Should you feed a poinsettia?

QUESTION: Should you feed a poinsettia? Would a fertilizer help them and when should I apply it? -Tim W.

ANSWER: Poinsettias do need fertilizer, but make sure to give your poinsettia fertilizer only at the appropriate time: after it has finished blooming. Wait six weeks after the last bright coloring of the poinsettia has faded to fertilize the plant. (In other words, fertilize the plant six weeks after the flowers have fallen from the plant.) 

Use an all-purpose, balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength. Provide the plant with the fertilizer mixed into water, and keep watering until you notice the water dripping from the container’s drainage holes. Wait six weeks more, then apply fertilizer to your poinsettia again. Fertilize the plant a third time when new growth appears, which happens in early May in most areas. At the end of June, the poinsettia should be fertilized a fourth time. 

From July through the end of December, fertilize your poinsettia every 30 days using the same product and application method. Once it is in bloom, pause the fertilization regimen and wait until six weeks after the colorful bracts have fallen from the plant to start the process over again.