Botanical Identify: Aeschynanthus radicans
Straightforward-care Lipstick Plant is good for a dangling basket. Placing it at eye-level will exhibit its thickly leaved trailing vines with spectacular flowers.
Get to Know Lipstick Plant
Of their native rain forest habitat, these evergreen vegetation develop as epiphytes, perched on bushes, the place their lengthy vines sprawl alongside moss-covered branches. Give these tropical flowering home vegetation the identical dappled daylight and humidity they usually’re extraordinarily simple to develop.
The thick, shiny leaves are 2-4 in (5-10 cm) lengthy and canopy the trailing stems, making this vine a lush, tropical accent to your house.
The true attraction, although, is its tubular flowers that emerge from a calyx in shiny colours that seem like lipstick in a tube. Most frequently, you will discover them in crimson, however some rarer varieties have darkish crimson, orange, yellow or coral blooms.
This unique tropical is a prolific bloomer. You’ll be able to anticipate clusters of 6 to twenty flowers to bloom on or close to the information of the stems in spring and summer time.
Aeschynanthus Varieties
You may discover a number of species of Aeschynanthus labeled Lipstick Plant or Lipstick Vine. Aeschynanthus radicans is among the many hottest for rising indoors.
Many named cultivars can be found. ‘Variegated’ has a creamy white leaf variegation and shiny crimson blooms. ‘Fireworks’, ‘Frostfire’ and ‘Flash’ are all showy hybrids with fiery crimson flowers. ‘Mona Lisa’ is a prolific bloomer with clusters of shiny crimson flowers.
Caring for Lipstick Plant Yr-Spherical
To repot…or not. Lipstick vegetation do not thoughts being repotted. Repot solely when the roots fill the pot, shifting it as much as a pot just one to 2 inches bigger. Do not be too desperate to repot, although. Holding the plant barely pot-bound will encourage it to bloom.
Prune it again. Prune again stems after flowering as wanted. You’ll be able to reduce as much as 1/3 of the plant to forestall it from getting leggy and to encourage branching. Flowers develop close to the information of latest stems, so you will get extra blooms this fashion.
Pruning Tip
All the time prune after a leaf node (the place the place a leaf is connected to the stem). Use sharp, clear pruning shears to keep away from jagged tears and illness.
Elevate the humidity. If the relative humidity drops beneath 50%, use a pebble tray or cool-mist room humidifier to extend the moisture within the air. Common misting helps, too. Keep in mind that hanging vegetation are uncovered to hotter air close to the ceiling that may dry them out sooner.
Look ahead to pests. Lipstick vegetation are vulnerable to the identical pests as some other houseplant. It is a good suggestion to look it over every week or so whereas watering. Verify alongside stems and beneath leaves for any indicators of holes, nibbled edges, or sticky substances. Potential pests embody aphids, mealybugs, scale bugs and thrips. Deal with any infestation straight away to forestall these damaging bugs from invading your different indoor vegetation.
Give it a winter relaxation. Giving this plant a barely cooler, drier relaxation in winter will promote extra blooms in spring and summer time. Cease fertilizing throughout this time and preserve the plant in shiny mild. Preserve it away from warmth vents and chilly blasts from doorways and home windows.
Lipstick Plant Care Ideas
Origin: Southeast Asia
Top: Trailing stems as much as 2 to three ft (60-90 cm) lengthy.
Mild: Shiny mild with some direct solar in winter. Vegetation that do not bloom don’t get sufficient mild. Place your plant in a shiny location and also you can anticipate flowers all spring and summer time.
Water: Water totally spring by fall, permitting the soil to dry out barely between waterings. Preserve the soil barely drier in winter when development is slower. Wrinkled leaves are an indication of dry soil. Yellow leaves normally point out an excessive amount of water.
Humidity: Attempt to preserve relative humidity round 50% or greater. Indoor air can change into extraordinarily dry in the course of the winter months with out our noticing it. It is a good suggestion to make use of a humidity monitor close to the plant, quite than guess. Uncover simple methods to improve humidity to your tropical houseplants.
Temperature: Common room temperatures 65-75°F/18-24°C. This tropical native does not like temperature swings — preserve it away from warmth/AC vents and chilly drafts from doorways and home windows.
Soil: Peat moss primarily based potting combine. Added perlite will assist to aerate the roots and pace up drainage, stopping waterlogged soil. African violet potting combine is good for Lipstick Plant.
Fertilizer: Feed each 2 weeks spring by fall with a water-soluble fertilizer, diluted by half. Use a fertilizer that’s high-phosphorus to assist it bloom (comparable to N-P-Ok 15-30-15). Do not feed in winter.
Propagation: Take 4-6 in (10-15 cm) stem tip cuttings in spring or summer time.