Caring for Your Poinsettias

By David Wall
Guest Columnist

Everyone seems to have their own favorite color and pattern, but the most often overlooked aspect should be temperature. Poinsettias have a pretty narrow temperature range. Optimum limits are 55° to 70°. While the top temperature has a little leeway as far as being exceeded, the bottom limit of 55° should be considered inviolate.
On a cold day, you can injure your plant just going from the store to your car and from car to house.  For this reason, take some covering with you so the plant(s) can be wrapped and protected from the cold. Once you have the plant in its final location, take pains to ensure it doesn't become overheated from nearby appliances or heating vents, either of which will shorten the life of your plant(s).
To keep the poinsettia's color as long as possible, make sure it gets at least six hours of natural or artificial light every day. For artificial light,  incandescent bulbs are preferred.
Many of us were brought up to believe poinsettia leaves were poisonous. We now know this is not correct, although some are allergic to the plant's sap.
Perhaps the trickiest aspect with regard to poinsettias is watering. Water too little, and they wilt plus drop some leaves. Water too much, and the roots drown due to lack of Oxygen. Depending on the soil mixture or medium used,  sticking your finger in the medium may or may not tell you if water is needed. One of the simplest methods to see whether you need to add water, is to pick up the plant.  If it feels heavy, don't water.  If it feels light, add water.