Christmas is over and the Christmas tree is either put away or taken to the curb, and yet that Poinsettia plant is still hanging around. On second thought, maybe it doesn’t look so great. The leaves are dropping, the red bracts have black spots or black edges, perhaps even a branch was broken during the holidays celebrations. Don’t take it personally! There are many possible answers to why your Poinsettia looks so bad:

• It got too hot
• It got too cold
• There were temperature fluctuations, like drafts or breezes
• It got too wet
• It got too dry
• It isn’t getting enough sunlight
• It has a fungal infection
• It has white flies or other pests

Poinsettias are very fussy plants! In addition to the fact that they require methodical and attentive care, they easily succumb to multiple plant diseases, and are delicious hosts to many types of insects. Further, the process of getting the plant to rebloom is tricky at best. Obviously, these are not my favorite plants. This previous blog post provides just a few tips to care for your plant for as long as it is living.

If your plant isn’t looking so great, don’t berate yourself and say that you have a “brown thumb.” If it has black spots or bugs, throw it in your trash container; otherwise, it can be added to the compost pile. Poinsettias should be regarded in the same way you would consider a fresh floral arrangement, in which case, you will think it was nice that it lasted for several weeks!