Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) care

Flowering · needs attention to keep

Last updated 26 October 2026

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) wants bright indirect light, with a little direct sun. Water it weekly. Water when the top of the compost is dry to the touch, thoroughly, and empty the saucer. It wilts and drops leaves if left dry, and rots if it stands in water. Pot it in standard free-draining compost. A balanced feed monthly from spring to autumn; none while it is in colour, and repot once a year. Humidity: room humidity is fine, away from heaters. Mildly toxic to cats and dogs: the milky sap irritates the mouth and stomach and can cause drooling or vomiting.

The poinsettia: the red, pink or cream 'flowers' are bracts — coloured leaves around tiny true flowers. It is sold by the million each December and usually thrown out in January, but it can be kept as a houseplant. Its reputation as a deadly poison is overstated: it is mildly toxic.

Quick facts

Water: Water weekly. Water when the top of the compost is dry to the touch, thoroughly, and empty the saucer. It wilts and drops leaves if left dry, and rots if it stands in water.
Light: Bright indirect light, with a little direct sun.
Humidity: Room humidity is fine, away from heaters.
Soil: Standard free-draining compost.
Feeding: A balanced feed monthly from spring to autumn; none while it is in colour.
Repotting: Repot once a year.
Toxic to pets: Mildly toxic to cats and dogs: the milky sap irritates the mouth and stomach and can cause drooling or vomiting. Its danger is often overstated, but keep it out of reach. The ASPCA lists Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) as toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026).
Difficulty: Needs attention.
Mature size: 30–60 cm as sold.
Native to: Mexico.

Watering a Poinsettia

Water weekly. Water when the top of the compost is dry to the touch, thoroughly, and empty the saucer. It wilts and drops leaves if left dry, and rots if it stands in water.

That cadence is the one PlantParlour sets for this species when you name it, and it is deliberately on the cautious side — a plant that asks a day early is safer than one that asks a day late. Log each watering and the reminder moves with the plant rather than with the calendar.

Light

Bright light, with some direct sun in winter. Keep it away from cold windows and draughts while it is in colour.

Humidity and temperature

Room humidity is fine, away from heaters. Central heating in winter is what turns a comfortable room into a dry one, and it is the usual reason an established plant suddenly browns at the edges or picks up spider mites.

Soil and potting

Ordinary peat-free compost with some perlite. It is a shrub, not a succulent, whatever its genus.

Feeding

A balanced feed monthly from spring to autumn; none while it is in colour. Stop feeding in autumn and start again when you see new growth in spring — feeding a plant that isn't growing just builds up salts in the pot.

Repotting

Repot once a year. In spring, after cutting it back by about half. To colour again it needs about fourteen hours of complete darkness every night for eight weeks from early autumn.

Common problems

Leaves dropping soon after you bring it home
Cold — on the way home or from a draughty window — or a sudden change.

Fix: Keep it warm, above 15 °C, out of draughts and away from cold glass.

Leaves falling off: how to read it on any plant
Yellowing leaves and wilting in a wet pot
Overwatering, often in a foil sleeve that holds the water.

Fix: Take it out of the sleeve, or make holes in it, and let it drain.

Yellow leaves: how to read it on any plant
The bracts don't colour again the next year
Its colour is triggered by long nights.

Fix: From early autumn give it about fourteen hours of total darkness every night for eight weeks — even a streetlight can stop it.

Propagation

Stem cuttings in early summer, rooted in damp compost under a bag. Dip the cut end in water first to stop the sap.

A cutting taken in PlantParlour keeps its link to the plant it came from, so a propagation years later still traces back to the mother plant — which is the point if you ever sell or trade it.

Toxicity and safety

Mildly toxic to cats and dogs: the milky sap irritates the mouth and stomach and can cause drooling or vomiting. Its danger is often overstated, but keep it out of reach.

The ASPCA lists Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) as toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026).

If your pet has eaten a plant, call your vet, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661. Both are open around the clock and may charge a consultation fee. Take the plant or its label with you.

This is general information, not veterinary advice. We don't test plants: what we say about toxicity follows the ASPCA's published plant list as it stood on 26 October 2026, and that list can change. "Non-toxic" means not poisonous — a pet that eats enough of any plant can still vomit, and fertiliser, pesticide or leaf shine on a plant can harm it. It also only helps if the plant is what you think it is. It covers cats and dogs only; ask your vet about rabbits, birds, reptiles or anything else, and a doctor about children. Read our terms.

Every houseplant in the library the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs

Questions people ask

Are poinsettias poisonous to cats and dogs?

Mildly. The ASPCA lists poinsettia as toxic to cats and dogs, but the effect is irritation of the mouth and stomach — drooling, sometimes vomiting — and its toxicity is generally over-rated. Keep it out of reach anyway, and call a vet if a pet has eaten a lot of it.

How often should you water a Poinsettia?

Water weekly as a starting point — that is the cadence PlantParlour sets for Euphorbia pulcherrima. Water when the top of the compost is dry to the touch, thoroughly, and empty the saucer. It wilts and drops leaves if left dry, and rots if it stands in water. Light, pot size and the time of year all move that number, so treat it as a reminder to go and check rather than a rule.

How much light does a Poinsettia need?

Bright light, with some direct sun in winter. Keep it away from cold windows and draughts while it is in colour.

Is Poinsettia toxic to cats and dogs?

Mildly toxic to cats and dogs: the milky sap irritates the mouth and stomach and can cause drooling or vomiting. Its danger is often overstated, but keep it out of reach. The ASPCA lists Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) as toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026). If a pet has eaten part of a plant, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435 straight away.

How do you propagate a Poinsettia?