I've had this poinsettia for almost a year now. Adopted it from walmart, and for a really long time it was doing amazing! It tripled in size since I bought it, and it's never had any issues at all... until I moved into my new apartment.

Ever since I moved, the leaves have been turning brown and it's dropping them like crazy; even the ones that seem really healthy are falling off. At first I thought it was because it was situated near a heater vent, but its condition hasn't improved after moving it to a less dry spot a few weeks ago. I'm beginning to worry because even the new leaves are dying as soon as they come out. But it's not wilted, so I don't think underwatering or overwatering is the issue? I water it whenever the soil feels dry.

The only difference that I thought could factor in between my apartment and old residence is that I now have to use city water (which is relatively clean, given how dirty city water can be) but I used to have well water. Should I start giving it bottled water?

I've looked into poinsettia issues but I can't pinpoint what's going on with it because it fits more than one criteria, but maybe someone who knows plant illnesses better can help me?

[yes it's very oddly shaped which is normal, i've never pruned it x) ]

I'm not sure the water would do it, but that's a good thing to try changing. And be careful with how much, since there are fewer leaves using it, it won't need as much.

Is it buggy?

nope! no bugs at all from what i can tell. unless they're microscopically tiny!

Some plants are sensitive to any changes in light, temperature, etc. I hadn't heard this about poinsettia, but it's certainly possible, especially if you're new apartment has less light than your old one. It does sound like you are watering it the right way by only watering when the soil feels dry; but as already mentioned, do be extra careful with overwatering right now since the plant has less leaves. Poinsettias don't like wet feet and are highly susceptible to root rot. They also do tend to drop their leaves very easily if stressed or disturbed too much - and during these times are even more sensitive to root rot.

It may be a compounded issue of the original move, then being placed too near the heater, and then being moved again (and if getting inadequate light, another whammy) - it just hasn't been able to stabilize with all of the changes. What are the conditions it is currently in (particularly lighting)? Poinsettias aren't really optimal houseplants, but they *can* live indoors with good care.

Our apartment actually is very sunny. It definitely gets the same amount of sunlight as it did in my old home. It went outside during the move when the air was still very warm outside and our apartment also stays quite warm. We moved in the first week of september, and I repotted it a few days after to the pot it's in now (its fourth one!), but these problems started coming up just a few weeks ago. Particularly when the heater really started kicking it into gear, which is why I figured the heater was the problem, since we have awful ceiling vents and it was blowing down on the poor thing.

I've moved it as far away from the direct airflow as possible (the darn things don't close all the way, only redirect the flow left or right) but I believe it's still getting a good amount of light. I'll try not to disturb it anymore in an attempt to let it settle. Since I moved it away from the vents, I haven't noticed any more leaves browning, but they are still dropping anyway, so maybe it is just a little stressed out. Only time will tell now I suppose.

Ya, once a poinsettia starts dropping leaves, it seems they will for a bit, but hopefully it will stabilize now that you've got it in a bright spot away from the heater. Repotting could definitely have also added to the stress on top of all the other things. Good luck - sounds like it may be beginning to settle in.

Repotting causes more problems than many people realize. It is easy to do it incorrectly and inadvertently damage the tiny roothairs. In addition, adding more soil can alter the watering routing significantly. It is very common for problems to emerge several months after the repotting because it takes a while for the root damage to show symptoms. I suggest pruning back severely, keeping it warm and allowing the soil to dry out more than usual, providing just enough to avoid wilt.

Hello,

Fourth month with my poinsettia and now I'm determined to keep it healthy for as long as possible.
Some of the leafs have dark/dry edges. Any suggestions???

My plant is near an East facing window, watered every 3-4 days when the soil feels dry and the temperature in my house is around 68 during the day and 64 at night.

I'm new to the Plant Game so thank you for your time and suggestions.

-Rico

Rico,

If you are trying to keep the red bracts as long as possible, you will be doing it at the expense of its re-flowering at the end of the year. Now is the time to prune all of the stems back sharply so that healthy new growth can emerge. Pruning will keep your plant full and compact. That means pruning off most of the foliage and leaving stems that are only a couple of inches long.

~Will