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By Gayla Trail
| It used to be lush, vibrant red and in full bloom. It arrived wrapped in a lovely foil wrapper. But now the few leaves left are about to succumb to gravity, and more leaves are falling off. What can you do to restore it to it's original goodness?
If your poinsettia looks like this one [see photo], don't give up on it yet. You may be able to restore it to its original form. Chances are that at this stage neglect has reduced your poinsettia to stems with few leaves and the plant has entered a dormancy stage. The first thing you should do is place it in a sunny window that is not subject to cold drafts. A south-facing window is good, but avoid harsh, direct light. Water regularly. Keep the soil moist, not soggy. As the leaves fall off, remove them from the pot and discard. Cut back any stems that are rotting to below the dead area. Maintain a steady temperature of 60-70º F.
In late March or early April prune stems back to leave 6-8 inche stumps. Be sure to wear rubber gloves when pruning: sap from the stems of this plant can be irritating to your skin. Continue watering the plant and begin fertilizing it according to your regular fertilizing program (I use worm castings and sea kelp to fertilize my own plants). The plant should begin a rigorous growth spurt.
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Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) - member of the spurge family
- Originally from Mexico
- red petals are actually modified leaves called bracts.
- The flowers are the tiny, yellow centre.
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