How to Water Poinsettia Plants

How to Water Poinsettia Plants

With Christmas around the corner, you’re likely worried about how to care for your new poinsettia plants. These beautiful flowers can live a long time with the right watering schedule and bring holiday cheer throughout the winter. Here’s how to water poinsettia plants so they’ll last long after the holiday season is over!

How to Water Poinsettia Plants

There are four major methods you can use for watering poinsettia plants. 

1. Traditional Houseplant Watering

You can water poinsettias the same way you’d water most plants, by watering slowly around the base of the stem until the excess begins running out the bottom of the container. You can collect the excess water in a dish underneath the plant or in the decorative foil wrapping they are usually sold in.

Let the plant drain for about 15 minutes, then dump the water that has drained into the dish or wrapping so the plant doesn’t end up waterlogged. Once you’ve thoroughly watered the plant, leave it alone until it dries out again.

2. Watering in the Sink

You can take your poinsettia plant out of its wrapping and set it directly in the sink, then turn the faucet on a low stream with lukewarm water. Let it run until water begins to seep out the drainage holes, then turn the water off and leave it to sit for 15 minutes to let the excess water drain. Return the pot to its place afterward and put the wrapping back around it if you like the look.

The sink method is the easiest one because the faucet provides a slow, steady stream of water, and the sink’s drain can remove the excess water that flows from the bottom immediately. 

3. Watering from the Bottom

You can water your poinsettia plant from the bottom of the pot. Take the plant out of its plastic wrapping and place it in a large bowl with around 2 inches of water inside. Leave it for about 20 minutes so the water can soak up through the drainage hole, then dump the excess water and return the plant to its wrapping if you wish. 

4. Ice Cube Method

Like orchids, poinsettias can also be watered with the ice cube watering method. This is an easy way to water your poinsettia and gives the plant a steady light stream of water over an extended period. 

To water poinsettia with ice cubes, use around one ice cube for every inch in diameter of your pot. For example, the usual 10” pot they come in would need 8-10 ice cubes scattered over the surface of the soil. Leave them to soak into the soil, then check for dry soil in the following days to find out when you need to add cubes again.

Watering Tips 

Poinsettias should never sit in excess water for extended periods. Make sure there’s good drainage at the bottom of the plant to prevent moisture buildup and rot. If there are no drainage holes on the bottom of your poinsettia’s container, either poke or drill some in. You could also transplant it into a pot that has some. 

There’s no set amount of water you should give your poinsettia; it all depends on the size of your poinsettia pot and how dry the soil is. The rule is just to water until the excess starts leaking out the drainage holes.

Use room temperature water or lukewarm water rather than cold for the best results.

Try to water the soil around the base of the plant without splashing too much on the leaves or stem. Watering the foliage can lead to disease and prevents the water from reaching the roots, which is where it’s needed.

The potting soil should stay damp most of the time, but shouldn’t feel soggy for an extended period. Remember that these plants usually prefer to be a little too dry rather than too wet. 

How Often to Water Poinsettia

It’s easy to know when to water poinsettias. Check the top of the soil with your finger to see if it’s dry. If it is, it’s time to water. If it’s still damp, wait longer! 

You should check it every day when you first bring it home, but you may be able to scale that back once you get an idea of how often it dries out. For many homes, poinsettias usually need to be watered about once a week, but that varies based on the climate in your house and where your poinsettia is placed.

The exception to the watering rule is at the end of a poinsettia’s blooming period, when you want to encourage it to go into dormancy. During this time you should water it sparingly, usually about half as often as you had been during its blooming time. For example, if it was regularly being watered around once a week, change it to once every two weeks. 

Watering Issues for Poinsettias

Your poinsettia can suffer when it is overwatered or underwatered. Here are the signs to look for and how to fix it:

Overwatered Poinsettias

Signs of an overwatered poinsettia commonly include brown or yellow wilting leaves. They often begin with the lower leaves of the plant and move upward. The leaves may also begin to drop off the plant when too much excess moisture is present.

Since overwatering often looks similar to underwatering, the best way to tell which problem you have is to test the soil. If you see most of the previously mentioned leaf issues and you’ve got soggy soil, then it’s likely been given too much water. 

To fix it, stop watering until the soil dries out significantly. You may want to move the plant to a warm, sunny location with bright or indirect light or drier air so the soil can dry faster.

If there’s a severe case and root rot is present, remove the plant from its pot and brush all the dirt off the roots. Trim off any rotting ones with clean shears or pruners. Dump the old soil and clean the pot before replanting the poinsettia in fresh, dry soil.

Underwatered Poinsettias

If your plant is getting too little water, it will begin wilting, followed by potential leaf drop. The soil surface will feel completely dry to the touch, and the weight of the pot will be unusually light. The fix is to give the plant a thorough watering as soon as possible. Make sure the plant continues getting enough water in the future. 

FAQs About Watering Poinsettia Plants

What is the best way to water poinsettias?

While there are many methods, the easiest way is to take the pot out of its plastic wrapping and put it in the sink. Turn the faucet on a low stream with lukewarm water and leave it for several minutes or until the soil is completely damp. Turn the water off and let it sit for 15 minutes to completely drain before setting it back in its wrapping.

Why are the leaves falling off my poinsettia?

Premature loss of leaves is often due to overwatering, underwatering, or temperature inconsistencies/drafts.

How do you keep poinsettias alive indoors?

The best way to keep poinsettias alive is to keep them in a sunny, temperate room (around 60-70 degrees) that has no hot or cold drafts. Water them regularly whenever the soil feels dry to the touch. Try not to let them get too cold. Poinsettia are tropical plants that are used to warm climates, and they resent even the most brief exposure to cold weather.

How do you keep poinsettias from drying out?

Keeping the plant away from drafty areas like windows can help, along with keeping the room they’re living in temperate and slightly humid. Frequent watering also helps.

Do poinsettias like misting?

No, poinsettias don’t like being misted. Misting doesn’t water them deeply enough and can encourage disease. Poinsettia need to be thoroughly watered at the base of the plant.

Should poinsettias dry out before watering?

Yes, the soil around the poinsettia should feel dry before you water it again.

Enjoy Your Poinsettias!

With these tips, you should now know how to water poinsettia plants, along with how often they should be watered and the proper care to fix potential issues. Enjoy this popular holiday plant!

Amaryllis are another common Christmas plant. Here’s how to care for one after it finishes blooming.