poinsettas

[BH]

I bought a poinsetta about three weeks before Christmas and it is still alive. This really surprises me because I buy one every year for the past twenty years and it seems they are always dead half way through January. What gives? Why do poinsettas die off so quick?

 

[bilby]

I bought a poinsetta about three weeks before Christmas and it is still alive. This really surprises me because I buy one every year for the past twenty years and it seems they are always dead half way through January. What gives? Why do poinsettas die off so quick?

I assume you mean Poinsettias, in which case https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/poinsettia/poinsettia-care-how-do-you-take-care-of-poinsettias.htm might help.

I don't know what a Poinsetta is, but it sounds like some kind of dog breed. I sincerely hope you are not buying a dog each Christmas that dies by the middle of January

 

[RavenSky]

I bought a poinsetta about three weeks before Christmas and it is still alive. This really surprises me because I buy one every year for the past twenty years and it seems they are always dead half way through January. What gives? Why do poinsettas die off so quick?

once we’re past freezing weather, you can keep your poinsettia in a pot outdoors, but be sure to protect it from the full sun, especially harsh afternoon light, and mulch it well, to keep the air around the plant moist. It will need to be cut back and fertilized through the summer. Be sure to take it out of its decorative foil to allow perfect drainage!

But to get it to bloom again, you’ll need to provide at least 14 hours of darkness starting in September. Even then, the colorful bracts may not be as rewarding as those on a new plant would be.

https://www.klru.org/ctg/resource/christmas-poinsettia/

 

[Sarpedon]

Short answer: Poinsettas are potentially long living perennials. Most christmas ones die off shortly aftwerwards due to a combination of ignorance and neglect: Fact 1: most christmas poinsettas will be shipped in the smallest pot possible, leaving no roof for growth and making them top heavy and prone to tipping. Fact 2: Many people will overwater or underwater their houseplants. this is exacerbated if a plant is kept in a too-small pot. Fact 3: The vivid red leaves of the plant are caused by deliberate light deprivation done weeks before sale. Left in ordinary light, the red leaves will fade, die and drop off, though the plant is still alive. This will lead some people to think it is dead and throw it out.

To keep your pointsetta alive, make sure it is in an adequate sized pot, its soil is kept moist but not too wet, put it in a part shade envioronment and be prepared for it to morph into a boring, green bush.

 

[BH]

Short answer: Poinsettas are potentially long living perennials. Most christmas ones die off shortly aftwerwards due to a combination of ignorance and neglect: Fact 1: most christmas poinsettas will be shipped in the smallest pot possible, leaving no roof for growth and making them top heavy and prone to tipping. Fact 2: Many people will overwater or underwater their houseplants. this is exacerbated if a plant is kept in a too-small pot. Fact 3: The vivid red leaves of the plant are caused by deliberate light deprivation done weeks before sale. Left in ordinary light, the red leaves will fade, die and drop off, though the plant is still alive. This will lead some people to think it is dead and throw it out.

To keep your pointsetta alive, make sure it is in an adequate sized pot, its soil is kept moist but not too wet, put it in a part shade envioronment and be prepared for it to morph into a boring, green bush.

I did put it in a bigger pot first thing I got it. I only give it a little water every now and then. The red leaves did fall off to be replaced by green ones. Let's see if this one lives and turns into a lush green bush.

 

[BH]

I bought a poinsetta about three weeks before Christmas and it is still alive. This really surprises me because I buy one every year for the past twenty years and it seems they are always dead half way through January. What gives? Why do poinsettas die off so quick?

I assume you mean Poinsettias, in which case https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/poinsettia/poinsettia-care-how-do-you-take-care-of-poinsettias.htm might help.

I don't know what a Poinsetta is, but it sounds like some kind of dog breed. I sincerely hope you are not buying a dog each Christmas that dies by the middle of January

Smarty pants. I hope mine lives and grows so bushy it out bushes the biggest bush on my block. I'll take a picture of it a say "Here, that shows you!"