Courtney WestleyPoinsettias are synonymous with the festive season, and with their vibrant red leaves they will bring joy to any home or garden. These plants can be kept indoors and used as decoration, planted in your garden where it could easily sprout into a moderately-sized tree, or given as a thoughtful gift to a loved one.
Poinsettias can be grown from seeds, but if you want them to be thriving by Christmas then we would suggest using seedlings. Here are the best ways to grow poinsettias.
Keeping them indoors
Find a medium-sized planting pot that has sufficient drainage holes and fill it with potting soil. Dig a small hole and transfer the seedling carefully into the pot, covering the remaining gaps with more soil. Water it well (the soil should be damp but not completely saturated) and place the plant in an area where there is plenty of indirect sunlight. Keep the poinsettia trimmed to about 10cm, and monitor it for dryness to determine its water needs (be sure not to over-water!).
Planting in the garden
If you want your poinsettia to grow a little larger and look (arguably) more spectacular, then it can be planted in your garden. Poinsettias can quite easily grow up to 3 metres tall when given enough room and in the correct environment. Find a spot in your garden where the plant will get lots of indirect sunlight, as this will allow it to thrive. Dig a little hole that is approximately two times deeper than the length of the root ball of the seedling, then gently place the seedling into the ground. Fill the rest of the hole with soil and then water well. You can monitor your outdoor poinsettia for pests or water needs, but it won’t need as much attention as an indoor plant.
Giving it as a gift
Poinsettias look absolutely gorgeous when planted in colourful, festive pots. Follow the same steps as you would for an indoor poinsettia plant, but make sure to plant it in the pot that you will be gifting it in. Allow the poinsettia seedling to grow a little until the leaves take on the signature red hue. Then your poinsettia is ready to be a gorgeous gift for a plant-loving friend!
READ MORE: How to transplant roses
Featured image: Robert Woeger on Unsplash
