How to save a dying poinsettia tree: 12 steps (with Photo) - tips

Video: How to save dying Poinsettia plant // Poinsettia plant cutting propagation // Poinsettia plant care

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When the holiday season is over, people often throw away the poinsettia tree without noticing that the tree is still full of life. With a little time and care, you can save the poinsettia tree's life and return to glory next year. Start by pruning dead leaves to make room for new shoots. Make sure to provide enough water and indirect sunlight for the plant, and if you live in a favorable climate, plant it outdoors at the right time. Your poinsettia tree will then be full and vibrant again when winter comes.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Save the poinsettias after winter

Place the plant in the sun for at least 6 hours a day. As soon as you decide that you will save the poinsettia tree's life, move it to a well-lit location in your home. Ideally places with indirect sunlight, such as east or west window sills, or living rooms with open spaces.
- Poinsettias are light-loving plants. They need a lot of indirect light to survive.
Thoroughly water the plant every few days. The amount of water needed will depend on the plant's needs, the size of the pot and the temperature of the surrounding environment, but a general rule of thumb is to irrigate sufficiently moist soil. Watering as often as needed, remember to let the soil dry between watering.
- Most medium-sized plants will need about 180 ml of water every 1-2 days.
- Be careful not to over-water the poinsettias. Soggy soil leads to root rot and other diseases that can easily kill plants.
- Make sure the pot has a drainage hole on the bottom. If the pot does not have drainage holes, you may need to replace the pot or drill a hole in the bottom of the pot.
Prune dead foliage. Inspect the poinsettia tree for wrinkled or faded old leaves and remove it with your hands. Be sure to pick up any fallen leaves in the potted plant. Leaves that appear healthy should be left behind.
- Once pruned, the poinsettia tree may look like a bare branch. This is completely normal. Colorful foliage will reappear when the plant wakes up in the spring after hibernation.
Prune branches that have started to rot. Look for old branches that appear diseased or discolored. Use pruning pliers to remove these branches at least 1.3 cm below the affected area. You may have to remove all existing branches, leaving only new shoots growing at the base of the tree.
- Pruning will also help stimulate healthy plants to develop new shoots.
- Throw the plant's foliage in the compost bin to turn them into organic material that you can fertilize the plant as it begins to grow again. However, if the branches are diseased, throw them in the trash instead of compost.
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Part 2 of 3: Stimulate buds in spring and summer

Maintain a stable temperature between 18-24 degrees Celsius. The best temperature for poinsettias is also within a comfortable range for humans. Fortunately, this means that the tree will be content to stay in any room of the house.
- Keep plants away from windows and doors often left open. Poinsettia tree cannot tolerate drafts.
- Do not place the plant near a heater, heater or vents.
- Avoid setting the thermostat too suddenly when the outdoor temperature fluctuates.
Fertilize the plants once a month during the spring. Fertilizer is essential for the addition of essential nutrients to arable soil. Water-soluble balanced fertilizers for houseplants are the safest option for fragile plants like poinsettia. Always use the correct dosage on the specific product's label.
- You can also use organic fertilizers such as garden compost or earthworm fertilizer to fertilize your plants.
- The best time to fertilize is right after watering, while the soil is still damp. The poinsettias roots can be damaged if you fertilize the plant when the soil is dry.
- Fertilize the poinsettia tree once a month during its peak growth.
Move the plant outside, where there is indirect sunlight. Leave the tree outside for a few hours during warm afternoons. Place the plant in a spot with mottled shade to keep it from overheating. A sheltered yard or flower beds under the canopy makes a great outdoor home for poinsettias.
- Slowly adapt the plant to the outdoor conditions. Usually, it is best to start letting the plant out for a few hours early in the morning, then gradually increasing it every 1-2 hours until the plant is able to endure the entire afternoon.
- Find a location in a garden that has more morning sun and more shade in the afternoon.
- You may need to water your plant more often when it is out in the hot sun for a long time. Dropping, yellowing, or curling leaves can be a sign that the plant has been outdoors for too long.
Cut the branches to about 15-20 cm short in spring or summer. When the weather starts to heat up, you may want to cut about 1/3 (even half) the size of the poinsettia tree. Selective pruning is essential to stimulate the plant to sprout, and the plant will grow more prosperous. By cutting the branches short, you will direct the plant's energies to flowering and new foliage.
- If you want to delay to a big pruning, you can wait until mid-summer, when the poinsettias reach maximum size.
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Part 3 of 3: Stimulate poinsettia to flower again

Cover the plants overnight during fall to encourage flowering. To produce brilliant bracts after hibernation, poinsettias will need 12-14 hours of absolute darkness at night between September and October. Use a black cloth bag or carton- cardboard shoots up trees every night when the sun sets and opens the next morning when it's time for the tree to get sunlight.
- Consider placing plants in wall cabinets or basements after covering with black cloth. Just a little bit of ambient light is enough to prevent the plant from flowering at the right time.
- Poinsettias are plant species dependent on the light cycle, meaning that the number of foliage grows will be determined by the number of non-light hours per day.
Re-plant the poinsettia tree in the larger pot. Your revived poinsettia tree may eventually grow to over the size of its original pot. When the plant starts to stop sprouting, switch to a new pot to give the roots plenty of room to spread. Be careful not to cut fragile roots when removing the old pot.
- You can use any well-balanced soil mix to fill the new pot.
- Continue watering and fertilizing the plant as usual after you have moved the plant to a new pot.
Use an insecticide to repel pests. Common pests such as aphids and pollen usually live on poinsettias and feed on leaves. The best way to limit the damage they cause is to periodically spray a mild organic insecticide, such as neem oil or insecticide soap. You can shake by hand if there are only a few intruders.
- Remember that organic pesticides have a lighter composition, so they often need to be reapplied more often than chemical products.
- If you don't like the idea of using a pesticide, you can try making a home remedy by mixing an all-natural liquid soap with warm water in a spray bottle and brushing off the pests whenever they appear.
Bring the plant inside when the temperature starts to get low. Mid-fall is when the weather begins to become unsuitable for poinsettia to stay outdoors all day. Find a warm place in your home where the plants can enjoy 6-8 hours of indirect sunlight a day. If you have lived to this stage, it is likely that the tree will grow well for another season without any problems.
- If you live in a particularly warm climate, you can leave the poinsettias out in the open during the fall and winter. Outdoor temperatures should always be above 10 degrees Celsius. It is important to protect plants from frost and freezing temperatures for long periods of time.
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Advice

With careful care, poinsettias can live for many years.
Protect the poinsettias from strong winds and heavy rain, whatever the season of the year.
You can gather cuttings from the first pruning and put them in a vase of clean water instead of throwing it away.
The poinsettia tree is often used as a decoration tree during the Christmas holidays.
Poinsettias do not like the wind; You should put the tree in a calm place.