Hemigraphis alternata - Strobilanthes alternata - Red ivy - Waffle plant is found growing on the forest floor in Maluku Islands, Indonesia...
Hemigraphis alternata, also called as Red ivy, Red-flame ivy, Waffle plant, Blechum cordatum, Goldfussia colorata, Hemigraphis alternata, Ruellia alternata, Ruellia colorata and its scientific name Strobilanthes alternata, is a species of the genus Strobilanthes. This species was described by Elizabeth C. Moylan ex John Richard Ironside Wood in 2014.
IDENTIFY HEMIGRAPHIS ALTERNATA - STROBILANTHES ALTERNATA - RED IVY - WAFFLE PLANT
Hemigraphis alternata is native to Maluku. It was introduced into
Belize, Benin, Chad, Chagos Archipelago, Cook Island, El Salvador, Fiji,
Florida, Honduras, Jawa, Malaya, Myanmar, New Guinea, Nicaragua, Niue, Panamá,
Philippines, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Society Island, Solomon Island, Sumatera,
Thailand, Trinidad-Tobago, Vietnam, Wallis-Futuna Island. It is found growing
on the forest floor.
Red ivy is a herbaceous perennial which reaching 30 cm long with a creeping growth habit and prostrate and purplish stems that root easily near the nodes. The silvery green, ovate to cordate, opposite leaves have purple leaf tips and underside. The upper leaf surface is more silvery green in shade, but more purple near the leaf tips in full sun.
Waffle plant blooms in summer from the 1” racemes that arise from where the leaf meets the stem. The flowers are off-white, trumpet-shaped with 5 round lobes and purple streaks in the throat. The flowers are insignificant.
HEMIGRAPHIS ALTERNATA - STROBILANTHES ALTERNATA - RED IVY - WAFFLE PLANT CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Hemigraphis alternata do well in part sun, but stay away from hot afternoon rays - metallic foliage sheen may not develop well in full sun. Instead, provide shade during the hottest times of the day, or plant where your plant will get consistent full or filtered shade. Artificial lights work very well if you don’t have a good bright but indirect spot for them.
Southern gardeners should plant in an area that receives morning sun and afternoon shade while Northern gardeners may plant in an area with more direct sun. Borders, perimeters, and walkways and patio containers are a great location.
Temperature:
Red ivy can grow outdoor in USDA zone 10-11. When grow indoor, it prefers warm temperatures of 18-24 °C. If you grow this plant outdoor, be sure to bring them inside before frosts or any cold fronts in which temperatures drop below 4 °C. Avoid cold drafts and sudden temperature changes.
Humidity:
grow best with the humidity level of 50% - 60%. If the relative humidity drops below 50%, use a pebble tray or humidifier. It will thrive in almost any environment, but if you want to give it a special treat, gently mist it once a week. It's best to mist your plant in the morning so the water has plenty of time to evaporate before evening.
Substrate and growing media:
Waffle plant are usually grow in containers, hanging baskets or as an annual ground cover with neutral pH level from 6.1 to 6.5. Avoid going above a 6.9 pH range as it may make the soil too soggy. Preferred soil for this plant is humus-rich, crammed with lots of organic material. It should be rich and remain moist, but drain off excess water well. A slightly peaty soil blend can work too. Avoid hard clay soils, as the roots have difficult in those.
Repot the plant when its roots start to come out of the drainage holes. You should only need to repot your plant every four to five years. Repotting at the beginning of growing season is recommended. Be gentle as the stems may break easily. Use a butter knife or a spade to pull out the rootball. Transfer it to the next size larger pot and fill it in with high-quality potting soil.
Watering:
Hemigraphis alternata require moderately moist soil year-round to keep their foliage lush and healthy. In summer, water whenever the soil feels barely damp 1/4 inch below the surface. Water deeply but infrequently, adding water until it trickles from the drainage holes at the base of the pot. In winter, the soil will take longer to dry out so water it less frequently. Monitor the soil moisture closely and water only when it has dried out 1/4 inch below the surface. Always use filtered or demineralized water when watering to prevent the buildup of excess salts in the soil.
Fertilizer:
Feed the plant in the spring and summer. Skip it in the fall and winter months when the plant is growing less rapidly. You can use a slow-release granular fertilizer or diluted liquid. Slow-release fertilizers should be fairly low-potency, around a 5-5-5 range. If you go higher on any nutrient, make it nitrogen to spur growth. Apply these per the manufacturer’s directions. Liquid fertilizers should be diluted and very light. Aim for a 5-3-3 or 5-4-3 level, and fertilize no more than once per month. If you dilute it by half again, you can fertilize every two weeks to ensure consistent feeding. Avoid overfertilizing. If your plant is becoming spindly and has lots of thin stems with little growth, you may be feeding too heavily.
Pruning:
For bushier plants, pinch the tip of the stem off just above the leaves or stem nodes. Doing this will refocus the plant on growing new foliage, as well as slow down the growth of the stem itself. Prune off the unwanted stems at the base whenever they appear. Before use, soak the pruning shears in undiluted household disinfectant for five minutes and rinse them thoroughly before you use them. Disinfecting the shears prevents the spread of disease.
Pests and diseases:
Waffle plant are affected by four main garden pests: aphids, mealy bugs, spider mites and scale insects. These are easily controlled by systemic insecticides, unless you are opposed to their use. Many control them with rubbing alcohol sprayed onto the plant in a diluted form (water) added to this is soap to make it "stick". Spray this mix onto the plant in the cool of the afternoon when the sun has lost its bite. When using chemical sprays follow the instructions on the label explicitly even so-called harmless sprays have powerful effects on the human body.
Propagation:
Hemigraphis alternata is easily propagated by stem cuttings. Cuttings may be taken at any time and will root year round if provided with sufficient warmth and humidity. Single or double node cuttings are stuck into medium-filled cells of plug trays or multiple cuttings are stuck directly into the growing medium in the finish pots or hanging baskets. Rooting is best accomplished in media containing 50% peat, 25% bark, and 25% perlite by volume with pH 5.5 to 6.0. Roots will form in one to two weeks if a minimum media temperature of 75°F and proper media moisture are maintained. Use of rooting hormones may improve root initiation and production timing but is not a requisite. Care must be taken to maintain even medium moisture at all times. However, the root zone should not become saturated since this favors development of root rot diseases.
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