Poinsettias are the most popular flowering plant sold in the United States with more than 70 million sold each year. The native Mexican plants were quite different from the modern poinsettias we are accustomed to today. The natives were 12 to 15 feet tall with only 1 or 2 stems.
Cyanthia are the true flowers of poinsettias. They are a small fluster of yellow blooms in the center of the red floral bracts. These small flowers actually do not have true petals, but are surrounded by red colored bracts, which are modified leaves. These bracts have evolved over time to have a red color to attracts insects for pollination. Plant breeders have produced poinsettia cultivars with many other colors besides the traditional red bracts, or modified leaves to now included white, pink, peach, yellow, marbled, and speckled bracts.
Before buying a poinsettia at the store, consider the following tips to ensure your poinsettia will last all season:
• Look for plants with mature, thoroughly colored bracts
• Look for plants with abundance of dark, rich green foliage all the way down the stem. Bracts and stems should not be drooping
• Look for balanced plants that are attractive from all sides
• Look for durable plants with stiff stems, good bract and leaf retention, and no signs of drooping, breaking, or wilting
Once you have brought your poinsettia home from the store, set your poinsettia in a bright location so that it receives at least 6 hours of bright, indirect sunlight each day. Direct sunlight can fade the color of the bracts. Excess heat (above 70F) can cause the leaves to yellow and fall off and the flower bracts to fade early. Chilly temperatures (below 50F) can cause premature leaf drop. Poinsettias require moderately moist soil. Water the soil when the soil surface feels dry to the touch, but do not let the potting mixture completely try out, nor let the plant sit in standing water. When watering, take the plant out of its decorative pot cover. Water until water trickles out of the drainage holes and the soil is saturated. Do not fertilize a poinsettia when it is in bloom. For more information on Poinsettias, please visit the HGIC website at hgic.clemson.edu. Tune in on Tuesday nights to watch “Making it Grow” at 7 p.m. on SCETV or mig.org. Email Outen at callenb@clemson.edu or call at 843-627-7113.
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