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It's never too early to be thinking about the holidays, especially when it comes to getting your holiday houseplants in shape, like a poinsettia. Giving it some attention now will ensure a vibrant display for Christmas.
The truth is poinsettia care is very particular, but doing some essential summer care will set it up for a healthy and strong winter season. From consistent watering to pruning for a fuller shape (using these houseplant snips from Amazon), your poinsettia will appreciate a bit of TLC over the next couple of weeks, especially in the heat of summer.
You can even propagate your poinsettia this month to create new plants for free, ideal for gifting once the holiday season comes around. Here, I talk through exactly what to do with a poinsettia in July.
1. Keep Watering Consistently
If there's one thing to know about poinsettias, it's that they're incredibly dramatic and don't respond well to environmental changes. So, in the heat of summer, it's important to keep yours hydrated.
You should water your poinsettia consistently, topping it up when the top 1-2 inches of soil feel dry. Letting it sit in prolonged drought will cause your poinsettia to wilt and drop leaves.
I like to use my soil moisture meter (which you can find on Amazon) to check my poinsettia regularly. This ensures I water it when it's starting to get thirsty and don't let it sit in dry soil for too long.
At the same time, avoid the common poinsettia mistake of overwatering. These houseplants are susceptible to root rot, which can kill off the plant.
One way to ensure your poinsettia stays hydrated is by growing it in a plant pot with a saucer, like this from Amazon. You can then use the bottom watering method to keep your plant sufficiently hydrated.
2. Prune for New Growth
Poinsettia's active growth season is from spring to fall, making it the perfect window to prune your poinsettia and encourage bushier growth by the time the holidays arrive.
The main period to cut back your poinsettia after is colorful bracts fade is during late winter to early spring. But, in summer, you can encourage a fuller silhouette by doing some careful pruning.
Pinch off the growing tip of the main stems, i.e. the fresh, soft green growth. You want to follow the stem down and cut above a leaf node, using clean and sharp pruning snips (like these from Amazon).
This encourages new growth to emerge in a branching habit, providing a bushier plant.
Take care to wear gardening gloves (like these from Walmart) when doing this, as poinsettias bleed a milky sap that can be irritating to skin.
3. Fertilize Regularly
Poinsettias are known to be hungry plants which means they need a boost of essential plant nutrients when using all of their energy to grow during spring and summer.
It's best to fertilize your poinsettia with a liquid houseplant feed (like this from Walmart) or a specific poinsettia fertilizer (like this from Amazon) every 2-4 weeks up until late summer.
This will encourage leafy growth and support the development of the colorful bracts for winter.
Take care not to overfertilize your poinsettia, though, as their sensitive roots can burn and your poinsettia leaves may turn yellow.
4. Propagate Your Poinsettia
You can propagate your poinsettia in July to grow new plants for free by taking softwood cuttings.
You should take stem cuttings 3-6" in length with each one having 3-4 leaves on it. Once again, where gloves to protect your skin from the sap when doing this.
It can help to use a rooting hormone to speed up the process. This rooting hormone powder from Amazon is a good choice, simply dip the end of the cutting into it.
You can then plant it into a pot of well-draining houseplant potting mix (which you can find at Walmart) and use a plastic bag to lock in humidity. Keep it somewhere bright and warm (ideally 70-75°F) and maintain moisture to support rooting.
Your new plant should have rooted within 3-6 weeks, which you can check by gently pulling it for resistance.
5. Check for Pests
Lots of common houseplant pests are active in summer, as they thrive in the warm conditions. For poinsettias, this means looking out for fungus gnats, thrips, and whiteflies in particular.
Pests like to hide on the underside of leaves, so I regularly check as part of my summer houseplant care regime.
As poinsettias are humidity-lovers, regularly misting the plant with this plant mister from Wayfair can help keep leaves clean and deter pests. Or, you can pop your poinsettia on this pebble humidity tray from Amazon.
If you do find any pests, it's best to act fast before they cause too much damage and weaken the plant. Our guides to getting rid of thrips and getting rid of fungus gnats have more guidance on dealing with specific pests.
Many houseplant owners like to use neem oil (like this from Amazon) as an organic spray to deter and get rid of plant pests.
What to Shop
This liquid fertilizer is a special formula for poinsettias. Dilute with water to apply between spring and summer, giving your poinsettia a boost of nutrients.
These blue ceramic houseplant planters have drainage holes and saucers to remove excess water and aid moisture management. You get two in this deal.
Use these pebble humidity trays to boost humidity levels for your moisture-loving houseplants. Simply place your houseplants on top and top up water levels.
If you're finding poinsettias a little too high-maintenance and tricky to care for, try opting for a poinsettia alternative instead. There are plenty of houseplants that bring just as much color and joy as poinsettias which far less fuss.
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