If Your Poinsettia Is Still Blooming in February, It’s a Keeper – but You Need to Act Now if You Want Flowers Next Christmas
A poinsettia still blooming in February is a good sign – but skip this key task now, and you can forget about seeing those stunning red bracts again.
Christmas may feel like a distant memory, but if your poinsettia is still showing off its cheerful red blooms (or bracts) in February, then you’re doing something right – and you deserve every drop of joy it brings on dark winter days. While most poinsettias are discarded as soon as they start the sad process of dropping their bracts and leaves, a plant that’s still going strong gives you the best possible starting point for reblooming next Christmas. And what you do next will determine whether it flowers again.
Making a poinsettia rebloom is no easy task – and there’s no guarantee of success – but it’s far easier if you’re starting with a strong plant that thrives in your home environment. It’s much more rewarding – and sustainable – to nurture the same plant over the years, rather than to keep replacing it.
Proper poinsettia care is key. There are some specific conditions that you’ll need to provide in the run-up to next Christmas to be in with a shot, but what you do now, after it finishes flowering, is just as crucial.
Why a February-Blooming Poinsettia is a Good Sign
If your poinsettia didn’t start shedding over the holidays and is still putting on a show, then well done: that means you are looking after it properly, and it likes its current spot. The plant hasn’t been overwatered, its roots are likely healthy, and the plant has good energy reserves. Strong plants are far more likely to survive the year-long cycle needed to trigger fresh bracts next winter.
The Make-or-Break Task to Do Now
Once the colored bracts begin to fade and drop, it’s time to cut your poinsettia right back. The stems should be pruned to around 4–6 inches (10–15cm) in length. It may seem severe, but don’t worry – hard pruning poinsettias is very beneficial and will redirect the plant’s energy into producing strong new shoots in spring. This growth is essential if you want enough vigor for next autumn’s flowering cycle. If you leave the stems too long or skip pruning, then you’ll have a weak, leggy plant that won’t bloom well – if at all.
When pruning poinsettias, you should aim to make clean cuts just above a leaf node. Where possible, you want this to be an outward-facing node to help promote a good growth shape.
What to Do Before You Prune
As flowering comes to an end, start easing off watering and allow the potting mix to slightly dry out between waterings. Avoid feeding the plant. Move it somewhere bright but slightly cooler. This will help to prepare the plant for its post-blooming rest period.
What Happens After You Cut it Back?
Prepare yourself – after pruning, your poinsettia will look stark and bare, little more than a cluster of short stems. Any remaining leaves may fall, leaving a twiggy framework. This is completely normal, so don’t worry – with warmth and light, new green shoots should begin emerging within a few weeks.
What Poinsettias Needs to Rebloom
In March or April, start fertilizing your poinsettia again. Do it every month with a balanced liquid fertilizer, like this Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food from Amazon.
In late spring to summer, repot the plant using a houseplant potting mix, like this Back to The Roots Organic Indoor Potting Mix, and increase to fortnightly feeding as fresh green shoots begin to appear.
This will keep your poinsettia green and healthy, but it won’t flower again until it gets a dark period in the fall. Many people don’t realize this, but poinsettias are short-day plants, meaning they only develop colored bracts when nights are long enough. From around late September, poinsettias need about 12–14 hours of uninterrupted darkness daily, for a period of 8–10 weeks, to trigger reblooming. Artificial light can completely disrupt this natural cycle.
Move your plant to a cooler room that isn’t used in the evening, and before long, your poinsettia will be boasting those cheery red blooms again. Just a little effort now and then will bring big rewards, and a plant that gets bigger and brighter every year.
