Polka dot crops are a colourful, low-maintenance addition to your houseplant collection or garden. With shiny splashes of pink, white, or purple speckles on oval inexperienced leaves, these crops have persona! Their fairly foliage is a refreshing distinction to different crops with strong inexperienced leaves.
Native to Madagascar, South Africa, and southeastern Asia, polka dot crops (Hypoestes phyllostachya) thrive in shady areas outside in blended containers, window containers, and edging alongside sidewalks or on the entrance of borders within the panorama. They appear particularly smashing when grown in plenty or alongside different shade-lovers corresponding to coleus or caladium.
Whereas polka dot crops are grown largely as a backyard annual, they’re perennial in USDA Hardiness zones 10 and 11. (Find your zone here.)
Associated: What’s the Big Difference Between Annual vs Perennial Plants?
Indoors, polka dot crops are easy-to-care-for beneath the suitable circumstances. These crops stay small as indoor crops, usually reaching about 6 to 9 inches tall with a mounded behavior. As a result of they love humidity, polka dot crops make good choices for terrariums.
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Polka Dot Plant Fundamental Information:
Frequent Title: Polka dot plant
Botanical Title: Hypoestes phyllostachya
Plant Household: Acanthaceae
Kind of Plant: Annual, perennial in heat climates
Native Origin: Madagascar, South Africa, and southeast Asia
Solar Publicity: Half solar (3 to six hours per day)
Mature Dimension: 1 to 2 ft tall and extensive
Poisonous to pets: No
When to Plant Polka Dot Plant
Like all tropical crops, polka dot crops don’t like chilly temperatures. Indoors, they like common temperatures within the 60s to 70s. Outdoor, don’t plant polka dot plant till it’s warmed up with daytime temperatures within the 50s no less than.
Should you’re rising it outside, you’ll be able to dig it up, pot it, and convey it indoors as a houseplant within the fall earlier than temperatures drop into the 40s.
The way to Plant Polka Dot Crops
Indoors, polka dot plant needs to be planted in general-purpose potting soil, ensuring the container has drainage holes within the backside of the pot. (Here is our guide to the best potting soils for every kind of plant.) Give it shiny, oblique mild in an east, west, or south-facing window.
Outdoor, discover it a spot in dappled shade. Whereas it will probably take some morning solar, this plant prefers shade a lot of the day, and its foliage will fry in direct daylight. Alternatively, too much shade will make it stretch for the solar in order that it turns into scraggly-looking.
When planting, dig a gap barely bigger than the foundation ball, place it within the gap, then backfill the soil. Tamp the soil down firmly round it, and water effectively.
The way to Look after Polka Dot Plant
This plant isn’t super-fussy, but it surely does favor the soil to be stored moist. Throughout drought or warmth waves, be sure that to test polka dot plant every day. However don’t drown it; if the soil stays soaking wet, the plant will develop root rot.
It’s additionally fantastic to feed this plant with a general-purpose fertilizer, in accordance with the package deal directions. (Here is our guide to fertilizer numbers and letters.)
Polka dot crops produce tiny spikes, or racemes, of purple or pink flowers in summer time. Snip them off after they seem to encourage extra power to enter producing their fairly, eye-catching foliage.
How Do You Hold a Polka Dot Bushy and Full?
This plant can get a little bit leggy, particularly if it’s not getting ample mild. Merely pinch it again throughout to encourage it to fill out. Should you achieve this often, it ought to maintain a pleasant, mounded form.
How Do You Propagate Polka Dot Plant?
It’s super-easy! Snip off a chunk of the plant just a few inches lengthy, take away the decrease leaves, and place it in a glass of water in shiny, oblique mild. As soon as it roots, place the chopping in a pot with potting combine, maintain it barely damp, and luxuriate in your new child plant.
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Arricca Elin SanSone has written about well being and life-style matters for Prevention, Nation Dwelling, Lady’s Day, and extra. She’s obsessed with gardening, baking, studying, and spending time with the individuals and canines she loves.