach; the ASPCA lists it as toxic to cats and dogs, but mildly.

How do you look after a poinsettia through the whole season?

Poinsettia care starts in the shop, not after Christmas. Most of the plants that drop their leaves in December were chilled on the way home or parked next to a radiator in the first week. This guide follows one plant through the whole season: choosing it, keeping its colour through the holidays, what to do when the bracts fade, and how to make it colour again next year, with timings for both hemispheres. The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a shrub from Mexico, and its red, pink or cream "flowers" are really coloured leaves called bracts around tiny yellow true flowers.

The poinsettia year at a glance

In the Southern Hemisphere Christmas falls in midsummer, when nights are short, so a kept plant will naturally colour in your winter instead. If you want it red for Christmas, you have to create the long nights yourself.

How to choose a healthy poinsettia

Clemson University's Home & Garden Information Center suggests choosing a plant with fully coloured bracts, dark green leaves all the way down the stems and no drooping. Look at the small yellow flower clusters in the centre of the bracts: they should not be fully open yet, because a plant with fresh flowers will last longer.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) warns that poinsettias need at least 13–16 °C (55–60 °F), and that cold, draughty displays outside shops or by doors cause leaf and bract drop. Ask for the plant to be wrapped over the top, buy on a mild day if you can, and take it straight home rather than leaving it in a cold car.

Poinsettia care during the holidays

Light and position

Give it bright light but no direct sun: the RHS says to keep it out of direct sunlight, and Clemson recommends at least 6 hours of bright, indirect light a day, noting that strong sun can fade the bracts. A spot a little back from a bright window is ideal. Avoid window sills above radiators, the gap behind a curtain on a cold night, fireplaces and unheated porches.

Temperature

Aim for steady room warmth of about 16–21 °C (60–70 °F). Clemson suggests keeping daytime temperatures at or below 21 °C (70 °F) and warns of leaf drop and chilling injury below 10 °C (50 °F). Draughts, heat vents and dry air from appliances all shorten its display. Our guide to how cold is too cold for houseplants explains why a few minutes by an open door can matter.

Watering

Water only when the surface of the compost feels dry. Take the plant out of its foil or decorative cover first, water until it drains from the bottom, and then empty the saucer: Clemson says it should never dry out completely nor sit in water. The RHS suggests standing the pot in tepid water for 10–20 minutes and letting it drain. Overwatering is the most common mistake; the RHS notes it can lead to grey mould. If you are unsure how to check, see how to water houseplants.

Humidity and feeding

Both the RHS and the University of Florida (UF/IFAS) say a little extra humidity helps the colour last; a tray of damp gravel under the pot or occasional misting is enough. Do not feed while it is in bloom. UF/IFAS notes that a poinsettia kept away from freezing temperatures can hold its colour until about March.

Why is my poinsettia dropping leaves?

Sudden leaf drop is almost always about the environment, not a disease. Run through this list:

• Cold or a draught: chilled on the way home, near a door, or on a cold window sill at night.
• Too much water: compost that stays soggy, often because the foil wrapper holds water.
• Too dry: the plant wilts first, then drops leaves.
• Heat and dry air: next to a radiator, fire or heating vent.
• Too dark: a gloomy corner far from any window.

Fix the cause and it usually stops. Our guide to plant leaves falling off covers the pattern in more detail. If you cannot work it out, Dr. Flori can ask the right follow-up questions from a photo and tell you what is most likely and how urgent it is.

Poinsettia care after the holidays

Many people treat poinsettias as a seasonal decoration and compost them when the colour fades, and that is perfectly fine. If you want to keep yours, here is the routine from the RHS and Clemson:

1. Cut it back in spring. When the bracts fade (March to April in the Northern Hemisphere), prune the stems hard: the RHS says to about 10 cm (4 in), Clemson to about 20 cm (8 in). Wear gloves, because the milky sap irritates skin.
2. Repot and grow on. Repot in late spring into a pot a size larger; the RHS suggests a gritty loam-based compost. Keep it in a bright, sunny window and water regularly once new growth starts.
3. Feed while growing. Clemson suggests a balanced fertiliser every 2–3 weeks from spring to autumn; the RHS suggests a high-potassium feed once a month. Follow the label.
4. Summer outdoors (optional). Move it outside once nights stay above 10 °C (50 °F) and bring it back in before they drop to 13–16 °C (55–60 °F).
5. Pinch for a bushy plant. Pinch the stem tips in summer, but stop by early autumn so it can form flower buds; Clemson says not after 1 September in the Northern Hemisphere.

Flori's care reminders can track the watering, feeding and pruning dates for you, so the plant is not forgotten once the decorations go away.

How do you make a poinsettia turn red again?

Poinsettias are short-day plants: the bracts colour when nights are long. A plant in a living room with lamps on every evening never gets that signal. The RHS says it needs 8–10 weeks of days with less than 12 hours of light, starting from late September for Christmas colour. Clemson gives a stricter version: 14 hours of complete darkness each night from the first week of October for 8–10 weeks, in a cupboard or under a large box, with 6–8 hours of bright light by day.

Even a short burst of lamplight at night can delay colouring, so be consistent. Keep the temperature steady, around 18 °C (65 °F) according to the RHS. When the bracts are showing colour, you can stop the dark treatment and treat it like a holiday plant again.

Is poinsettia poisonous to cats, dogs and children?

The ASPCA lists poinsettia as toxic to cats, dogs and horses: its sap irritates the mouth and stomach and sometimes causes vomiting, but the ASPCA also says its toxicity is generally overrated. The RHS notes the milky sap can irritate skin and eyes. Keep it out of reach of pets that chew plants, wash your hands after pruning, and call your vet if a pet has eaten a lot or seems unwell. For plants that are safer around animals, see our list of pet-safe houseplants, and for more seasonal jobs browse our seasonal care guides.

Flori editorial team

Written and fact-checked by the Flori team. Every guide cites horticultural sources such as the RHS, university extension services and the ASPCA, and is updated when the advice changes.

General plant care information. Plants vary; when a plant is valuable or a problem spreads quickly, consult a local nursery or plant specialist.