It's not very pretty at the moment, and I admit it had me worried this last week or two when I noticed it started dropping its leaves again.
I have been soooo bad about watering it this entire winter. I don't even know if I gave it water more than five times since Thanksgiving, until recently when I started trying to give it a little bit about once a week. That's when the leaves started turning brown and shriveled, and my hopes of keeping this plant got trampled.
My poor plant. The one that has been around wayyy longer than any houseplant I have ever tried keeping. The potted success that has brought green to my winter since 2015. I've had this for over two years!
Did you know though, that a poinsettia actually thrives with less water?! You're not supposed to keep the soil wet, but rather let it dry out a bit on the surface (being careful not to let the dirt get bone dry) before you water it again. I'm convinced my forgetfulness in watering it is the only reason I still have it around today.
Look! This week I noticed little red buds starting again! I about shrieked with delight when I saw them. It's coming back to life! I am so excited to be getting several bunches of red leaves once again. It always takes longer than I expect to get any decent-sized red leaves, so I imagine it will probably be late spring before they are nice and full again.
It's looking rather gnarly not since I've not pruned it back at all. I'm so nervous to try. Technically I should've been pruning it all along, but I feel like my brown thumb would show through and poinsettia would end up dying for sure. I would love to talk with an expert and find out what I really should be doing to care for it so I can maybe have a beautiful, full plant again. My goal is to get it to bloom again in time for Christmas one year, when I can remember to stick it away to hibernate during the winter months.
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