The poinsettia is a short-day plant native to tropical deciduous forests. It only thrives as a houseplant for us because it cannot tolerate any frost. Because of its decorative bracts, it is sold primarily before Christmas. Interesting facts about the origin of the popular plant.
What region does the poinsettia come from?
The poinsettia is native to Central and South America, especially Mexico, where it grows up to four meters high in tropical deciduous forests and rarely receives more than twelve hours of light per day.
Where does the poinsettia actually come from?
The origin of the poinsettia is Central and South America as well as Mexico. There the shrub grows up to four meters high in tropical deciduous forests.
In the natural locations it is warm but not too bright. Poinsettias rarely receive more than twelve hours of light per day.
As children of the tropics, poinsettias are not hardy.
Grow poinsettias per year
If you want to grow a poinsettia as a perennial, you have to simulate the conditions of its natural origin as best as possible. Here it is too cold in winter and too bright in summer.
Basically, you can grow a poinsettia on the windowsill all year round. However, it will not develop any colored bracts next year. In order for these to sprout, the houseplant needs a longer phase in which there is far less than twelve hours of light.
To get poinsettias to bloom again, you must first place the plant in a dark or darker place for a few weeks. Either use dark rooms for this or place an opaque bag or box over the poinsettia for several hours a day.
Care for the poinsettia after flowering
So that the poinsettia continues to thrive after the flowering period, which usually ends in February, place the plant a little cooler now. Water even less.
The poinsettia is very good if you place it on the balcony or terrace as soon as it is as warm here as in the regions where it comes from.
You can also plant it out in summer if you have a partially shaded spot under trees. Here you only need to water the poinsettia when it is very dry.
Bring the plant back into the house in good time, before the temperatures outside drop too much.
Tip
Inexpensive poinsettias from the supermarket or hardware store are often of poor quality. They can rarely be grown for more than one season and are discarded after flowering.
