Poinsettia leaves curl up: what to do? 6 possible solutions

When the cold season is just around the corner, the Christmas trees are slowly moving in and the first snow falls, it's time for him Christmas star in your own four walls. The decorative plants are among the most popular plants over the winter, as they provide attractive accents in gray with their intense colored foliage. If the leaves curl up on the poinsettia, something is wrong with the care and protective measures must follow.

Rolled leaves on the poinsettia

Since the poinsettia is a tropical plant from Central and South America, it is not really used to the local conditions. For this reason, numerous care errors can occur that have a negative impact on the health of the milkweed family (bot. Euphorbiaceae). If the leaves roll up, this is always a sign of a problem as Euphorbia pulcherrima tries to save enough energy to maintain the main shoot. If the trunk dies, the plant follows a short time later and you have to get a new one. For this reason, you must provide "first aid" immediately if you experience the following symptoms:

• rolled up leaves
• discolored leaves
• Leaves weaken

Since curled leaves on poinsettia will in most cases lead to or arise from any of the above symptoms, you need to pay attention to all of them. They are always related to one another and for this reason must not be ignored. Once you've discovered the symptoms above, consider one of the six below Consider possible causes and apply the necessary measures to your poinsettia save. The help is important for the survival of the plant.

tip: Even if your poinsettia is beyond salvation, you can multiply it if you can get a few Cuttings cut off. These take root extremely easily and so you can maintain your former plant with little effort after you have pulled young poinsettias from the cuttings.

Waterlogging

Waterlogging is one of the biggest problems with keeping a poinsettia, as the plants cannot tolerate wet feet in any way. Since excess moisture can quickly lead to root rot, it is important to be careful not to overuse your specimen too often or too much to water. This problem is especially common in winter, as it is generally cooler and too much watering is easy. You can recognize waterlogging in poinsettias not only by the rolled up leaves, but also by the following symptoms:

• yellowish leaves
• fall off
• wet substrate
• soft trunk

Root rot

While yellow discolored and curled leaves on poinsettia can be saved early enough in many cases, a stem that is too soft is the death sentence for the plant. In this case, most of the roots are dead and also rotten, which can lead to bacterial and mycotic infections. One of the most common causes in addition to too frequent or heavy watering is a lack of drainage or drainage holes in the pot. The following measures will help you prevent the impending root rot:

1. At the beginning, check the substrate. If this is clearly too wet, you should then loosen the plant from the pot and remove the soil from the roots. If these are rotten, moldy or even rotten, you have to be quick so that this condition cannot progress any further.
2. Remove the with disinfected, sharp scissors or a comparable knife affected roots and cut the shoots by a third, in severe cases even by two return. You should not dispose of the removed plant parts on the compost due to the contained Toxins in the poinsettia.
3. Then repot the plant, preferably in a pot with drainage holes so that you can throw away excess water after watering. Then wait after repotting until the top layer of the substrate has dried before watering again.

This helps the plant to recover and to establish itself in the fresh substrate without getting wet feet again.
As an alternative to this method, you can simply stop watering for some time in the initial stages of waterlogging. If the trunk is not yet soft, just wait until the top layer has dried on. In many cases this is sufficient to prevent waterlogging. Repotting is really only necessary if the poinsettia looks badly worn and does not get well even after drying.

tip: When handling your Euphorbia pulcherrima, be sure to watch out for the milky sap, which can irritate the skin and mucous membranes. Children, pets and allergy sufferers are particularly at risk, and consumption of the plant parts can lead to discomfort.

Drafts

Drafts is another problem that curled leaves can cause on poinsettias. Poinsettias are one of the most sensitive plants when it comes to drafts and the milkweed plants should be protected from them as much as possible. It doesn't matter whether your poinsettia is in a cold or warm draft, the plants cannot tolerate any of them. Long periods of time on the train are particularly stressful for the plants, so you should watch out for the following symptoms:

• Foliage curls up
• Poinsettia leaves droop
• fall off

The combination of rolled up and weak leaves is a warning sign for you. If this is the case, be sure to check whether your Euphorbia pulcherrima is on the train or not. Above all, check the windows and doors that are opened frequently. This is particularly important during the cold season, as drafts occur much more strongly at this time. As soon as it has been determined that the poinsettia is on the train, choose a new location that is protected from it. After that, the crop should recover if the rest of the care is right.

Lack of water

In addition to waterlogging, a lack of water is also a major problem. Wet feet are much more dangerous for the plant, but prolonged drought can cause the foliage to turn yellow over time. This yellowing starts from the stems and then the leaves curl up and begin to wither until they then fall off in the lower third of the plant. If so, you should do the following:

• Check substrate for dryness
• pour carefully
• Use lukewarm or lukewarm water
• additionally spray foliage
• don't catch buds

Check over the next few days to see if the plant has recovered. But don't increase the amount of water you add, you don't want to put the plant under water. If the above methods don't do much good, you should check the humidity in the room. If this is too low, you should either use a humidifier or place a bowl of water next to the plant. This will slowly increase the humidity so that the poinsettia can recover. This is a typical measure in winter when it is too dry in the room due to the heating air.

cold

The cold is devastating to Euphorbia pulcherrima and the leaves roll up very quickly if it is too cold. In addition, these fall off and the entire plant can quickly perish. The following temperatures should be observed:

• ideal: 20 ° C to 22 ° C
• minimum temperature: 15 ° C
• maximum temperature: 24 ° C

If the location is too cold or the apartment is shivering, the reason for the rolled up leaves on the poinsettia is to adjust the temperature as soon as possible.

Lack of light

The location is not only important in terms of temperature and drafts, but the available light. A lack of light is not recommended, as the poinsettia is a sun worshiper who needs sunny to shady locations. The following features will help you find the right place in the house all year round:

• Light intensity: 2,000 lux to 3,000 lux
• weakened midday sun
• East or west window ideal
• Avoid north windows
• South window with protection

If it is too dark for you in winter or if your entire apartment is facing north, you should get a plant lamp. In this way you will ensure sufficient light.

Air pollution

Make sure that the air in your home is always fresh, as the poinsettia is very sensitive to air pollution. The following types of dirt cause the leaves to curl up and then fall off:

• Cigarette smoke
• Exhaust gases
• Chimneys

Unventilated rooms also cause this problem. So make sure you have enough fresh air.

tip: Another variant of this cause is the long-term storage of the poinsettia in the plastic packaging after purchase. In this, increased amounts of the aforementioned ethylene collect, which can be difficult for the plant.