If you run a supermarket or a store that sells flowers and potted holiday plants, poinsettias can add greatly to your profit margin during the Christmas season. You should already be aware that you have to order your stock before the season moves into full gear.

However, there are still a lot of things that you can do to increase your sales and make more money by selling poinsettias during the yuletide. Let’s find out together.

• How to Make Money From Selling Poinsettias This Christmas
• When Should I Sell my Poinsettia?
• What is The Significance of Poinsettia at Christmas?
• How Many Poinsettias Are Sold Each Year?
• What Are Poinsettias Used For?
• What Does it Mean When Someone Gives You a Poinsettia?
• Where do They Sell Poinsettias?
• What is The Life Expectancy of a Poinsettia Plant?
• What is The Most Popular Color of Poinsettias?
• How do You Grow a Poinsettia Commercially?
• How Much Money is in The Poinsettia Industry?
• Are Poinsettias Worth Keeping?
• How do You Harvest Poinsettias?
• Which State Sells The Most Poinsettias?
• Can Poinsettias Grow in Greenhouse?
• What do I do With my Poinsettia Now That Christmas is Over?
• How to Care for Poinsettias During the Holiday Season
• How to Grow Poinsettias in a Greenhouse
• Can I Plant my Poinsettia For Christmas?

How to Make Money From Selling Poinsettias This Christmas

Don’t be afraid to try something new

Do not just stick to your standard orders; you could add something different this year. If you order a number of plants with shorter heights, you may discover that there are several people who like them like that.

Read Also: Money Making Ideas and Products You Can Sell

You can order them in different colors and promote them as tabletop poinsettias. They will be purchased for gifts as well as decorative items for nursing homes or hospitals. Don’t forget to include a lot of pots and hanging baskets in your stock.

Increase the quantity that you order

Apart from trying new products, you should also consider increasing the quantity of your order. You can sell a lot of poinsettia trees and painted poinsettias if you reach out to other prospective customers. The painted versions should be grouped separately because they appeal to a different group of customers. If you do not have it in stock, you will never know if you can sell it.

Start earlier

An increasing number of consumers now start shopping early for Christmas in order to save money. You can accommodate this group of people by making poinsettias available early. You will make more money selling poinsettias during Christmas season if you start during the first week of November. Start with as many colors as you can because the early season customers are not usually traditional buyers.

Create impressive displays

Choose a large space to display your poinsettias impressively. If you want to draw in customers, you have to be ready for massive displays. The customers should be able to see enticing displays when they look in through the windows of your shop. Visit a few stores in your neighborhood to get creative display ideas.

Your displays will be more effective if customers can easily see how the poinsettias will look in their homes. Home-style displays can also encourage more people to buy. These types of displays can also be used to sell other items in your store. You can create contemporary as well as traditional home-style displays.

Try to find large orders

Your sales can increase tremendously if you target businesses and organizations. Create fliers and send them out to churches and other organizations in your local area. Let them know the type of plants that you have in stock as well as the prices that you are willing to offer. 

Attract their business by offering discounts for certain quantities of purchases. Do not forget to advertise through sales circulars, large chalkboards at the front of your store as well as billboards. These tips will enable you to sell poinsettias during Christmas season to earn easy money.

When Should I Sell my Poinsettia?

Most Poinsettias are sold during the 6-weeks leading up to Christmas, helping to make them the bestselling potted plant in the U.S. According to the USDA, in 2014 greenhouse producers grew about 33.2 million plants, with California and North Carolina as the top producing states of the Christmas plant.

There are over 100 different varieties of poinsettias, coming in all shades of colors such as red, pink, white, yellow, purple and more. The most colorful part on the plant is actually the leaves, with the flower being the yellow clustered buds in the middle of the leaves. However, the poinsettias used to only come in red, the most popular color sold.

Poinsettias are native to Southern Mexico and were used to dye fabrics and use the sap as fever remedies. In the wild they can grow between 10 – 15 feet tall.

What is The Significance of Poinsettia at Christmas?

Botanically, the plant is known as Euphorbia pulcherrima. However, in the United States the plant received the name, poinsettia, after Joel Robert Poinsett, an American physician and diplomat. Poinsett was an amateur botanist, so while serving as the U.S. ambassador to Mexico in 1828, he sent clips of the plant to a gardener friend. This was the first introduction to the States.

In Mexico and Guatemala, the plant is known as “La Flor de la Nochebuena,” which translates to “Flower of the Holy Night, or Christmas Eve. In Chili and Peru poinsettias are called “Crown of the Andes.” They have also been called lobster flower and flame-leaf flower because of the red color.

The story states that a young peasant girl in Mexico was worried that she would not be able to provide a gift for Christ Child ceremony at church because she was poor. She was reassured to give any gift with love, so the young girl gathered weeds from the side of the road. When it was time to give her gift, the weeds bloomed into beautiful red stars.

How Many Poinsettias Are Sold Each Year?

There are more than 100 varieties of poinsettias available today. Poinsettias can grow in colors like the traditional red, white, pink, burgundy, marbled, and speckled.

More than 35 MILLION potted poinsettias are sold every year in the US, accounting for almost one quarter of the potted plants sold.

Many people believe that poinsettias are highly toxic, but that is a myth. While it’s not recommended for people or animals to eat poinsettias, a 50 lb. child would have to eat 500 leaves to have a major reaction. Some people who have a latex allergy might find skin contact with poinsettia sap irritates their skin.

What Are Poinsettias Used For?

Poinsettia is a flowering plant. The whole plant and its sap (latex) are used to make medicine.

Despite safety concerns, people take poinsettia to treat fever, stimulate breast milk production, and cause an abortion. They also take the latex to kill pain, kill bacteria, and cause vomiting.

Some people apply poinsettia latex directly to the skin (use topically) to remove hair, treat warts, and heal other skin disorders. It also used topically for toothaches.

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for…

• Fever.
• Pain.
• Infection.
• Warts, when applied directly.
• Skin disorders, when applied directly.
• Toothache, when applied directly.
• Other conditions.

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of poinsettia for these uses.

What Does it Mean When Someone Gives You a Poinsettia?

Also known as the Christmas Star and Christmas Flower, it’s said that poinsettias’ association with Christmas comes from a Mexican legend. The story goes that a child, with no means for a grander gift, gathered humble weeds from the side of the road to place at the church alter on Christmas Eve. As the congregation witnessed a Christmas miracle, the weeds turned into brilliant red and green flowers.

Named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, first United States ambassador to Mexico and the amateur botanist who introduced the plant to the U.S. in 1825, the poinsettia is also known as Mexican Flame Leaf, Winter Rose, Noche Buena and, in Turkey, Atakurk’s Flower, because it was the favorite flower of Atakurk, the founder of modern Turkey.

While considered by the ancient Aztecs to be symbols of purity, in today’s language of flowers, red, white or pink poinsettias, the December birth flower, symbolize good cheer and success and are said to bring wishes of mirth and celebration.

Where do They Sell Poinsettias?

Whether you’re avoiding the supermarket for obvious reasons or wish to send these beloved, festive flowers to a loved one ordering them online is easy, convenient and reliable. These plants are relatively durable to pack and ship, easy to care for, and, contrary to popular belief, they’re actually not poisonous.

Ingesting any part of the plant will most likely not cause harm to pets or children, and there’s no evidence that they’re unsafe to keep in the home. They’re safe, decorative and an excellent Christmas decoration to add to your home. Here’s where to buy Poinsettias online.

1. The Sill

The Sill is an excellent site for ordering plants, flowers, pots and other green-thumb materials online and, naturally, you can also order poinsettias with them. They offer a medium-sized version of this deep red holiday plant that’ll come live, fully-grown and ready to display.

According to their guidelines, it requires indirect to medium light and only needs watering every 1-2 weeks. They also boast that it can live on well past December with proper care, so if you’d like the holiday spirit to live on in your home this might be just the ticket.

2. SendFlowers.com

This dedicated flower delivery service offers a wide selection of Poinsettias to choose from — from regular to large sizes as well as a variety of containers and two different colors. They’ve got white and brown baskets, white and red Poinsettia flowers as well as a gift basket you can send.

The white poinsettia is a rarer choice, but still elegant if the recipient prefers a more neutral palette for their Christmas decor.

3. Home Depot

Home Depot offers delivery of live, fresh Poinsettias as well as a variety of artificial options you can reuse year after year. This particular pick, their fresh Poinsettia comes in an upgraded pot that’s perfect for decorating your home with.

The plant comes sized at about 11 inches tall in a 2-quart planter. The red petals will gradually fade as the seasons change, and it’ll thrive best near a sunny window that’s not in direct sunlight for most of the day.

4. 1-800 Flowers

1-800 Flowers is another place you can buy a variety of Poinsettias online including this classic holiday design that comes in a festive, on-brand pot. You can add chocolates to the order as well for an additional sweet treat in addition to the gorgeous flowers. They offer large and small flower options, both available in the vintage tin planter that features a “Happy Holidays” message on the side.

What is The Life Expectancy of a Poinsettia Plant?

There are a number of different factors that impact the longevity of a poinsettia. From selecting a healthy plant to protecting it from cold weather on the way home, the high-maintenance plant needs careful care and consideration even on the way out of the store.

Most plants purchased for the holiday season will last several weeks without much extra attention, and a healthy, properly cared for plant can last several months.

Selecting a healthy plant from the beginning will help when trying to make the poinsettia last beyond the holidays. Healthy, strong plants are covered with leaves and bracts all the way down to the soil they are planted in.

Colors should be bright, and the bracts should not show any yellow, green or brown discoloration. The plant should be taller than it is wide, with uniform growth around all sides. If the plant is sitting in a group where pots are crowded together, this can cause premature leaf drop. Once leaves begin to drop, it is a sign of deterioration.

Proper care at home will help the poinsettia last longer. The plant should be removed from any protective wrapping and placed out of any hot or cold drafts. During the daytime, the ideal temperature is between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, while at night the plant should be exposed to slightly cooler temperatures of about 55 degrees F.

Poinsettias should be exposed to indirect sunlight, but kept away from direct sunlight and potentially drafty windows. Soil should be well-drained and kept moist.

What is The Most Popular Color of Poinsettias?

Poinsettias are a top holiday flower pick for their beautiful array of shades and colors. They have traditionally been the winter holiday’s most popular plant, the sure and steady standby.

The big red leaves aren’t actually flowers, they’re modified leaves called bracts. The actual flower is the little yellow cluster in the center called cyathia.

Red is the most popular color, accounting for roughly three-quarters of all sales nationwide, followed by white and pink. The more than 100 varieties of poinsettias come in a range of colors from red, salmon, and apricot to yellow, cream, and white (but not blue—these are a designer color created with dyes). There are also unusual speckled or marbled varieties with several colors blended together. New varieties are introduced yearly.

How do You Grow a Poinsettia Commercially?

Plants per pot

Usually 1 cutting per 4″ or 6″ pot. 1-3 cuttings in 8″-10″ containers, or hanging baskets. Specialty crops in larger pots may require 3-5 cuttings per pot. A broad spectrum fungicide is recommended at 1 week after planting to reduce chances of disease problems during the early phases of production.

Media pH preference

5.5-6.5, Dolomite lime preferred for media pH control. Note: poinsettias prefer a more acidic media than many other flowering potted crops, care should be taken to keep pH within the preferred range.

Production Light levels

Under most Florida conditions a 30% level (compared to full sun production) is recommended, but this varies depending on the greenhouse used for production and the amount of light that passes through the covering. Higher light decreases plant height and increases bract color, and light less than 5000 fc is detrimental to growth.

Production temperatures

Day temperatures can vary between 75-80°F. Night temperatures should remain above 60F throughout production.
Poinsettia crops are delayed when night temperatures drop below 50F. Once bracts are fully formed, many growers drop temperatures to 50F at night to intensify bract coloration.

Fertilization

Fertilizer concentration should be maintained at 200- 300 ppm N for constant fertilization, and 400-500 ppm when fertilizing intermittently every 7-10 days.

Fertilizer formulation is somewhat flexible but most Florida growers use either a 20-10-20 formulation or 15-5-15 formulation. In all cases the fertilizer should have high calcium and magnesium levels to avoid problems with bract edge burn at finish. Fertilizer needs also differ from variety to variety.

A complete micronutrient application is recommended at 1-2 weeks after planting rooted cuttings.

Propagation

Many growers opt for purchasing rooted cuttings of this crop rather than propagating their own plants, as sanitation when cuttings are taken is critical to producing good finished plants.

For growers producing their own cuttings: Root cuttings in a sterile, porous medium and keep cutting equipment and cutting area clean and sterile to prevent disease. Maintain temperatures between 70-75°F with100% humidity as cuttings begin rooting, and then lower humidity as roots develop. For direct stick, overwatering should be avoided to prevent rotting.

Pinching required

Pinch to seven nodes at approximately 2-3 weeks after planting; the first pinch should be removal of .5 to 1″ of the top growth, if plants are allowed to grow larger before pinching crop delays can result.

If a grower is harvesting cuttings from plants while pinching, the pinch should be delayed until 3-4 weeks after planting.

Plant Growth Regulator (PGR) recommendations

There are many successful ways to control poinsettia height under warm climate production. Depending on the grower’s equipment and labor there are two main ways to apply PGRs:

• Spray applications – are the lowest labor but can complicate quality production if applied too late in the crop cycle.
• Drench applications – where a PGR solution is applied to the soil, offer the most uniform results with fewer problems, but require more labor investment in many cases.

Photoperiod

Poinsettia is what is a called a short day photoperiod crop, which means that it naturally flowers when the nights become longer than the days. In commercial production many growers use black cloth to either produce earlier crops or make the entire crop more uniform. However, recent advances in breeding have led to crops which flower naturally early enough in the season to meet early sales requirements.

There are currently over 100 Poinsettia hybrids on the market, and selecting the correct hybrid for your production needs is one of the biggest decisions in this crop.

Scheduling

Rooted cuttings should be planted beginning in mid August. Planting can continue up to September 1st for late crops, however the early market is where most sales occur and the late market can be much chancier for growers. Critical Dates should be determined based on each pot size and variety.

Common Production Problems

Poinsettia hornworm, fungus gnats, spider mites, beet armyworm, whitefly, scale, various fungal diseases, Botrytis, root and stem rot, bacterial canker

How Much Money is in The Poinsettia Industry?

The poinsettia is a Christmas tradition built entirely upon a dream and business ingenuity. Poinsettias are a $140M industry, second only to orchids in annual sales. Harvard Business School could devote a semester to the rise of the poinsettia from its obscure origins in the jungles of Mexico.

Poinsettias are easy to care for. Keep your plants near a window for maximum sunshine. Water daily by misting the leaves with a spray bottle.

Poinsettias are nearly impossible to rebloom. After the holidays, toss them and simply buy new poinsettias next Christmas!

Are Poinsettias Worth Keeping?

After the holidays, poinsettia owners are faced with a decision. Do you treat your poinsettia as an annual and dispose of it once it starts to look tired, or, in an economical frenzy, do you commit to keeping it as a houseplant and nurture it toward reflowering next holiday season? You will be relieved to know that the answer is, without a doubt: throw it out.

You can keep your poinsettia if you’re motivated enough, but recapturing that holiday display is no simple task. Once the bracts start to fall off, you’ll need to reduce watering and allow the plant to go dormant (don’t let it dry out completely). Store it in a cooler location (60° F) and repot it in late May, cutting it back to about 6 inches.

During the course of the summer, pinch several times to encourage branching (just as you would a chrysanthemum). Start in late June or early July and repeat the process in August. Don’t fertilize your poinsettia when it’s in bloom, though—put it on a fertilizing regime that is consistent with your other houseplants (every 2–3 weeks) during its growing season.

And here’s the real kicker: the poinsettia is photoperiodic, meaning it needs shorter days (or longer nights) to trigger the formation of flower buds and those big, beautiful bracts. If you want your holiday blooms, starting in October you’ll have to place your plant in a dark closet for 14 hours, then bring it back out into bright, indirect light for 6–8 hours. Back and forth you’ll go for at least 55 days and 55 nights—from October 1st through Thanksgiving day, give or take.

How do You Harvest Poinsettias?

Most of you are going to acquire your poinsettias during the holidays, and then continue to grow them in pots in hopes of enjoying the same showy displays of color next time Christmas comes around.

So, as we look at how to grow poinsettias, we will focus on seasonal poinsettia care that will help keep your plants healthy and ensure you have plenty of opportunities to obtain cuttings to propagate new plants. This will allow you to enjoy your poinsettias for years to come.

Winter Poinsettia Care

You will most likely bring your poinsettias home during the winter, but even if you have existing plants you acquired last Christmas, the seasonal care will be the same.

The first thing to note is that poinsettias planted in the ground will only survive the winter in areas where there is no frost. Poinsettias planted in containers should be brought indoors during winter.

Keep your poinsettias in a sunny room away from warm or cold drafts. They should not be near windows, heating vents, or fireplaces. While they do like sun, they do not like a lot of direct sun, so they will fare best in areas with indirect sunlight, such as rooms where sunlight is filtered through light curtains. Keep in mind that poinsettias are sensitive to heat and cold, and they will lose their bracts if the ambient temperature varies too far outside of the 60-70 degree range.

It is okay to leave the decorative foil in place through the holidays, but if you plan to keep your plant beyond the season, you will then need to remove the foil. This will allow for better drainage. Keep the soil consistently moist during this time.

Since this is when poinsettias flower, you do not need to fertilize during the winter season.

Late Winter into Spring Poinsettia Care

You will likely enjoy the colorful bracts on your poinsettias through February or March. When the color is gone, it is time to prepare your poinsettia plant to get a little rest before it is time to start growing again.

Cut the plant back to about six inches and make sure there is still a leaf or two on each stem. At this time, start watering your plants only when the soil is dry and give them a little houseplant fertilizer every two weeks.

This is also a good time to repot any plants that have overgrown their containers or are on need of an upgrade from the cheap, plastic pots they were sold in for the holidays.

Once the temperature is consistently above about 50 degrees, you can move your poinsettias outside. Just be sure to set them in an area with no direct sunlight and at least part shade.

Late Spring into Summer Poinsettia Care

Continue to water and fertilize your plants in the same manner. Around the end of July or beginning of August, it is time to prune your plants again. Leave stems that are at least four inches in length with one to three leaves on each stem.

Fall Poinsettia Care

Continue to water and fertilize your poinsettia plant in the same manner. If you live in an area where the temperature drops below about 45 degrees at night, you will need to bring your plants indoors. Remember to keep them away from heat sources, drafts, and direct sunlight.

Perhaps most importantly, this is when you will need to begin your preparations to encourage the bracts to change color and form the poinsettia flower we all know and love.

Growing Poinsettias: How to Make Poinsettias Bloom

Okay, so we have already covered that what most of us consider a poinsettia flower is actually a grouping of specialized leaves called bracts. However, these bracts are related to flowering, so it is accurate to say that we are trying to get the poinsettia to bloom.

Bracts change color to show off their vibrant red, pink, orange, white, cream, or marbled hues through a process called photoperiodism. To achieve this, each plant must experience complete darkness for about 14 hours every night. Anything less than complete darkness will disrupt the process and you will not have poinsettia flowers for Christmas this year. This means that it cannot be exposed to a street light, night light, or even the light from your phone screen.

To make sure your poinsettia is not exposed to light, you can cover them for 14 hours every night using a large, carboard box, an opaque garbage bag, or opaque shade cloth. You can also place your plants in a closet or bathroom, but make sure that no light will sneak in beneath the door. During the day, uncover your plants and make sure they get plenty of sunlight for at least six hours during the day (but not more than 10 hours).

You will need to continue this daily routine for about 10 weeks to make poinsettias bloom, so you will need to begin this process in mid-October to hopefully have color for pre-holiday parties.

Once the bracts begin to show color, you can stop maintaining this strict light-and-dark schedule and bring your plant back out into your home for you and your guests to enjoy.

At this point, you will want to keep the soil moist but not soggy. Discontinue fertilizing during the blooming stage and start again in spring when you prune your plants.

Which State Sells The Most Poinsettias?

There are over 100 varieties of Poinsettias available. Though once only available in red, there are now Poinsettias in pink, white, yellow, purple, salmon, and multi-colors. They have names like ‘Premium Picasso’, ‘Monet Twilight’, ‘Shimmer’, and ‘Surprise’.

Poinsettias contribute over $250 million to the U.S. economy at the retail level. California is the top U.S. Poinsettia-producing state. Poinsettias are the best selling potted plant in the United States and Canada.

Can Poinsettias Grow in Greenhouse?

If you’re growing poinsettias from seed, plant them in the early summer in potting soil. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. The plants can remain outdoors or in a greenhouse throughout the summer, getting full light, but don’t keep them in temperatures below 50 degrees. You should have transplantable poinsettia shrubs by October.

Many planters find it easier to begin with seedling plugs, which are available online and can be planted later in the season so you can save your gardening space for other plants. If using plugs, follow the same process but plant them in August.

What do I do With my Poinsettia Now That Christmas is Over?

You loved your poinsettia during the holidays, but (news flash!) the holidays are over. Now your plant is starting to look a little sad. One overarching question courses through your brain. What am I supposed to do with the dang thing now?

Should you plant it outside? Should you grow it as a houseplant? Or should you just chuck it and buy a new one next Christmas? The answer depends on where you live and how much trouble you’re willing to go to. Why not tend our poinsettias so that they’ll bloom again next year? Follow these steps, and you’ll be on your way to festive, re-blooming bliss

Outdoors: Native to Mexico, the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) doesn’t like cold. If you live in the Coastal and Tropical South (USDA Zones 9-11), you can plant it outside and it will grow into a large shrub or small tree covered with blooms each winter. If you live farther north than that, your poinsettia will freeze into mush.

Indoors What about growing it indoors as a houseplant? That’s fine, as long as you accept that it will never be as showy in bloom as it was when it first came from a commercial greenhouse that provided the perfect amounts of light, humidity, water, fertilizer, and growth regulator. Assuming you’re cool with that, as soon as the poinsettia drops its green leaves, here’s what you should do:

1. Cut it back to 4 to 6 inches tall and move it to a slightly larger pot with good drainage. Add new potting soil to fill the extra space.
2. Keep the soil moist, but never soggy.
3. Provide bright light.
4. Feed weekly with liquid houseplant fertilizer diluted to half-strength.
5. Every 3 to 4 weeks from spring until early September, pinch back the growing shoots, leaving only 5 to 6 green leaves per stem. After that, just let the stems grow.
6. Bring the poinsettia into the house in October, before your first frost. In order to set flower buds, it will need 14 hours of complete darkness per day for about 6 weeks. How you provide this is where the “how much trouble you’re willing to go to” comes in. Some people move their poinsettia into a closet when they get home from work and take it out to a sunny window when they leave for work the next morning. Just remember—without 14 hours of complete darkness per day for 6 weeks, it won’t bloom.
7. When you begin to see the bracts at the top showing color, the dark treatment is no longer necessary. Your poinsettia can come out of the closet at last. Don’t be too disappointed if the blooms are sparse and dinky. You won’t be alone.

Since many of us would be disappointed to work that hard throughout the year only to be greeted with sparse blooms, it’s not unwarranted to toss your old poinsettia after the season has ended. During its many months indoors trying to save it for the next season, you poinsettia will suffer from low light and dry air, conditions considerably less agreeable than when it was growing in a comfy greenhouse.

To show its displeasure, it will start dropping its green leaves. By the time spring rolls around, the red bracts on top may still be there, but the stems below will be naked, green sticks. Why torture yourself? Poinsettias aren’t expensive. You can toss it into your compost and plan to buy a new plant each year.

How to Care for Poinsettias During the Holiday Season

In order to make sure that your bright plants don’t die, there are just a few simple things to remember.

1. First, take the foil off of the plant so that it can drain. Place it on a saucer or plate. Then, you’ll want to keep the soil moist. But don’t overwater! You don’t want standing water in your plant saucer.
2. Next, make sure you keep your new plant in a steadily cool but well-lit room. Most modern poinsettia selections will keep their bright foliage until spring if they are given enough light. Selections with lighter leaves tend to last the longest.
3. Though we often don’t think of them as such, poinsettias do make pretty cut flowers. If you do decide to cut your blooms, sear the ends with a candle after cutting; this prevents the sap from escaping–the sap is what keeps the flower from drooping. Once cut, you’ll want to make sure to check the water level frequently as poinsettias are quite thirsty in the vase. A floral preservative can help prolong the life of your arrangement.

How to Grow Poinsettias in a Greenhouse

Gardeners looking for a bright splash of color over the winter months often raise poinsettia plants (Euphorbia pulcherrima). With 4- to 7-inch-long bracts, or modified leaves, these common holiday plants brighten the otherwise dormant gardening period during the winter.

However, these small shrubs are sensitive to frost conditions and require specific lighting parameters for successful December blooming. Growing them in a greenhouse is the best way to ensure healthy and bushy poinsettia plants.

1. Prepare a container full of well-draining potting mix. Add organic matter, like peat moss, to the container using a hand trowel. The organic matter adds nutrients and water absorption abilities to the substrate.

2. Place your young poinsettia plant into the container during the spring or summer. Cover the root system completely with the potting mix using a hand trowel. The poinsettia should already have a sturdy root system and strong upper branches if grown from a cutting.

3. Water the poinsettia with a watering can until the water slightly leaks from the container’s drain holes. Periodically check the soil’s surface for dryness; poinsettias need moist soil for the best growth.

4. Place the poinsettia in the greenhouse near a south-facing wall. Allow it to receive full sunlight until the end of September.

5. Cover the poinsettia with a cardboard box for 14 hours each night after the beginning of October. Do not let the box touch the foliage.

6. Set the greenhouse nightly temperature between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The combination of light and temperature help the plant flower and create its signature red hue.

7. Continue to cover the plant nightly for the next 10 weeks.

8. Set the flowering poinsettia on a patio or display it indoors during the December holidays. The natural short and cool days allows the poinsettia to remain bright red for several weeks after blooming.

Can I Plant my Poinsettia For Christmas?

Can poinsettias grow outdoors? How? Yes. In the right climate and with the right planting location and care, these bright Christmas favorites can shoot up to 10 foot (3 m.) shrubs in rapid order.

If it’s your potted holiday plant that makes you ask about planting poinsettia outdoors, you have to start treating the plant well from the moment it arrives. Water your potted poinsettia when the soil starts getting dry and place it in a sunny location in your home, protected from air currents.

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When you start planting poinsettia outdoors, you’ll have to find a location with similar attributes. Poinsettia plants outdoors must have a sunny corner to call home, somewhere protected from harsh winds that can damage them quickly. When you are growing poinsettia plants outside, choose a spot with slightly acidic, well-draining soil. Be sure it drains well to avoid root rot.

Don’t transplant poinsettia plants outdoors right after Christmas. Once all of the leaves have died back, prune the bushes back to two buds and keep it in a bright location. You can start planting poinsettia outdoors after all chance of frost has passed.

Caring for outdoor poinsettia plants is not very time consuming or intricate. Once you see green shoots in spring, start a regular watering and feeding program. If you opt to use water soluble fertilizer, add it to the watering can every other week.

Alternatively, use slow release pellets in spring. Poinsettia plants outdoors tend to grow tall and leggy. Prevent this by regular trimming. Pinching back the tips of new growth creates a bushier plant, but the bracts themselves are smaller.