- 1). Set the poinsettia outdoors once outside night temperatures average 55 degrees F or above. Allow the plant to acclimate to the outdoors for a few days prior to transplanting.
- 2). Select a protected site against a south-facing wall.
- 3). Dig a hole larger than the pot. Fill the hole partially with a rich, fast-draining potting soil.
- 4). Gently remove the plant from the pot and place it in the prepared planting hole. Adjust the soil under the plant so that 1/2 inch of the root ball will set above the surface of the soil once the hole has been filled.
- 5). Fill around the root ball with potting soil. Water after planting is complete. Add no fertilizer for a few weeks.
- 6). Cut the poinsettia back to about 8 inches in height in late March or early April. By the end of May you should see vigorous new growth.
- 7). Prune during the summer to keep the plant bushy and compact. Do not prune after September 1.
- 8). Water regularly. The roots of poinsettias should never be allowed to dry out completely.
- 9). Fertilize every two to three weeks with a complete fertilizer.
- 10
Cover the plant for 14 hours at night, starting in October, making sure it receives no light at all. (If your plant receives no artificial light at night from the street or house, this step is unnecessary.) - 11
Remove the cover each morning for a maximum of 10 hours. - 12
Continue this procedure every day for 10 weeks, and you can have poinsettia blossoms by next Christmas.
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