Poinsettias are the most popular plant in the United States, but why do they die so quickly?

The holidays are coming to an end, but your poinsettia can bring a colorful touch to these gloomy days all winter long (and into spring and summer too!). All it takes is a little extra care.

To keep your poinsettia healthy as we head into the new year, follow these simple steps:

Even when you do everything right, gray mold can quickly destroy your plants. This fungus looks like fuzzy gray or brown patches on the leaves or flowers and often comes infected with the plants when you buy them because they thrive in high humidity (like poinsettia greenhouses).

Gray mold typically targets new growth so a collapsed stem is usually a sign that a plant is infected. It can take a month to show up. This damage will typically show up in late December or January. If it does not show up, your plant is free of gray mold.

If your plant has gray mold, there are fungicides to control the infestation, but it might be best to toss it out. You can prevent the infestation from starting by choosing poinsettias that are not sitting on store shelves for long or by making sure to remove the plastic sleeve they come in as soon as possible.

Since gray mold comes with the plant when you buy it, it is not your fault if your plant succumbs to it.

The colorful bracts eventually fade and are replaced by green growth, but I have had plants remain colorful until June or July. If you can cut the stems back to about 4–6 inches tall after the color fades in summer, it will help new green growth.

I leave my plants outside in a shady spot outside my patio. It is very low maintenance in the summertime and naturally starts to rebloom when the days get longer in autumn.