It may smell like that because something (roots) are rotting inside from being kept too wet (or ... do you have a cat?). You should get it out of the pot and see what's going on, and if you need to repot getting rid of the old soil and adding a lot of grit (perlite) to the new soil after cutting back any black or slimy roots, then do it.

Is your plant sitting in a foil or plastic pot sleeve? If so, they are notorious for holding water. Water filled with organic solutes gets pretty smelly, and can be re-absorbed into the soil.

Leach with plain water, perhaps, but the dish detergent does things to the soil that might make matters worse. You might consider a dilute solution of hydrogen peroxide....that will get some oxygen into the soil/root system. 2 ounces per quart of water.

I always let my Poinsettias get almost fully dry between waterings. Even in color.

I have now tried washing the poinsettia's sour soil with warm dish detergent & water, then rinsed it. That didn't help. (Sorry. I didn't see the hydrogen peroxide post until now.)

Then I left it to dry out. After a week, it was still soggy.

So I lifted it out of its pot and let it sit out that way. After a few days, it was still very wet.

So I poked several pencil holes all the way through the potting soil, being careful not to break any major roots. That worked!

This morning I put it back into its plastic pot, but I haven't watered it yet. It seems to be a tiny bit wilted, but not bad.

Shall I repot it while the soil is dry and easy to remove or shall I water it again?

Lisa~

That's exactly what I would have expected with the soap and water rinse, sorry.

I really hesitate to speculate what your next step should be. If you consider Poinsettias as a temporary seasonal plant, I probably wouldn't re-pot it. I expect all of the soil particles are still covered with soap residue and that you'll have the same problem again when you water, but you certainly can't let the plant completely dry out!

If you're planning on keeping the plant (which is not what most people do), then re-potting into a coarse, fast-draining potting medium might be a good idea.

Was that an "I told you so," rhizo_1?? ;->

I hope to keep this plant year round, although I have never had one last very long. Maybe this year I will be able to do it.

I have watered the plant a little, and it looks great, but it still smells bad. :-(

Which potting soil would you suggest that I repot it into? I have regular potting soil and cactus soil. I also have Perlite & vermiculite.

Thank you.

Lisa~

ME? I would NEVER say, "I told you so!"

To make matters simple, how about mix up a batch of your potting medium and perlite....maybe even as much as 50:50. Your plant will love it. But I would wait until it's begun to drop the colored brachts.

BUT, no promises, mind you. When poinsettias aren't happy, there's no pleasing them! Personally, I prefer to fling them out the window at the end of the season.

I'm a professional poinsettia flinger. It's my favorite time of the year!