Polka Dot Plant Humidity Terrariums
Polka Dot Plant -The Ideal Plant To Grow In A Terrariums
How to Grow Polka Dot Plant in Australia
Polka Dot plant or Hypoestes phyllostachya is a small, colourful plant with different coloured dots on contrasting leaves. Here in Australia, the polka dot plant is nicknamed the freckle face plant. This plant is native to Madagascar and can grow to a height of 30 inches when grown outside. When grown indoors, the plant needs regular trimming to avoid the stems from becoming leggy specimens. This plant looks very good in terrariums as they can add colour to the container garden. They can be used as borders in your exterior garden. Did you know the less light the smaller the dots will be?
Why Is It Ideal For Terrariums? How To Grow
This plant requires bright light, but do not require full sun to grow and bring out the leaf pattern. It is a good option to keep the plant in the containers. Polka dot plant needs a humid environment to produce lush foliage. Occasional misting of the terrariums absolutely provides humidity for proper growth. The foliar houseplant also prefers moist soil for their growth. The annual foliage plant will grow in good shape, even if you cut them back hard. When planted in terrariums along with other plants such as ferns or cacti, undoubtedly the polka dot plant will stand out with their bright and beautiful spotted leaves. This plant has a relatively small lifespan, but they are easy to propagate from stem cuttings.
Growing Conditions
Though the plant doesn’t require full sun, growing them in poor light will make the heavily splatted variegation foliage colour turn back to green.
- If you think that the Polka Dot plant is not colourful enough, keep them in direct sunlight to develop more colour.
- When grown in the outer garden, you should water the plants during the summer to keep the soil moist. During winter reduce watering.
- If the plant goes into dormancy after flowering, the water requirement will be very low. Resume watering when new growth emerges.
- This plant requires a mild fast acting liquid fertiliser only during the growing season.
- It is better to feed the plant once a week during the growth period. Feeding of the plant encourages blooming.
- This plant requires light and fast-draining soil. You can use fortified potting soil when growing polka dots in pots.
- This is a formulated planting mix with a combination of special ingredients to promote maximum uptake through plant roots.
How to Propagate?
You can use seeds to produce a variety of colours or stem cuttings to propagate the same mottled coloured plant. If you are using seeds, plant them at least 12 inches apart in the garden in a lightly shaded area during early spring. The temperature required for germination is 70-75 degrees. It will take 10-12 days for the seed to germinate. Provide bright light and ample moisture to the seedlings so that they develop the perfect polka dots. Stem tip cuttings can also be used for propagation. Use rooting hormone to make the stem cuttings develop roots faster.
Taking Care of Polka Dot Plants
These plants are very sensitive to the chemicals present in water. Hence, I would make sure that the water you are using is free from chlorine or other chemicals by allowing the water to stand for 24 hours before being used for watering Polka Dot plants. With age, the plant tends to be leggy. Pinch back the tips when the plant reaches a height of 16 inches. Most of the Polka Dot plant varieties cannot survive more than one or two years. It is best to repot the plant during spring before it goes into a dormant stage. If growing them outside beware they need protection from frosts and drought.
