Holiday interior plant care tips

If you've brought a poinsettia into your home or office for the holiday, here are some guidelines for caring for the plant:

Don't let the plant get too wet, and don't let it get too dry. Press your finger to the soil and press hard. If you detect moisture, don't water. If it feels dry - give it a drink. 8 oz of water for a 6" diameter pot should do it.

"Points" are a bit persnickety - they don't like drafts, they don't like to be in a room that too warm - or too cool. They like bright light - but not sunshine. Pick off faded leaves.

For your other interior foliage plants, reduce or eliminate watering altogether in December and slowly increase amounts as the season passes. Plants are hardly growing at all right now because there is so little light (short winter days!). Be diligent about checking soil moisture before adding water to the pot. For plants that are growing in lava pebbles (many of our interior foliage plants start life on the slopes of volcanoes in Hawaii), dig deeper into the pot. Any moisture present means hold off on the watering can!