Reblooming Poinsettias

Poinsettias are one of the most difficult plants to coax into re-blooming indoors. If you would like to give it a try, follow these steps.

Take very good care of the plant during the holidays. Pay attention to the light, temperature, and watering and don’t let the plant get dried out.

In February, your plant may fade in color. Keep it by a sunny window and check frequently to make sure it is not too dry—or too wet.

In April, cut the stems back to about 6” above the soil in the pot.

In May, add some fertilizer (20/20/20), Osmocote or Ferti-lome, 23-18-16, at the recommended rate.

In Spring, once the danger of frost is past, and the temperature stays above 50oF, you may move the plant outdoors where it receives moderate shade in mid-afternoon. Do not plant the poinsettia in the ground; leave it in its pot. Since pots dry out quickly, be attentive to its watering needs. Check to see if the plant needs repotting. In July and August, fertilize with a balanced fertilizer every second time you water.

By August, if inside, the plant should be kept in direct sunlight. If outside, have direct sun only 1 or 2 hours a day. As growth develops, cut or pinch back, leaving three or four leaves on each shoot. Repeat each time the plant sends out new shoots until mid-August. The goal is to encourage a full, rounded habit. By mid-to late August, the poinsettia plant should be back indoors. Set the poinsettia near a sunny window where the temperature will remain between 65 to 70°F.

To have the plant in full bloom by Christmas, you must keep it in complete darkness from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. starting the first week in October and continuing until Thanksgiving. Flowering will be delayed if the plant receives any light during this period. Even a short exposure to a dim light will wreak havoc with the color change and the blooming because poinsettias set flower buds only after being exposed to long nights for about 10 weeks.

To create total darkness, you may put the poinsettia on a cart and roll it into a closet each evening, or find a light-tight box and cover it.

So, to summarize, total darkness for 14 hours per day, and in the daytime the plant must be in a sunny location for maximum growth and development of those bracts and flowers you're diligently trying to create.

If, after almost a year of effort, your Poinsettia develops bright color in its out-most leaves, bring it out into the open, rejoice and continue fertilizing until mid-December, then reduce applications to ½ the normal amount and repeat the cycle again.

Ideally your plant should grow to a total height of 4” higher each year, and probably each year would need to be repotted.