Selecting a healthy poinsettia:  

Choose plants with thoroughly colored and expanded bracts.  The bracts are the colorful part of the poinsettia, while the true flowers are the small yellow centers.  Look for plants with dense, plentiful foliage all the way to the soil line.  The plant should be about 2 ½  times large than its pot size.  Select plants with strong, stiff stems ad no signs of wilting.  Be wary of plants displayed in paper, plastic or mesh sleeves, for these can reduce air flow. 

After the holidays:  

With proper care, your poinsettia can last long past the holiday season. By early April, when the colored bracts begin to turn or fall, cut the plant back leaving four to six buds.  Keep the plant near a sunny window, water and fertilize regularly, and by the end of May, you should see vigorous new growth. Cut your plant back again around July 4th and again by  September 1st  to promote compact, full growth. Continue to nurture your plants as Autumn nears.  

The poinsettia begins to set buds and produce flowers as the nights become longer.  Beginning October 1st, keep the plant in complete darkness from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. till around early to mid-December, just before Christmas.

Poinsettia care -  DO:  

Place you plants in indirect sunlight for at least six hours per day. Provide room temperatures between 68-70 degrees F. Water your plants thoroughly when the soil feels dry to the touch. Use a large roomy shopping bag to protect your plants when transporting them. Fertilize your plants after the blooming season with a balanced, all purpose fertilizer. 

Do water your plant only when the soil is dry. Do provide ample sunlight for the plant, too. Overheating will shorten the plant's blooms and color, however.

Poinsettia care - DON’T:  

Don’t place plants near cold drafts or excessive heat, expose to temperatures below 50 degrees F. or sit in standing water.  

Don’t expose poinsettias to chilling winds when transporting and don’t fertilize when they are in bloom.  Don't let them touch a cold window pane, either.

Do not let the plant sit in a saucer of water or planter with floating water. When watering, only supply enough to moisten the plant, but not soak it.

Poinsettias are not poisonous.  It’s a wife’s tale that poinsettias are poisonous and it isn’t true.  While not intended for human consumption, the Poisendex Information Service states that over 500 leaves ingested by a 50 pound child would demonstrate no toxicity.