How to Stop a Poinsettia Dropping Leaves — The Mistakes You're Making That Are "Stressing" Your Plant

You may be wrapping up your Christmas celebrations or slowly taking the ornaments off the tree, but the holiday season is not quite over yet. I do not know about you, but the poinsettia plants around my home are still blooming bright, adding a lively festive touch to every room. Though the Christmas tree may have a shorter acceptable life span for lingering in the home after the holidays, the beautiful red blossoms of poinsettia flowers add a stylish pop of color to your home well into the new year. That is if your poinsettia's leaves dropping isn't becoming a problem.

Good poinsettia care is much like the care of all of our favorite winter houseplants — water them just the right amount, give them appropriate doses of sun, etc, etc. However if, like me, you are not blessed with a green thumb, the sight of a poinsettia leaf prematurely falling signals the beginning of the end of your festive indoor garden. Fear not, there are steps you can take to revitalize your poinsettia plant and keep its leaves from dropping a little longer.

Gardening expert and best-selling author, Tony O'Neill shares with me all the details on why your poinsettia's leaves may be dropping and his tips and tricks to keep your seasonal flower flourishing and thriving.

Why Are My Poinsettia Leaves Dropping?

In all the fun and festive chaos of the holiday season, it can be easy to forget to check on your indoor garden. Before you beginning solving the problem of dropping poinsettia leaves, there are a few potential causes to note for this problem. Tony O'Neill, says "Poinsettia leaves can drop due to several reasons including drafty locations, sudden temperature changes, overwatering, or underwatering."

Though the bright red leaves may look beautiful sitting in windowsills or adorning your holiday sunroom ideas, keeping these tropical plants near drafty windows could be a potential harm to their health. Tony explains that "These plants are quite sensitive to environmental stress," so you want to display your poinsettia somewhere with regulated climates.

Overwatering your favorite flowers and plants, unfortunately is an easy way to harm or kill your plants as well, and a poinsettia is no exception. It just means you are looking out for them, albeit a little too closely. To keep your poinsettia's leaves from falling or for any of your houseplants to stay healthy it is a good idea to brush up on the best tips to avoid overwatering houseplants.

How Do You Keep Poinsettia Leaves From Dropping? 

It is best to catch the problem before it begins. Tony shares his top three tips for trying to nip dropping leaves in the bud below:

• Keep your poinsettia in a well-lit location away from drafts or heat sources
• Maintain even moisture in the soil and ensure high humidity around the plant
• Avoid temperature fluctuations to prevent stress

Though we have come to associate the iconic flower with Christmas time and the winter holidays, it is important to remember that a poinsettia is a tropical plant by nature. To ensure a life of longevity, humidity and regulated temperature will allow your festive foliage to flourish.

How to Fix Dropped Leaves on Poinsettias

A poinsettia's leaves turning yellow or dropping isn't always something you can predict, until it starts happening. The good news is, there are ways to combat dropping leaves; the most effective way is by finding a place in your home where your poinsettia can recover and then live without being disturbed by sudden heat changes.

Tony says "To recover a poinsettia with dropping leaves, ensure it’s placed in a stable environment without drafts, with consistent, indirect light and temperatures around 65-70°F (18-21°C)." You may have included a potted plant in your Christmas fireplace decor ideas, but in order for them to live a long, full life, it is time to move them away from the heat.

As for watering a poinsettia that has already started to drop its leaves, Tony says the best thing to do is to "Water only when the soil feels dry to the touch but do not let the plant sit in water." A self-watering planter, or a stylish pot with a hole in the bottom to drain the water effectively could help with this issue.

With the right care, poinsettia can thrive for years to come. Follow these steps to have beautiful blooms beyond just the holidays.