How to Pollinate a Poinsettia

Observe the poinsettia plants to determine the best time for pollination. When the shrubs are ready, the small, green flowers at the center of their leaves develop yellow flecks of pollen. The female organ, known as the pistillate, emerges on a red tube from the top of a green bulb, known as the cyathium. When you see the pistillate emerge, the poinsettia is ready. Wait for both the parent plant and the pollen donor to reach this stage.

Swab the tip of a fine paintbrush over the yellow flecks of pollen on the donor plant. Thoroughly coat the bristles of the brush in the poinsettia’s pollen.

Swipe the pollen-coated brush bristles over the female organ on the parent plant. The pollen must fall in its opening to reach the ovary. Take care not to touch the bristles to the parent plant’s own pollen while dusting the pistillate for the highest chance of a crossbred seed. This pollination process mimics a flying insect passing from plant to plant, attracted by the poinsettia’s brightly colored leaves.

Watch the poinsettia closely. When the female organ you pollinated turns brown and dries, remove it from the plant with tweezers. Soak the pod in 50-degree (Fahrenheit) water for about five hours, and then place it in a cool, dark place at 40 degrees for three months. Plant it in soil, lightly covered, with direct sunlight and keep the area moist. In two to three weeks, it should sprout. Maintain the soil and growing environment at a steady 65 degrees for best results.