How long can I keep my poinsettia going??

[curly_kate]

So I have 2 small poinsettias that I got from Lowes before Christmas. This is the first year that they have made it past Christmas. Usually they drop all of their leaves & keel over by Dec 26. My mom has one still going too, so we are now in a competition to see whose will last the longest. I know that they are actually tropical, so I'm wondering if I should put them outside now that the weather has warmed. Anyone have any tips for growing poinsettias?

 

[so lucky]

Here are some of the directions I have found in the past: Cut the plant back and put it outside when danger of frost is past. I think I would repot and sink the pot in soil, for easy removal in the fall. Put it where it doesn't get artificial light, such as from a street lamp or bedroom window. Probably a partly shady to sunny location would be good, but you will have to harden it off, just as you would a tomato plant being set out. Fertilize regularly, keep soil evenly moist, then bring it in before first frost. Ideally, it will have grown and branched out considerably. Each of the branch tips should form a small yellow flower and the leaves that will turn red. Once the red is showing, I don't think the ban on artificial light is an issue. The thing is to let the plant get the exact daylight/darkness that it would in nature while the flowers are forming. Even following these directions, the new flowers won't be as dramatic as your original plant was, due to professional greenhouse growing conditions. But still pretty.

 

[The Mama Chicken]

My mom had 3 or 4 that she had kept going for 4 years. I know she cut it back and put it outside every spring, but I don't know what else she might have done for them. I'll try to remember to ask on Sunday and tell you what she says.

 

[Gnome_Czech]

I've seen them as full 6' plus 'hedge' bushes, grown from the little 6" pot from the holidays. Only thing I fear about having them is the toxicity to animals. and that they are ugly until winter

 

[so lucky]

I've read that an animal would have to eat an awful lot of the plant to be poisoned. Maybe if you had them growing where goats or cattle could get to them; I can see where that might be a problem.

 

[nittygrittydirtdigger]

When I lived in Santa Barbara, I saw many poinsettas that were as tall as the two story houses they grew next to. Quite a sight!