Once a month, feed the plant with a high-quality, Provide moderate temperature and high humidity, Polka dot plant requires relatively humid conditions and temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees. They’re known for being “dramatic” – wilting completely when they want water and perking back up quickly after they get it. To keep the soil moist, often water the Polka Dot plant and keep it in a warm place. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. The plant's small size means it won't make much of an impact in an outdoor garden but can add a pretty accent to a small-scale planter. The most common spotted plant on the market has pink-colored leaves and green spots. Polka Dot plants are sensitive to chemicals so it is a good idea to water this plant with rainwater or tap water which has been allowed to set for 24 hours so that chemicals can dissipate. The difference between pinching and pruning is that pruning tends to involve chopping off a large number of stems or cutting a plant back. Also remember that the smaller the container polka dot plant is in, the more quickly it will dry out. The term “pinching” comes from the fact that gardeners actually use their fingers (and fingernails if they have them) to pinch off the tender, new growth at the end of the stem. Polka dot plants will get leggy as they age, particularly in lower than ideal light. Watch for signs of wilting. Or add the plant to an indoor terrarium or, Provide polka dot plant with good indoor lighting, Place polka dot plant two feet from an unobstructed eastern or southern window. Use a high-quality, organic potting soil that contains a draining agent, such as, Polka dot plant likes a fertile soil. Polka dot plant is native to Madagascar, where it grows quickly. The Polka Dot Plant, or Hypoestes phyllostachya, is not only super cute, but also an easy to care for house plant. However, you want the soil to drain well. The polka dot plant grows well indoors, and the roots system of the plant establishes itself quickly, regardless of the change in its environment. To start polka dot plants from seed: Start indoors during early spring; Keep the seeds in moist soil with temperatures between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. At the same time, be sure not to keep the soil soaking wet, as the plant will also succumb to root rot. Pinch back the center leaves of new growth periodically. Keeping young polka dot plants pinched will produce bushier growth as well. This should be done prior to the last expected frost in spring or sometime in summer. Pinching out helps to encourage a neat, bushy growth habit. Insignificant purple flower spikes may appear. If growing them outside … Growing A Polka Dot Plant - Information On Polka Dot Plant Care Indoors And Out, Houseplant Propagation: Germinating Seeds Of Houseplants, Peat Moss And Gardening - Information About Sphagnum Peat Moss, Planting A Giving Garden: Food Bank Garden Ideas, Giving To Food Deserts – How To Donate To Food Deserts, December To-Do List – What To Do In December Gardens, Pruning Lantanas – How To Prune Lantana Plants, Fig Tree Care In Winter – Fig Tree Winter Protection And Storage, Moss Gardens – Tips For Growing Moss In Your Garden, Do Sago Palms Flower: Identifying Flowering Sago Palms, Recipes From The Garden: Pressure Cooking Root Vegetables, Gratitude For The Garden – Being Grateful For Each Growing Season, 7 Reasons To Do Your Garden Shopping Locally, Thankful Beyond Words – What Represents Gratefulness In My Garden. Put them in a mass of ferns or ivies, and their colors will stand out in bright contrast. Or add the plant to an indoor terrarium or fairy garden. I didn’t know I needed to pinch it back to keep the bushy look. Avoid direct sunlight and repot or plant outdoors once established. It is best to repot the plant during spring before it goes into a dormant stage. In order to prevent this from happening, pinch the plant back on a weekly basis. But if you want to prolong the plant’s lifespan, read bellow how you can manage it. Use pink polka dot plant to play up the colors and design patterns of your indoor furnishings. Plants should be pinched back once a month to sustain a nice bushy appearance. Such plants are easy to prune with your thumb and forefinger nails, although if you prefer, you can use pruners or gardening scissors. In fact, these plants can be easily propagated by seed or cuttings. Some varieties of the plant also have multiple shades of dots on their leaves. Polka dot plant cuttings can be taken from any part of the plant, but should be at least 2 inches (5 cm.) Polka Dot Begonia Indoor Care Tips. Add to the polka dots on the plant the fact that this species comes in several striking color combinations. It usually helps to add a clear plastic covering over the tray or pot to hold in both heat and moisture. Place the plant within 4 to 6 inches of artificial lighting. Keep them under brightly lit conditions. Use your fingers to pinch the top two leaves at the end of the plant’s stem. But it can also grow in lower light situations. This is more of a problem in humid climates. As a little extra tip, if your pinch out the new growth, most of the time this will also encourage the plant to … Polka dot plant can become leggy fast. Shed some light. As then start growing, pinch off the weaker seedlings. In fact, this is where the plant’s name derived, as its leaves are dotted with splotches of color—from white to green, pink, or red. Check out this Healthy Houseplant's video to see how. Both methods can be performed in spring or summer. HOME GARDENER: This is one of the easiest things to germinate! When I give my garden talk on decorating your home with houseplants, polka dot plant (hypoestes phyllostachya) is one of my favorite examples. Polka dot plant doesn’t appreciate drying out. The Begonia maculata likes bright, indirect sunlight. All your polka dot needs to prevent straggly stem is light pinching once a week. The plant gets very leggy very quickly, to avoid it, pinch the plant weekly. Over-mature Polka Dot plants can be transplanted into 10 or 12 in./25 - 31 cm patio tubs at 4 pots per tub. Hello! How to Revive a Dying Polka Dot Plant. This creates dense-compact foliage. How to Propagate Polka Dot Plant by Seed. Put Polka Dot Plant where it'll get plenty of light, but out of direct sun. You may have some leaf loss. I tried rooting my cuttings in water, but that didn't work. They make an attractive foliage subject for full sun or partial shade. Once established and strong enough, they can be repotted or planted outdoors in a partially shaded area with well-draining soil. The polka dot plant is a lively and beautiful little plant with brightly spotted leaves that stand out especially well against other plants. Examples of how tight you can get plants to grow if you pinch it faithfully: Pink polka dot plants prefer moist soil but suffer if soil remains soggy. Care: Pinching back growth will encourage a bushier plant. Polka Dot Plants also grow quickly, and they’re super easy to propagate in water! Once you have collected the seeds and stored them until planting time, sow them in a tray or pot filled with damp peat … Use a high-quality, organic potting soil that contains a draining agent, such as pumice or perlite. This encourages the polka dot plant to produce lateral stems, which makes the plant bushier. Giving your Polka Dot plant a little haircut as I call them, will not harm the plant, it will actually help it to retain its compact shape and become more full and lush. My mom bought me a tiny polka dot plant from Home Depot over the summer, and I've split most of stems into cuttings. Polka dot plant produces small, insignificant, purple flowers. This will cause the plant to branch out and become bushy rather than long and lanky. Pinch back the tips when the plant reaches a height of 16 inches. Grow the plant in a warm location and raise the surrounding humidity. Polka dot plant requires relatively humid conditions and temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees. Pinch polka dot plant back weekly Polka dot plant can become leggy fast. When you are propagating polka dot plants by seed, if you don’t already have them on hand, allow the seedheads to dry on the plant and then remove. These tiny lavender-colored flowers are actually a sign of the beginning of the end for Hypoestes plants. Pinch young plants when 4 to 6 inches high and repeat in three weeks to encourage new growth along the stems. For those readers unfamiliar with it, the polka-dot plant’s leaves are generously sprinkled with either pink or white spots on a dark green background. The polka dot plant sports spots of many different colors on the leaves like white, yellow, green, and pink depending on the variety of the plant. You can find this fun houseplant in pink and white, green and white and pink and green. Being so popular, many people find themselves curious about propagating polka dot plants. see more; Synonyms Hypoestes sanguinolenta Eranthemum sanguinolentum. Polka Dot Plant The Polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) is a small, showy plant with well-painted leaves that stand out from most other leaves. When your plant starts showing signs of new growth, feed it once with a weak, ¼ strength solution of a liquid houseplant fertilizer . Pinch out any off-shoots once they reach 15 inches in length. "It fills space nicely in a mixed container, particularly with other intensely colored foliage plants like coleus. Follow the above suggestions. All of my cuttings, even the teeny tiny ones about an inch tall, are flowering (just the buds are showing right now, as you can see in the picture). Keep your plant out of direct afternoon sun. Read more articles about Polka Dot Plants. Cuttings may be taken nearly anytime; however, sometime between spring and summer is preferable and usually yields the greatest results. The plant also grows well under full-spectrum lighting. The polka dot plant is susceptible to whiteflies, mealy bugs, and aphids. Cut back on the water a bit to stop this issue. Step 6 Inspect the pink plant occasionally for whiteflies, aphids, spider mites and scale. Do this by creating a humidity tray. To grow well, polka dot plant requires even moisture. This humidifies the air around them, including other plants. Most of the Polka Dot plant varieties cannot survive more than one or two years. Placing the cuttings right into the soil worked perfectly. Growing new plants from cuttings is fairly easy. Let us discuss how to plant, grow, and care Polka Dot Plant in your garden. Check out this, Grow Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia) in Your Indoor Garden, Elegant Peace Lily Adds Flair to Your Indoor Garden, Arrowhead Plant An Eye-Catching Vining Houseplant, Calathea: Colorful Foliar Tapestry for Your Indoor Garden, Sago Palm: Prehistoric Plant Adds Pizzazz to the Modern Home, Decorate for the Holidays with Christmas Cactus, Maidenhair Fern: Delicate Beauty for Your Indoor Garden, Boston Fern: Growing Nephrolepis exaltata, Coleus: Tropical Beauty Decorates Your Indoors, Medinilla: Gorgeous Blooms for Your Indoor Garden. When you are propagating polka dot plants by seed, if you don’t already have them on hand, allow the seedheads to dry on the plant and then remove. To maximize ramification (branch and leaf density), you should allow each new branch to grow until it has 2 or 3 pairs of leaves, then pinch it back to only 1 pair, rather than pinching out only the leader after 2 pairs of leaves. Pinch back weekly. Dotted with what looks like polka dots, the foliage of this plant resembles a festive curtain or upholstery print. Regular pruning helps to keep the polka dot plant neat and healthy. Sign up for our newsletter. I have several polka dot plants that are almost finishing their flowering run. If you over water the plant you may also notice some powdery mildew on the plant. Polka Dots tend to get leggy with age, so keep it pinched back to no taller than about 16 inches. How Much Light does a Begonia maculata need. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! "[The] polka dot plant is best in a container or used as a houseplant, as it tends to get lost in the landscape," says Green. However, you want the soil to drain well. These plants also prefer temperatures between 65 and 80 degrees F. (18 and 27 C.), along with plenty of humidity. Once a month, feed the plant with a high-quality organic fertilizer designed for houseplants. The flowers of this variety are brightly colored. It’s also got brown ends and is not looking very good. The soil should be kept slightly moist. Misting a few times a day also works well. Plants transpire, which refers to cycling moisture from their leaves. Bright, indirect light is what pink polka dot plant requires. Leaves may revert to solid-green in low light. Regular pinching back will keep the plants more compact, but eventually houseplants will need to be replaced. This gives you a visual clue to what they need. Place polka dot plant two feet from an unobstructed eastern or southern window. Whether started by seed or through polka dot plant cuttings, however, you’ll want to keep your new plants evenly moist in well-draining potting soil and provide them with medium light (indirect sunlight) conditions. Grow the plant in a warm location and raise the surrounding humidity. This should be placed in indirect sunlight. Keep these growing tips in mind. Do this by creating a humidity tray. Stem cuttings are easily rooted to create new plants. The polka dot plant seeds require warm temperatures to germinate (around 70-75 F. or 21-24 C.) and will do so within about two weeks given adequate conditions. Polka dot plant likes a fertile soil. Without regular care and attention the plants can grow large and shrub-like. Prevent this from occurring by pinching back the leaf tips on a weekly basis. Use your fingers to snip off the top two leaves on the end of each stem. Starting polka dot plants isn’t difficult. You can also use a sharp pair of pruning shears to pinch the ends. If you drought the plant, water it immediately with warm water. This will cause the plant to branch out and become bushy rather than long and lanky. Family Acanthaceae . However, with a bit of pruning, it’s possible to hold them back. My question is if there’s anything special I need to do to make sure it works? Keeping young polka dot plants pinched will produce bushier growth as well. You can use artificial lights or the sun. Use your fingers to snip off the top two leaves on the end of each stem. Prevent this from occurring by pinching back the leaf tips on a weekly basis. After placing them in damp peat moss or potting mix, you should cover the cuttings with clear plastic to maintain heat and humidity, much like you would with seed propagation. Polka dot plant gets leggy quickly. long. Polka Dot Plant is another popular plant in USA. Use pink polka dot plant to play up the colors and design patterns of your indoor furnishings. In order to prevent this from happening, pinch the plant back on a weekly basis. I was thinking of propagating my polka dot plant bc it’s gotten really leggy. Ideally, you want to pinch the stem as close to above the leaf nodes as possible. The Begonia maculata is a relatively fast grower and makes an excellent indoor houseplant or terrarium plant. With regular pruning, the plant will be encouraged to become an attractive size and bushier. Cuttings can be easily rooted. I read to do about a 4 inch stem and pinch off lower leaves and just stick the stem in water. Regular pruning will encourage the polka dot plant to become bushier. This will keep the plant from becoming leggy. Use your fingers to pinch 1/2 inch from the growing tips periodically throughout the season. Pinching back your begonias is the first step to correct legginess. Once you have collected the seeds and stored them until planting time, sow them in a tray or pot filled with damp peat moss and perlite or a well-draining potting mix. Polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya), also known as freckle face plant, is a popular indoor plant (though it can be grown outdoors in warmer climates) grown for its attractive foliage. And grouping plants raises humidity. To propagate polka dot plants from cuttings: Wherever you put polka dot plant, you’re sure to light up that area of your indoors. These plants won't be harmed at all if you feel the need to cut them back hard. Pinch back growing tips often to encourage branching and to keep the plant compact. The plant thrives in the warm environment of many homes. Propagation: Polka Dot plants aren't particularly long-lived. The plants do get a bit leggy if you grow them in big pots outdoors on the patio. After the flowering, the plant usually goes dormant or dies, which is a major drawback of these lovely plants. Pinch them off because they detract from the foliage and can cause the plant to deteriorate after blooming. Use a solution of ½ strength soap and water to gently wipe the critters off of the leaves. The plant also grows well under, Plant polka dot plant in well-draining, rich soil, To grow well, polka dot plant requires even moisture. the stems are leggy and I am wondering if its ok to prune back the excess growth and let them thicken up or should i wait until they have finished flowering. Pinching also prolongs the life of the plant. Good light will also help the plant maintain its vibrant color tones. Once they have flowered they will move into a dormant phase or may die altogether. To prevent straggly stem is light pinching once a week to correct legginess species comes in several striking combinations. 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