Poinsettias are a holiday staple, with their festive red and green leaves brightening up homes and public spaces every winter. But sadly, many poinsettias meet an untimely end shortly after Christmas, wilting and dropping leaves once the celebrations are over.
However, with a little TLC, it’s often possible to revive a dying poinsettia and nurse it back to health. Don’t give up too quickly on a lackluster poinsettia – follow these tips to rejuvenate it and enjoy its colorful display again next holiday season.
Assessing a Struggling Poinsettia
The first step is identifying signs of distress in your poinsettia. Here are some common indicators that your plant needs help:
- Wilting or drooping leaves
- Leaves falling off
- Yellow, brown, or curled leaves
- Dry, shriveled bracts (the colored “flowers”)
- Brittle, weak stems
- White crusty deposits on the soil (salt buildup)
- Stunted growth
If you notice any of these symptoms your poinsettia likely needs some restorative care. The sooner you can intervene, the better its chances of bouncing back.
Common Causes of Poinsettia Decline
Before trying to rehab a poinsettia, it helps to understand what factors may have led to its demise. Some common causes of ill health include
- Overwatering
- Underwatering
- Insufficient sunlight
- Drafty locations
- Extreme temperature shifts
- Excessive heat or cold
- Dry air
- Salt accumulation in soil
- Lack of nutrients
- Root rot
- Pests like mites, mealybugs, or aphids
Pinpointing the likely culprits will help guide your revival efforts.
Steps to Restore a Dying Poinsettia
With consistent care and attention, it’s often possible to return a failing poinsettia to its former glory. Follow these tips:
Assess and Address Pest Problems
Check closely for any pests like spider mites or mealybugs that may be weakening the plant. Remove by hand or use horticultural oils/insecticidal soaps as needed. Isolate if infestation is severe.
Prune Away Dead Foliage
Remove any shriveled, discolored leaves and stems to free the plant to focus energy on new growth. Make clean cuts just above nodes.
Check for Root Rot
If roots are brown and mushy, trim affected areas and repot in fresh, sterile soil.
Repot in Well-Draining Soil
Refresh the potting mix and improve drainage by adding perlite.
Provide Bright, Warm Conditions
Poinsettias need about 6 hours of indirect sun daily. Keep away from drafts and extreme cold.
Maintain Even Moisture
Water thoroughly only when the top inch of soil is dry. Pour out excess water in saucers.
Increase Humidity
Boost moisture around the plant through misting, pebble trays, or a humidifier.
Fertilize Regularly
Feed every 2-3 weeks with a balanced liquid fertilizer to provide nutrients.
Monitor Progress
In a few weeks, you should see signs of improvement like new growth.
Emergency Care for Wilting Plants
If your poinsettia is severely wilted, take these emergency steps:
- Trim off all dead leaves, stems and bracts
- Water thoroughly until it drains freely
- Move to a warm, bright location
- Mist leaves to increase humidity
- Cover with a plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect
Within 12-24 hours, your poinsettia should be revived and standing upright again. Continue with regular care to support its full recovery.
Key Tips for Poinsettia Care
Beyond reviving a distressed plant, following proper care tips will keep your poinsettia thriving:
- Place in a spot with 6+ hours of bright, indirect light daily.
- Water only when the top 1-2 inches of soil is dry.
- Keep away from heat vents, cold drafts and temperature extremes.
- Provide humidity through misting and pebble trays.
- Fertilize every 2-3 weeks during active growth.
- Repot when rootbound into well-draining soil.
- Prune back hard in spring to promote bushy regrowth.
- Monitor for pests and treat promptly.
With attentive, consistent care tailored to its needs, your poinsettia can live on, rewarding you with beautiful holiday color year after year.
Troubleshooting Common Poinsettia Problems
Even with good care, poinsettias can sometimes struggle. Here are some fixes for common issues:
- Yellow leaves – Usually signals overwatering. Allow soil to dry out more.
- Wilting – Can indicate too little/too much water. Check soil moisture.
- Leaf drop – May mean insufficient water, light, or humidity. Improve conditions.
- Leggy growth – Needs more sunlight. Pinch back tips to encourage bushiness.
- Poor flowering – Likely needs 14 hours dark/10 hours light for bud initiation.
- Root decline – Repot in fresh soil, trim off mushy roots, water less frequently.
- Salt buildup – Flush soil periodically and use distilled or rain water.
- Pests – Isolate, prune affected parts. Spot treat with insecticidal soap or neem oil.
With attentive troubleshooting and care, your poinsettia can thrive year after year, lighting up your home every holiday season. Don’t hesitate to intervene at the first signs of trouble – these plants can often be salvaged with prompt remedial care. The vibrant colored bracts and cheerful holiday spirit are worth the effort.
Things You’ll Need
- Pruning shears
- Water-soluble houseplant fertilizer
- Organic fertilizing material (optional)
- Large container
- Commercial potting soil mix
- Bag or box for covering at night
- Mild organic pesticide
- All-natural liquid soap, water, and spray bottle (optional)
Getting Your Poinsettia to Rebloom
- 1 Cover the plant overnight during the fall to promote flowering. In order to produce vibrantly colored bracts (or leaves) after a dormant period, your poinsettia will need to spend 12-14 hours a night in total darkness between September and November. Place a black fabric bag or cardboard box over the plant every evening at sundown. Uncover it again the following morning when its time to meet its sunlight requirements.[15]
- Consider tucking your poinsettia away in a closet or basement after covering it. Even the faintest ambient light can be enough to prevent it from blooming on time.
- Poinsettias are photoperiod plants, which means the amount of foliage they produce is determined by the number of hours a day they spend without light.
- 2 Repot your poinsettia in a larger container. Eventually, your rejuvenated poinsettia may get so big that it outgrows its original pot. When the new growth begins to stall, transfer the plant to a new container where its root system will have plenty of room to continue expanding. Take care not to damage the delicate roots themselves when extracting the plant.[16]
- Any well-balanced potting soil mix should work just fine for filling the new container.[17]
- Continue watering and fertilizing your poinsettia as usual once you’ve transplanted it successfully.
- 3 Use pesticides to ward off unwanted insects. Common garden pests like aphids and whiteflies have been known to feed on poinsettia leaves. The best way to minimize the damage they do is to spray the plant periodically with a mild organic pesticide, such as neem oil or insecticidal soap. If there are only a few invaders present, you may be able to simply remove them by hand.[18]
- Keep in mind that organic pesticides typically have to be reapplied more frequently than chemical products due to their gentler ingredients.
- If you don’t like the idea of treating your plant with pesticides, try mixing up your own homemade solution by combining an all-natural liquid soap with warm water in a spray bottle and using it to blast bugs whenever they pop up.[19]
- 4 Bring your poinsettia back indoors when temperatures begin to drop. By mid-fall, it will be too chilly to keep your poinsettia out during the day. Find a warm, cozy spot for the plant inside your home where it can enjoy 6-8 hours of indirect sun exposure per day. If it has made it this far, chances are it will have no trouble thriving for another season.
- It may be alright to leave your poinsettia outdoors throughout the fall and winter if you live in a region with a particularly warm climate. The temperature should be above 50 °F (10 °C) at all times. The important thing is to protect it from frost and prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures.
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The Secret to Keeping Your Poinsettia Alive ALL YEAR
FAQ
Will a dead poinsettia come back?
Yes! And cutting it back will allow the plant to focus on regrowth rather than maintenance. I’ve literally had poinsettias handed to me that were dead by all appearances (shriveled, dessicated sticks) that have recovered. Heck, I even had one that I found in a pot at work.
How do you take care of a dead poinsettia?
- Prune your poinsettia plant. …
- Fertilize the poinsettia every two weeks. …
- Repot the plant in warmer months. …
- Transport your plant outdoors. …
- Pinch to encourage side branching. …
- Place the poinsettia in a warm, dark environment. …
- Display your poinsettia plant.
How to refresh poinsettias?
- Place plant outdoors in high indirect light after danger of frost.
- Cut back the stems to 3 to 4 inches to promote new growth and encourage branching.
- Water and fertilize as in indoor care.
- Bring plant indoors when night temperatures fall below 60oF (near the end of September for Durham).
Is a poinsettia dead if it loses all its leaves?
Poinsettias will classically drop their leaves if they are exposed to sudden changes in temperature, drafts or overly cool or dry rooms. They also will lose leaves and wilt in response to an extreme need for water. When choosing a plant, pick a healthy, full one with no discoloration on the foliage.
How to revive a dying poinsettia plant?
Keep reading about how to revive a dying poinsettia plant. Identify signs of a dying poinsettia, such as wilting, yellowing leaves, or lack of growth. Move the plant to a location with indirect sunlight and temperatures between 60-70°F. Water the plant only when the top inch of soil is dry. Overwatering can cause root rot.
How do you take care of a dead Poinsettia?
Prune dead foliage. Scan the poinsettia for old leaves that have shriveled up or lost their color and pluck them away by hand. Be sure to remove any leaves that have already fallen into the plant’s container, as well. Healthy-looking foliage can be left intact.
Can poinsettias be saved if they lose their leaves?
From experience, poinsettias can usually be saved even if it is losing their leaves and appear to be dying if the causes are underwatering or slight transplant shock, but exposure to significantly cold temperatures is likely to cause the poinsettia to die back, and it can be difficult for the poinsettia to recover.
How do you repot a poinsettia?
Repot the Poinsettia in its new container. Allow it to drain thoroughly after filling it with fresh, clean water. Place the Poinsettia back in its drip tray or saucer. Keep an eye out for any water that may accumulate in the trays, and dispose of it as soon as it appears.
Can a poinsettia be revived if it’s too dry?
What I will say is its easier to revive a poinsettia that has been too dry than one that has been overwatered to an extent that it’s literally drowned and suffered from root rot. Poinsettias need at least six hours of bright but not direct sunlight a day.
How do you know if a poinsettia is dying?
Your poinsettia may look like little more than a bare stick by the time you’re finished pruning. This is completely normal. The colorful foliage will return once the plant emerges from dormancy in the spring. Cut back stems that have begun to rot. Inspect the plant for mature stems that appear sickly or discolored.