| The leaves on my Poinsettia are curling and wilting even though the soil is moist (or seems moist); am I watering too much or not enough? |
| It's difficult to tell from your description, what is troubling your poinsettia. It could be either, as you said, too much OR too little water, or something else. Here are suggestions for keeping it healthy. If you're not doing all of these things, maybe that's your problem! Protect the poinsettia from drafts, keeping it in a room with temperatures between 60-70F. A sunny window is best as long as there are no drafts. Water as necessary to keep soil moist but not soggy. Poinsettias WILL drop their leaves as the winter goes on. That's natural. If you'd like to try to keep the plant for next year, you can search our database using the word "poinsettia" and to find instructions on how to care for it and have it "bloom" next Christmas. By the way, did you know that some people find the sap of the poinsettia causes a skin irritation? Wash carefully after handling. |
| Another suggestion, if your poinsettia came wrapped in a decorative plastic or foil sleeve, either remove it or poke holes in the bottom so water can drain. Poinsettias can take a lot of light so if it's setting on a hearth for decoration, for example, move to to a sunny window during daylight hours, anyway. |
| Poinsettias need strong morning light and the soil needs to dry out between waterings. If the soil stays moist, the plant will suffer and may cause leaf curling or leaf drop. You can learn more about poinsettia care here: https://www.thedailygarden.us/.... |
| I really believe the issue is climate. A cold draft will cause your leaves to yellow and drop without curling. A hot draft, say from a heat radiator, will cause the leaves to curl and eventually shed. Plants will always shed there leaves first when stressed! When they are slowly acclimated to colder or warmer environments, they can better withstand extremes. |
