What is one man's trash can be another man's treasure, is the old saying. But in this case, a Christmas poinsettia turns into a green foliage treasure at the home of a Tyler-area gardener whose motto seems to be "never throw anything out."
So don't throw those Christmas poinsettias away - instead leave them somewhere in your home where they get approximately 6 hours of filtered sunlight daily, watering only when dry to the touch and fertilizing regularly with a balanced all-purpose house plant fertilizer.
Do throw the foil florist wrapper away as that will keep your plant from breathing and lead to certain death both from root rot and standing water in the wrapper's bottom.
Around March cut the stems to 6 inches, repot in good-quality house plant soil and place outside. Growing by her pool, this creative lady states her "leftover" poinsettia grows about five feet tall and is a nice green foliage addition to her landscape.
To stretch that poinsettia over to another holiday season is a tedious process but can be done with a little patience and the key ingredient... a period of darkness. At the start of October, keep your plant in total darkness for 14 hours per night either by placing it in a closet or covering it with a heavy cloth or box. From October to December, light requirements of poinsettias are 6-8 hours daily bright sunlight and 60-70 degree F night temperatures.
With consistent watering and feeding, that "old" poinsettia will bloom yet again.
Marva Bliss Lanier, Smith County Master Gardener
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
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