Table of Contents
What Is a Polka Dot Plant?
Polka Dot Plant, also known as “hypoestes phyllostachya,” is a warm herbaceous plant native to Madagascar. With its natural habitat, this plant can grow up to 3 feet high but can be smaller when cultivated as an indoor plant. It varies in different colors such as purple, scarlet, pink, yellow and white speckles on leaves. As the plant ages, it becomes woody and spindly.
6 Polka Dot Plant Care Instructions
1. Polka Dot Plants Need Proper Temperature and Humidity
They can’t tolerate cold and dry conditions as well. So ideally it needs to stay between 70°-80°F and not to be below 60°F to grow well and produce vibrant colors. It is indeed a wise idea to sprinkle your Polka Dot Plant on a daily basis to maintain the moisture content around 40-50 percent.
2. Sunlight for your Polka Dot Plant
Bright light, but again not intense sunshine, is required for Polka Dot Plants. So it will be best to place the plant several feet away from the southern window. It’s not recommended also to put it in a low light location for extended time as this will result in tall and lanky plants.
3. Soil for your Polka Dot Plant
Polka Dot plants can grow in high quality natural potted plant soil. To hydrate the soil and enable optimum outflow, you can use perlite or pumice.
4. Polka Dot Plants Need Water
Polka Dot plants demand a constant level of moisture, but not to the point of becoming wet. If the top half inches of the soil is dried, you can hydrate the plant. Never let the soil dry out completely as it will result in drooping leaves and stems. Less frequent watering during winter. You can use rainwater or distilled water at room temperature.
5. Feeding Your Polka Dot Plants
Because Polka Dot Plants are voracious consumers, it’s best to fertilize them once a month with such a high-quality organic manure during the growth period. Don’t over-fertilize it that will result in burning of the roots and leaves.
6.Common Problems
- Fading Leaf Colors: most likely the reason for this over exposure to direct sunlight. If possible, place the plant in a west-facing position where it will receive bright but moderate sunlight.
- Drooping Leaves: The plants not getting enough water and moisture or even low humidity levels. Keeping the soil consistently moist will prevent this. You can mist or use a humidifier regularly to increase the level of the humidity.
- Yellowing Leaves: Over-watering and inadequate drainage of the container, as well as too much water, are the major causes of plant leaves dropping in the bottom section. To avoid this, make sure that there is proper drainage at the bottom of the pot or use a container with several draining holes.
- Leggy Plants: This is particularly common in indoor plants, and the significant source is a shortage of light and cool enough soil conditions. You can fix this by making sure that the soil temperature is between 65-80F and once it’s back to normal temperature, you can trim down a few nodes of the plants.
I hope this article on Polka Dot plants will be useful and will help you with your plant. They truly are a great choice and a gorgeous addition to your living space, bringing a breath of fresh air and lively colors. And what is most important is that they don’t require constant and complicated care, as some other plants do.