Poinsettia After Christmas: Keep It and Rebloom It
How to keep it looking good into March, and the year-long plan for getting colour again next December, timed for a Canadian year.
A poinsettia after Christmas is not finished. It is a shrub from Mexico that has been grown to colour for the holidays, and with steady care it can hold its bracts into February or March. After that it becomes a green houseplant, and it can be kept for years.
Getting it to colour again is a different job. It needs long, unbroken nights in the fall, and the usual instructions are written for places farther south, where summer nights stay warm later and natural nights get long sooner. Both of those change what you should do in Canada.
The short answer: through winter, keep it bright, warm and out of drafts, and water when the top 2–3 cm is dry. In spring, cut it back to 10–15 cm. Put it outdoors once nights stay above about 10–13 °C, pinch the tips until mid-August, and bring it in before nights get cold. From about October 1, give it 14 hours of complete darkness every night for 8–10 weeks.
First, Decide Whether to Keep It
Mississippi State University Extension is frank about this: for most people it is easier to discard the poinsettia after the holidays and buy a new one, and single-stemmed plants rarely rebloom, so it suggests discarding those. University of Vermont Extension notes there is no guarantee a plant will colour again even with year-round care.
Keep it if you like the challenge, or if the plant matters to you. Compost it without guilt if not. Greenhouse growers control light, temperature and plant shape in ways a living room cannot, so a home-grown plant is usually taller and looser than the one you bought.
January to March: Make the Colour Last
- Light: the brightest window you have. Mississippi State recommends bright, indirect light; in a Canadian January a south or west window is rarely too much.
- Temperature: Mississippi State gives about 20–22 °C by day and 16–18 °C at night, and never below 10 °C. Cooler nights help the bracts last.
- Drafts: keep it away from exterior doors, heat vents and cold window glass.
- Water: when the top 2–3 cm is dry, and never leave it standing in its foil wrap. See watering poinsettias.
- Food: none while it is in colour.
Losing lower leaves in February and March is normal at this point. If leaves are falling much earlier, work through why is my poinsettia dropping leaves.
The Year, Month by Month
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | Bright window, steady warmth, water when dry, no food. When about half the leaves have dropped, let the mix get drier between waterings, but not so dry that stems shrivel. |
| Late Mar–early May | Cut every stem back to 10–15 cm. Repot into fresh mix one size up if it is root-bound. Back to a sunny window, water when dry, start light feeding once new shoots appear. |
| Late spring | Outdoors once nights stay above about 10–13 °C. Harden it off over a week or two. Morning sun, afternoon shade, out of the wind. |
| Summer | Water often, feed every few weeks. Pinch the tip of each shoot every 3–4 weeks, leaving a few leaves below the cut, to build a bushier plant. |
| Mid-August | Last pinch. |
| Late Aug–Sep | Bring it indoors before nights fall toward 13 °C. Check for insects first. Sunny window. |
| Oct 1 – early Dec | 14 hours of complete darkness every night, bright light by day, for 8–10 weeks. |
| December | Back to a normal spot once the bracts are coloured. |
Timings combine University of Illinois, Iowa State and Mississippi State extension guidance. The night temperatures are theirs; the months are our reading of them for a Canadian year, and they shift by several weeks between southern Ontario, the Prairies and the coast.
Cutting It Back in Spring
University of Illinois Extension suggests cutting back in early May, to 10–15 cm above the soil, once new growth begins; Iowa State suggests March. Indoors either works. Use clean, sharp pruners and expect milky sap to run from the cuts. It is irritating, so wear gloves, keep it away from your eyes, and wash it off skin.
New shoots appear from the stubs in a few weeks. Those are next December’s bracts, so the more healthy shoots you grow over the summer, the fuller the plant will be.
A Summer Outdoors, the Canadian Way
A summer outside gives the plant far more light than any window, and it grows much stronger for it. The catch is timing. University of Illinois Extension waits until nights stay above about 10 °C; Mississippi State until nights average about 13 °C. In most of Canada that is weeks after the last frost, not on the frost date itself. Check your city’s last frost date as the earliest possible day, then wait for warm nights.
Illinois suggests introducing it to direct sun over a week or two and aiming for 6–8 hours of sun with afternoon shade. In the fall the same rule works in reverse: bring it in when nights start heading toward 13 °C. In much of Canada that comes in late August or September, so plan the move earlier than a US guide would tell you.
Getting Colour Again: the Long Nights
Poinsettia is a short-day plant. Iowa State Extension says most varieties need 8 to 10 weeks of short days to flower, with the plant in complete darkness from about 5 pm to 8 am. Mississippi State gives 14 hours of continuous darkness each night from October 1 and 6–8 hours of bright light by day. Illinois adds that nights warmer than about 21–24 °C can delay or prevent colour.
In Canada a dark room is not enough on its own in early October: the natural night is only about 12 hours long on October 1 and does not reach 14 hours until late October or November, depending on the city. Our poinsettia care guide has that date for each city. Until then, use a closet or a cardboard box that lets no light in, at the same times every evening and morning.
Any light breaks the night: a hallway light under the door, a lamp switched on for a minute, a glowing charger. Mississippi State says bracts should colour by late November and the plant should be in full colour by Christmas if the dark periods were kept from October 1.
Starting new plants from cuttings
The shoots you pinch off in early summer can be rooted as cuttings in moist potting mix in a warm, bright spot out of direct sun. Let the sap stop running before you plant them. Rooted cuttings grown on through the summer and given the same fall darkness can colour as small plants their first December. It is a slow route, and a good way to have a back-up if the parent plant struggles.
A Note on Pets
The ASPCA lists poinsettia as toxic to cats and dogs, and Pet Poison Helpline rates it as mildly toxic: the milky sap can cause drooling, vomiting and, rarely, diarrhea, and irritate skin and eyes. Pruning means plenty of sap, so prune where pets cannot reach the cuttings and clean up afterward. If a pet eats some, call your vet or a pet poison line. More in the holiday plants and pets guide.
Push the probe into the soil to see whether it is still moist at root depth, the most common reason plants struggle. It also gives a rough light and pH reading.
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Poinsettia After Christmas FAQ
What do I do with my poinsettia after Christmas?
Keep it in bright light, away from drafts, and water when the top 2 to 3 cm of mix is dry. It can hold its colour into February or March. After that you have a choice: compost it, or keep it as a green plant and try to get it to colour again next December, which takes a year of care.
Can I keep a poinsettia alive all year?
Yes. It is a shrub, not an annual. Cut it back in spring, grow it in bright light or outdoors for the summer, and bring it in before nights get cold. Keeping it alive is easy; getting it to colour again is the harder part.
When do I cut back my poinsettia?
In spring, once it starts to put out new growth. University of Illinois Extension suggests early May, cutting to 10 to 15 cm above the soil. Iowa State Extension suggests March. Indoors in a Canadian spring, anywhere from late March to early May works; the point is to cut before strong new growth starts.
Can I put my poinsettia outside for the summer in Canada?
Yes, once nights are reliably warm. University of Illinois Extension says to wait until nights stay above about 10 °C, and Mississippi State Extension says nights averaging about 13 °C. In most of Canada that is weeks after the last frost. Introduce it to sun over a week or two, give it morning sun and afternoon shade, and bring it back in when nights start dropping toward 13 °C.
How do I get my poinsettia to turn red again?
Give it long, completely dark nights in the fall. Iowa State Extension says most varieties need 8 to 10 weeks of short days, with darkness from about 5 pm to 8 am, and bright light during the day. Start around October 1, using a closet or a box, because in Canada the natural night is not yet long enough on that date.
When should I stop pinching my poinsettia?
By mid-August. University of Illinois Extension suggests pinching every three to four weeks until mid-August, and Mississippi State Extension says not to pinch or prune after September 1, because it can delay flowering.
Is it worth keeping a poinsettia after Christmas?
Only if you enjoy the project. Mississippi State Extension notes that for most people it is easier to discard the plant and buy a new one, and that single-stemmed plants rarely rebloom. A home-grown plant usually comes back looser and taller than a greenhouse plant, and there is no guarantee it will colour on time.
Sources
- University of Illinois Extension, Poinsettia Care After the Holidays — month-by-month care, cut-back, outdoor night temperatures, pinching to mid-August, darkness from 5 pm to 8 am.
- Mississippi State University Extension, Selecting and Maintaining Poinsettias — temperatures, discarding single-stem plants, no pinching after September 1, 14-hour nights from October 1.
- Iowa State University Extension, What should I do with my poinsettia after the holidays? — cutting back, 8–10 weeks of short days.
- University of Vermont Extension, Perennial Poinsettia — no guarantee of reblooming.
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control, Poinsettia; Pet Poison Helpline, Poinsettia.