Poinsettia with fallen leaves: why and what to do

With the arrival of Christmas, it is common to see those pretty red-hot bract plants that bloom around this time. Indeed, we are talking about the poinsettia, Poinsettia , poinsettia, Christmas plant, Christmas flower, Christmas plant, Christmas flower, Christmas Eve plant or Euphorbia pulcherrima , the undisputed queen of this time of year.

However, the poinsettia is a difficult flower to care for in some respects, which is why many people believe that it is a seasonal plant when, in fact, we can make it survive its bloom for several years with proper care. For example, a common symptom that the plant is not well is seeing it with limp leaves.

Why does my poinsettia have fallen leaves

There are several reasons why a Christmas flower can show drooping or limp leaves. These are the possible reasons that answer your question about why my Christmas plant has fallen leaves :

• The first one is the most obvious and natural, this plant loses its flowers and leaves after flowering , which tends to occur around February in the northern hemisphere. If you see that your poinsettia loses its leaves at this time, do not worry: it is its natural cycle. It will need care and proper pruning to be able to recover well in the next season, but nothing happens that you have to worry about.
• A poinsettia with flabby leaves can become this way because its location is not correct and it is too exposed to drafts. These plants tend to do better indoors because they do not tolerate exposure to gusts of wind or continuous currents, which overdry them.
• A diseased poinsettia may also be due to being in an area with insufficient light or an environment that is too dry for it. In fact, it is very common for these plants to have a hard time and dry out because we put them at home, in rooms where they are close to heat sources such as heating. The sources of heat sources at home are very harmful to them and we must always avoid having them near them.
• Another possibility is that the Christmas plant has fallen and soft leaves due to excess water , which can be caused by watering the plant too often and with a lot of water and / or because it does not have good drainage. You will also notice that the substrate never or almost never dries, that between watering and watering the soil is actually still wet. You have to look more than the surface of the substrate, so it is recommended to sink your finger or a wooden stick a few centimeters to check the degree of humidity of the soil.
• Finally, another reason why you can have a poinsettia with limp leaves , which can later wrinkle or dry out, is because the plant is in a room with smoke or dirty air , to which the plant is also sensitive.

What to do if my poinsettia has fallen leaves

Depending on what is the cause of the diseases of the poinsettia or its discomfort, the measures to be taken will be different. Here are some tips on what to do if your poinsettia has limp leaves :

• When we want to know how to recover a poinsettia flower with fallen leaves due to excess dryness in the environment, such as that which will usually occur in homes that have the heating on for many hours, we must try to rehydrate the plant. For this, the first thing will be to remove it from drafts, possible areas with smoke and artificial sources of heat, as they dry out the environment, as much as possible. Afterwards, help yourself with a water spray or atomizer, and lightly spray its green leaves , but never the red bracts , which should not get wet. This will bring some moisture to the plant to recover. You can repeat the process every 24 or 48 hours, always without flooding them or having them constantly wet.
• Another case is that of the poinsettia that is withered from excess water . The poinsettia needs a substrate with the best possible drainage, as well as a pot with holes that removes excess water. If your pot does not meet these requirements or you have watered it too much, it will accumulate excess moisture that can kill the plant. Remember that the Christmas flower must be watered from a plate under the pot, the technique of watering by immersion , which you must leave for about 15-20 minutes and then remove it, thus preventing the aerial part of the plant from accumulating moisture that does not it agrees.  If you see that the poinsettia is drownedBecause it has fallen leaves and the soil soaked, you will have to transplant the Christmas plant to change the substrate, removing the one that is flooded and using a new one. Place the plant in a new pot with good drainage and with more new substrate and do not water it until after a few days if you see that it has already recovered from the excess water.
• You may find yourself in front of a plant that looks very bad or that seems already dead, but is actually still alive and with a chance of being saved. In very serious cases, it will be necessary to apply a very aggressive pruning , leaving only a third of the stems of the plant, leaving a knot in each one, and apply healing paste on the cuts. The latter is very important to avoid diseases to the plant and, in addition, you can make yours at home with very little effort and in a totally ecological and very economical way. In addition, it is also necessary to thoroughly disinfect the pruning tool before use, and make sure it is properly sharpened. 

Poinsettia care

Here we explain the basic care of the poinsettia :

• Watering the poinsettia: every 72 hours approximately, when the substrate dries and from a plate.
• Location: protected from wind currents and heat sources.
• Light: put it near a sunny window, be careful with the magnifying glass effect, especially when watering.
• Fertilizer: twice a year, in autumn and spring.
• Pruning and transplantation: in February, every year.