Poinsettia plants are native to Mexico, where they can grow up to 16 feet (4.9 m) tall. Many people buy poinsettia plants to decorate for Christmas and aren't sure how to care for them when the red leaves fall away. If you live in a place with mild winters, you can plant the poinsettia outside as a perennial. Those in chillier climates may grow poinsettias as houseplants year round. See Step 1 and beyond to learn more about both approaches.

1 Fill a clean, dry 4-inch plastic pot with sterile medium, such as a coarse sand or a mixture of half sand and half perlite. Moisten the growing medium.

2 Sever a 2 1/2- to 4-inch-long stem from the base of the poinsettia using thoroughly cleaned, sharpened pruning shears. Choose a cutting with a pliant stem and several small leaves at the tip. Avoid stems with signs of damage, infection or mineral deficiencies, such as malformed leaves or black spots. Wear gloves when cutting poinsettias.

3 Strip off the lowest leaf to expose the growth node. Dust the end of the cutting with 0.2-percent IBA rooting hormone.

4 Insert the severed end of the poinsettia cutting into the moistened growing medium. Press it in until the bottom one-third is buried. Gently press the medium against the stem.

5 Cover the pot with a propagation dome or a large, clear plastic bag held up with wooden skewers. Set the pot inside a lightly shaded cold frame or indoors, near an east-facing window. Warm the pot with a propagation mat set to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, if daytime temperatures stay below 60 F.

6 Mist the poinsettia cutting every day to keep the leaves hydrated and cool. Check the moisture content of the growing medium each time you mist the cutting. Water to a 3-inch depth if the growing medium feels barely damp in the top 1 inch.

7 Check for roots in two to three weeks by gently tugging on the base of the cutting. Feel if it is "stuck" to the growing medium by roots. Remove the propagation dome and propagation mat once the cutting roots.

8 Transplant the poinsettia cutting into a 6-inch pot filled with standard potting soil two weeks after it roots. Grow the poinsettia under extremely bright, moderately humid conditions indoors or out. Provide 1 inch of water each week.

9  Plant the poinsettia outdoors in fall, if you live in a frost-free climate. Choose a lightly shaded bed and moist, fast-draining soil rich in organic matter. Avoid deeply shaded beds because the flower bracts will lack vigor and color.

 

Things You Will Need

• 4-inch plastic pot
• Coarse sand
• Gloves
• Pruning shears
• 0.2-percent IBA (indolebutyric acid) rooting hormone
• Propagation dome
• Cold frame
• Propagation mat
• Spray bottle
• 6-inch pot
• Potting soil

Tip

Poinsettia cuttings will root without pretreatment, although rooting hormone will hasten the process and produce more root

 Warning 

Poinsettias exude a thin latex-like sap that provokes an allergic reaction in some people, so wear gloves when handling the plants.

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How to Grow Poinsettia