Can You Grow Poinsettias From Seed?
Are you crushing on that stunning poinsettia you picked up for the season and want to propagate? Gardening expert Melissa Strauss explores whether you can grow these plants from seed and what other possibilities there are for propagating it.
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Poinsettias are a holiday favorite, for good reason. Their brightly colored bracts shift color when the days get shorter. Few flowers bloom in winter, so the treasured few get a lot of attention this time of year.
We are all accustomed to the standard red and white varieties, but there are also a great number of hybrids. My favorite is the stunning apricot-colored ‘Viking Cinnamon.’ There are so many variations that when you get a special one, you want to hold onto it.
These winter wonders are tropical plants that you can grow outdoors in Zones 9-11 and sometimes Zone 12. You can also plant them in a larger container after the holidays and grow them outdoors during the warmer months. With this in mind, you may be wondering if it’s possible to harvest the seeds to grow more poinsettias.
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The Short Answer
Yes, you can propagate poinsettias from seeds, but there are some caveats. They have to be cross-pollinated, and the seeds will rarely produce plants that are the same as the parent. Offspring may include some new and beautiful variations, but more often, they are inferior to both parents. Propagation by stem cuttings is more reliable if you want to clone an existing plant.
The Long Answer
The good news is that germinating growing poinsettias from seeds is not difficult. The main issue is that, if you want to produce a clone of the parent plant, seed propagation is unlikely to do the trick. It can be fun to experiment, though, and there is another method to try if you want that clone.
Growing From Seeds
To grow poinsettias from seed, you need to either obtain seeds from a secondary source or pollinate the ones you have. You can do this in two ways. If the weather permits, you can place your plant or plants outdoors and allow pollinating insects to do the job. This is simple in theory, but because of their blooming time and tropical nature, it’s not so easy in practice.
There is also the issue of pollinators hibernating for the winter. If you’re no longer seeing bees and butterflies about the garden, they are probably hunkering down for the duration of the season. If, however, you live in a warm climate, you should be able to make this happen early in the season. Just make sure to bring them indoors if there is any chance of frost.
You can also hand pollinate, which is also a simple process. Poinsettias have both male and female flowers on the same plant. This means they are self-pollinating, but they can also be easily cross-pollinated. That’s how hybrids come to be.
This is where it gets fun. If you want to play around with cross-pollination, you can purchase two different varieties. See what comes from their offspring. You are unlikely to create a duplicate of either plant, as some parent characteristics will come through each. But you may come up with something beautiful and new!
How to Hand Pollinate
First, you’ll need to identify the difference between male and female flowers. Don’t mistake those colorful bracts for flowers. The real flowers are the cluster of small blossoms in the center, which look like tiny green nubs. Each cluster of flowers should contain one female flower surrounded by male flowers. The male flowers will have a cluster of pollen-tipped stamens, while the female flowers will contain a pistil.
1. Using a small paintbrush or cotton swab, brush all the flowers on the plant, picking up as much pollen as possible. Be sure that you also pass over the female flowers so that you leave some of that pollen behind.
2. After a short time, you should begin to see seed pods form. The seed pods are small, bulbous growths that form in place of the female flowers. They will grow from stalks above the flowers, becoming larger over time. Leave them in place until the bracts start to fade.
3. Pick the seeds and store them in a paper bag until they are brown and dry.
How to Grow From Seeds
1. Collect your planting materials. You will need small pots or cells, dried seeds, and a well-draining, slightly acidic to neutral (5.5-7.0) potting mix.
2. These don’t need light to germinate, so plant them just below the surface of moist potting soil. Keep the soil moist and warm until they sprout. This can take up to two weeks to occur but will usually happen faster. Warm soil will make them germinate faster.
3. In July, when your seedlings are several inches tall and have at least two sets of leaves, pinch them back to just above a set of leaves. This promotes branching and will result in bushier, more attractive plants. Otherwise, poinsettias can become leggy. They produce a white, milky sap, which can be irritating to the skin, so wear gloves when you’re pinching to avoid contact.
4. Pinch your stems again about one month after the first pinching. This is for the same purpose: to increase branching and grow a fuller poinsettia.
5. As your plants begin to outgrow their containers, re-pot them. Size up about one to two inches from the previous container.
6. Enjoy your new poinsettias or give them as gifts next holiday season!
Propagation From Cuttings
If you want to produce an exact replica of the plant you already have, the ideal method of propagation is from stem cuttings. This will make a clone of the parent plant rather than an offspring that could revert to the characteristics of the parents of the seed plant. This method requires you to keep your plant thriving until it re-enters a growth phase, which happens in the summer.
How to Propagate From Cuttings:
1. When your poinsettia finishes blooming, deadhead the spent flowers. This will not only improve the growth habit of the parent plant, it will mean more stems for propagation.
2. In the summer, after some new growth has appeared, take your cuttings from non-flowering branches. Your cuttings should be three to six inches long and have more than one set of leaves attached. Make sure to use a pair of clean, sharp shears. The white, milky sap contained in this plant can be a skin irritant, so wear gloves any time you’re cutting into one.
3. Remove the bottom set of leaves, exposing the nodes. This is where roots will form. You can trim the stem to just below this point on the stem.
4. Fill pots with loose, well-draining, and slightly acidic soil. Most potting mix has a slightly acidic pH. You can also mix in some organic material like worm castings to raise the pH and add some additional nutrients. The soil should be only slightly moist, just enough to create humidity around the cutting. If the soil is too wet, your cuttings will rot.
5. Use a pencil eraser or similar object to make holes in the soil for your cuttings.
6. Insert each cutting and lightly firm up the soil around the stem. Don’t pack it tightly; it should just hold the cutting upright.
7. Mist your cuttings with water. Their leaves will absorb moisture until they grow roots.
8. Cover your cuttings with plastic domes or bags to create a tiny greenhouse. Because they are tropical plants, poinsettias thrive in humid environments. If you have a greenhouse, that is the perfect place for your poinsettias to root. The combination of humidity and air circulation will help prevent fungus.
9. Place them in a warm spot with bright but indirect sunlight. Mist them lightly daily, replacing the plastic afterward. It should take about four weeks for them to root.
10. Repot your plants in containers about two inches larger than the previous ones. Use a well-draining soil mixture, as they don’t like wet roots.
11. Place your new plants in a spot with plenty of bright, indirect sunlight and water them regularly, allowing the soil to dry slightly between waterings.
12. Wait about two more weeks and then pinch the top set of leaves to promote branching. This will result in bushier, more attractive plants. If left to their own devices, poinsettias can become tall and leggy.
Final Thoughts
Poinsettias are easy to propagate, either by seeds or by cuttings. The method you choose will depend on the ultimate result you are seeking. If you want to experiment with creating your own hybrids, cross-pollinating and harvesting seeds is a lot of fun. If, however, you want an exact replica of the plant you have, propagation by cuttings is the way to go.
