Here's the picture of the leaves curling.

The yellow leaf and curling could be overwatering. Might also be from exposure to cold. Where are you? Check the soil and get the pot out of that aluminum foil so it can drain when you do water it.

tj

how did you get it home.. and how cold was it outside ...

there is no doubt.. it has transport shock.. not only to your house.. but from the wholesaler ...

the tip yellowing doesnt bother me... they could have gotten large.. and simply were too close together.. near shipping time ... and it is extremely insignificant .... i wouldnt really call that a yellow leaf ....

the curled red.. looks like cold damage ...

protect your table ... and insure the holiday wrapping.. isnt trapping water ...

and keep sticking your finger in.. and let it dry somewhat ... sometimes they are grown in a very spongy peaty media... that never seems to dry out ....

only time will tell ... lets not try to love it to death in the mean time... just give it some time to settle down ...

ken

Oh dear,

these notoriously fickle plants appear in their thousands every year....because hardly anyone manages to keep one alive from one year to the next. Yep, you can do it by with-holding water, managing light levels and mostly by avoiding any changes whatsoever (such as bringing one home from its enclosed environment in a greenhouse - the trip home can cause certain death)...so, I treat these as (very) short lived annuals, suitable only for the twelve days of Xmas and compost material afterwards. Course, you might be of hardier or more tenacious stock than this idle gardener but if you are even a trifle leaning towards negligence, stick with Christmas cactus.

When I worked in a greenhouse way back when, the poinsettia's were a PITB. They need controlled environment, timing (important), careful watering schedules and especially special care in transporting in the cold to be 'perfect' temporary Christmas decorations. I agree with camps, its strictly a throw-away holiday decoration rather than a potted plant you keep and it needs to go out with the dried out tree when the time comes, not worth trying to grow on. I always find it sad seeing an old, struggling, faded & worn out P. in a pot after the season is over with the leaves falling off, sometimes with shiny foil decorations still on the container after Christmas, but thats just me. I see that surprisingly often because lots of people think of them as houseplants or permanent office decorations. Ugh.

Carrying a poinsettia (even protectively wrapped) from the store to the car in our 0o temps is a risky proposition. Our Home Depot always has the most amazing array of them - and I will break down and get a couple because they look so nice on the fireplace hearth - in all sizes, colors, and prices. Mercifully, usually none of the beglittered, bedazzled offerings... which you will be trying to vacuum out of the carpeting for the rest of your life.

For something so ubiquitous, I cannot imagine expending the time and energy trying to keep one alive beyond the time when it starts really dropping its leaves.

Yes, they are throw-away plants, but sometimes, just sometimes, you try things just for the fun of trying things and you get hooked.

I have two nearing 15 & 20 years old and they are a gardening thing I do in the winter. It has gotten to be a "how long can I do this" kinda thing now.

tj

Here is a link that might be useful: Points of no return

The curling may be normal -- many of the newer cultivars do that.

Cold damage, short of actual tissue damage, shows itself as epinasty -- in simpler language, the leaves droop as if wilted.

tsugajunkie, Now that's just too cool.

I've had a bit of success with plants people say can't or shouldn't be grown and I stand corrected on poinsettias, yours look great. Its surprising what a bit a experimenting can do, what works that shouldn't work and it is definitely fun as you say. Sometimes its all about the challenge.

I would've thought people in the nursery/greenhouse trade love poinsettias, the ultimate throwaway plant that needs to be repurchased every year.

For an alternative that's not as showy but is much, much easier to carry on from year to year, consider the Jamaican poinsettia.*

I have one that is currently displaying a single set of bright scarlet bracts (usually they don't appear until later in winter). Fun succulent to grow.

*do a search for "Jamaican poinsettia" or "Euphorbia punicea" to see more and better photos (GW blocks some of the best links).