I bought a poinsettia plant at Thanksgiving last year. It started losing leaves and flower petals before Christmas. Is there some way to make them last longer?
If properly cared for, a poinsettia plant should keep its flowers and leaves until well after Christmas. The two main causes of early leaf and flower loss are cold shock and over watering.
Where poinsettias grow naturally in Mexico, the shortening days of fall cause them to bloom shortly before Christmas. Greenhouse growers in the U.S. duplicate these shortening days by covering plants with black cloth in the early afternoon so they bloom by Thanksgiving.
Poinsettias can be damaged at cold temperatures above freezing. This can occur anyplace between the greenhouse where they were grown until after they reach your home. The two most likely times for cold exposure are during transport of the plants to the store or home from the store. Plants can be damaged by going from a heated greenhouse to a cold truck or sitting on an outdoor dock during transit. It’s hard to know if damage has occurred on the way to the store, although leaf loss in the store indicates either cold damage or rough handling. The safest place to purchase plants is from a retail greenhouse where they are grown.
