Repot poinsettia in 7 steps | manual

The end of its bloom doesn’t mean your poinsettia’s days are numbered. Repotting encourages an Advent star to repeat the magnificent display on the wintry windowsill every year. This guide covers all aspects from A, like stuffing, to Z, like timing. Important criteria, such as the perfect pot size, optimal substrate and expert approach, leave no questions unanswered. Read here how to properly repot a poinsettia in 7 steps.

preparation

By the end of February, a poinsettia will have finished its wintry flower spectacle. Without its colorful blooms, a wilting poinsettia is just a shadow of its former self. In fact, the picturesque spurge is merely demonstrating its desire for a short break. In the tropical home regions, Euphorbia pulcherrima thrive as perennial flowering shrubs that gain in beauty from year to year. By accommodating the desire for a short break, you prepare your advent star to move to a larger pot with fresh substrate so that it can repeat its opulent flowering season next winter. You should make these preparations if you want to repot a poinsettia properly:

  • After dropping the colored bracts, keep them cooler at 15 to 17 degrees Celsius
  • Maintain bright, non-full sun light conditions
  • Significantly reduce watering
  • No more fertilizing

The bright bedroom, an unheated conservatory or the light-flooded, cool stairwell are ideal locations for floral respite. In this phase, only water with soft water when the surface of the potting soil is noticeably dry.

Best time

After a cool, dry rest period of four to six weeks, a poinsettia is ready to move to a new pot of fresh soil. Under normal conditions, the time window opens at the end of April/beginning of May to repot a well-rested poinsettia at the ideal time.

mix substrate

Advent stars favor slightly acidic to neutral potting soil and have an aversion to waterlogging. Both criteria require special care when choosing the substrate. The list of desirable properties ranges from well drained and structurally stable to an optimal pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Incidentally, the ideal potting soil should have good water storage capacity without exposing the sensitive roots to permanent moisture. Conventional potting soil with a high peat content is not suitable for this purpose. By mixing the substrate yourself, you avoid all imponderables. The following recipe has proven itself in practice:

  • Soak the humus bricks made from coconut fibers (pre-fertilized) in low-lime water for 30 to 60 minutes
  • Disinfect loamy, slightly moistened garden soil in the oven at 100 degrees Celsius
  • Thermally sterilize leaf compost or sieved garden compost
  • Mix all three components in equal parts
  • Add a handful each of quartz sand and lava granules

If mixing the substrate yourself is too time-consuming, you can use peat-free cactus soil from specialist shops. The special substrate for succulents has all the important properties that a poinsettia wants for lavish blooms and vital growth.

Tip: Your poinsettia will show its most beautiful side in a bright location that is not in full sun. Temperatures between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius are advantageous for a long, magnificent flowering period. In the cosily heated living room at temperatures above 24 degrees Celsius, the exotic beauty sheds her foliage in disgust.

Select flower pot

The pot size has a significant influence on growth and flowering. In the new flower pot, a maximum of two fingers should fit between the edge of the pot and the root ball. Too large a pot volume will cause your poinsettia to increase root growth in order to fill the pot as quickly as possible. The only beneficiaries are the evergreen leaves. However, the longed-for petals are left behind. If a limited root space is available, a poinsettia puts on a lavish flower dress punctually for the next Advent season.

A flower pot is only suitable for a poinsettia if there is an opening in the bottom of the pot for water drainage. Excess irrigation water should run off unhindered so that no waterlogging can form. To protect against water stains on the windowsill, forward-looking room gardeners always place plant pots in a saucer. This entails the risk that accumulated water will rise back up into the substrate due to capillary forces. You can prevent this shortcoming by filling the coaster with pebbles, grit or expanded clay.

To cut

Before repotting, please cut back the poinsettia. This measure prevents unwanted woody growth and clears the way for fresh shoots. How to properly cut a Christmas star:

  • The best time is after the end of the flowering period
  • Alternatively, cut back after the dormant period just before repotting
  • Recommended tool: Secateurs with bypass mechanism (two sharp blades)
  • Put on gloves
  • Thin out dead, kinked and unfavorable shoots beforehand
  • Cut back remaining shoots by a third or half

Poinsettias are well tolerated by pruning and also tolerate a cut into old wood. If it is an older specimen with a woody base, you can go to work with courage. Turn back time on the aging poinsettia with a combination of pruning and repotting.

Note: Poinsettias belong to the spurge family and are permeated with slightly poisonous plant sap. Toxins contained in it cause allergic reactions on direct skin contact. Don’t engage in grooming until you’re wearing protective gloves.

stuffing

It takes a sure instinct to pot a poinsettia safely. After the predominantly dry resting phase, the substrate tends to literally stick to the edge of the pot. Strong pulling on the shoots can irreversibly destroy the connection to the root ball. The correct procedure depends on whether an Advent star is in a flexible plastic pot or a ceramic pot. Here’s how to do it professionally:

  • Plastic pot: knead with your hands to loosen the root ball
  • Ceramic or porcelain pot: run a long kitchen knife along between the pot wall and the root ball

Lay the flowerpot on its side. Hold the vessel with one hand while holding the Advent star on the root neck with the other, gloved hand. The plant should be able to be pulled out of the tub without a strong pull. If you still feel resistance, push the stubborn root ball out of the pot from below. To do this, stick a finger or wooden stick through the bottom opening and eventually push the root ball out.

stew

Shake off the used substrate from the potted root ball. If individual clods of earth stick to root strands, help with your fingers. Now you have a free view to assess the condition of individual roots. Finally, use disinfected scissors to cut off dried, dead or rotten-brown roots. More than a third of the root volume should not be removed. How to pot a poinsettia correctly:

  • Spread shards of clay or expanded clay over the water drain in the bottom of the pot as drainage
  • Cover drainage with air- and water-permeable fleece
  • Fill in the substrate halfway up and press down lightly
  • Make a well in the ground with your fingers or a spoon
  • Insert the root ball in the middle and stabilize it with one hand
  • Gradually fill in the remaining substrate with the other hand

You have repotted your poinsettia correctly if the previous planting depth is maintained. Water the plant with soft water until the saucer fills up. In the next two to three weeks, your poinsettia should regenerate from the stress of moving in a location that is protected from direct sunlight.

Kira Bellingham

I'm a homes writer and editor with more than 20 years' experience in publishing. I have worked across many titles, including Ideal Home and, of course, Homes & Gardens. My day job is as Chief Group Sub Editor across the homes and interiors titles in the group. This has given me broad experience in interiors advice on just about every subject. I'm obsessed with interiors and delighted to be part of the Homes & Gardens team.

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