Growing Poinsettias for Years

By Angela Saylor

Three poinsettias grace my living room. The big white one is four or five years old, the red one,

ten years old, and the smaller white one, two years old. How do I get them to last so long? Regular

watering and lots of light and love.

Every Wednesday in winter, my plants drink about one and a half bottles of water. I replace the

water and let it sit until the next watering. In the summer, I usually water twice a week. If the water

begins to drain into the plant’s saucer, though, I’ll adjust the amount of watering for her.

The poinsettias get all the sunlight Pittsburgh has to offer. The window shades stay up all day

and night, except for the back shade, which goes down at night for security reasons. My house sits on a

hill. Intruders couldn’t climb into it without a ladder and if they somehow succeeded, they’d be

greeted by the ear-shattering ADT alarm system.

My plants take priority over the furniture, which I’m sure is fading but can be replaced more

easily than the poinsettias. It’s a hefty sacrifice, I know, but there’s no substitute for real sunlight.

That’s why poinsettias grow outside in parts of Mexico. In fact, one of my Pittsburgh friends says she

puts her poinsettias outside, and they grow lush and green until it’s cold, around November or

December. She then discards them. I’d like to try this method, but afterwards, I’d have to bring the

plants inside, and worrywart that I am, I’d be too afraid they might suffer shock. I’d lose sleep at their

first signs of decline.

Some people say I have a green thumb. My grandfather on my mother’s side was from Sicily and

moved to my hometown of Palisades Park, New Jersey, and went into landscaping. However, I never

participated in any of his gardening nor of my mother’s. My interest in plants may have come by

osmosis or my Italian heritage.

Rather than green thumb, I’d say I have a love or passion for gardening. Some mornings, I greet

my poinsettias, telling them how beautiful they are. I check on them periodically. I’m not obsessed with

them, but they’re definitely part of my day.

Can anyone learn to grow thriving plants? Yes. And there aren’t too many reasons why you

shouldn’t. From time to time, leaves, or seed pods will fall off the plants. I drop the pods right back into

the flowerpot. My cats used to bother the greenery when they were younger, so at that time, I kept

them away by putting sticks, aluminum foil, and rocks in the soil.

When I travel, I am lucky enough to have the services of a neighbor down the street, who began

taking care of my plants and cats since he was a young teenager. In the beginning, we went through an

elaborate training session. Now we go over any minor changes before I leave on each trip.

I’ve transplanted the poinsettias several times, always going up only two inches wider in pot size

and using Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix. At some points, they appeared dead, they

looked that bad. Whenever the plants don’t seem well, I move their location. The front window, facing

south, appears to be their happy place.

Whenever someone gives you a poinsettia or you buy yourself one for Christmas, consider

keeping it around for a while. It’ll make you happy and healthy. Not only will its visual beauty

brighten your days, but it will release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. Like houseplants in general,

it is nature’s air freshener and can remove up to 87 per cent of air toxins in 24 hours. Studies have

proven indoor plants improve concentration and productivity by up to 15 percent and reduce stress

levels. They can be your refuge from the outside world and a source of joy for many years to come!