Callisia Repens is also known as the Creeping Inch plant, Turtle Vine, and pink lady plant. The creeping Inch plant is a succulent that belongs to the plant family Commelinaceae and is native to South and Central America. It is called pink lady because of its beautiful lush green leaves with pink stripes. The creeping inch plant is an ornamental plant and is a great choice as an indoor houseplant as it looks beautiful in hanging baskets.
How to Grow Callisia Repens Plant and Care for it?
Callisia Repens or Creeping Inch Plant is easy to care for houseplant provided you can handle its light and water needs and ensure that you pot it correctly in a container with a lot of drainage holes. So let’s look at its requirements in detail
Light Requirements
Callisia Repens likes moderate sunlight which means it should be kept in bright but indirect sunlight. Ideally, you should keep the Creeping inch plant in a room with an east-facing window but not in direct sunlight so that it can get the morning sun but not the harsh afternoon sun. Another approach is to keep it in a room with curtains on the window which will help provide filtered sunlight.
If you expose the plant to direct sunlight it may be able to tolerate the sun but it will lose its pink stripes and may even lead to scorched leaves. If kept in too little sunlight again it will lead to slow growth of the plant and lead it to lose the pink stripes.
Soil Requirements
Callisia Repens likes soil that drains well but still retains moisture so a standard potting mix that is used for succulents mixed with perlite, peat moss, and coco coir will work best for this plant. Soil for creeping inch plants should be rich and slightly acidic in nature with a pH range between 5.6 to 6.7. You can enrich the soil by adding organic compost to it
Water Requirements
You should water the Callisia Repens plant moderately once a week during the growing season with the aim of making the soil moist but not letting it become soggy. You should ensure that you don’t underwater the Creeping inch plant as it will lead to dehydration nor do you overwater the plant as it will lead to root rot.
Before watering the plant check the top inch of the soil of the plant with either a moisture meter or by using your fingers and see if it feels dry to you only then water the plant. Another method is to try lifting the pot and see if it feels heavier than usual if it is heavy then you should not water the plant otherwise you should go ahead with watering.
You should take care that the water you use for watering doesn’t have too much chlorine as that can harm this plant. the best approach is to water this plant with rainwater or else you can use filtered tap water
Temperature
Callisia Repens plant needs an ideal temperature between 59 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Callisia Repens is hardy for USDA zones 10 and 11 when growing outdoors. The creeping inch plant cannot handle frost so they should be grown indoors in winter. While growing this plant indoors in winter take care to keep it away from the windows.
Humidity
The ideal humidity for a Creeping inch plant is between 40 to 50% which is the average household humidity. Being a tropical plant don’t let the plant become dry and if you feel it is dry you should use a humidifier or try misting the plants.
Fertilizer
Callisia Repens plant needs to be fertilized once every two weeks during the growing season summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer. When fertilizing the Creeping inch plant don’t forget to dilute the fertilizer by 50% to prevent fertilizer burns. During winter the plant would become dormant so you should not fertilize the plant.
Pruning Callisia Repens Plant
Creeping inch plant has a creeping habit so it needs to be pruned regularly. While pruning the plant you should try to make it more compact by pinching the tips of mature stems so as to encourage the plant to branch out. Pruning is done because if the plants grow too dense it will start hindering air circulation and not allow light to penetrate and reach all parts of the plant. Another way of pruning these plants is to cut off the stolons which is a stem that runs along horizontally and will thin the plants while cutting you can remove the old and unhealthy stolons while keeping the good stolons for propagating this plant. If you throw away the stolons in a vacant area you might be surprised to see the growth of this pink lady plant as it is an invasive plant.
How to Propagate Creeping inch plants
You can propagate Creeping inch plant through stem cuttings and through seeds and through offsets with the stem-cutting method being recommended for faster growth of the plants
Propagating Using Stems Cuttings
While propagating this plant using stem cuttings follow these steps
- Use a clean pair of scissors or shears to cut a stem that already has 4 to five leaves
- Place the stem cuttings in a pot in well-draining soil and keep them in shaded light
- You can also keep your stem cuttings in the water for a week to help them grow more roots.
- Once you start seeing new growth in roots you can transplant them slowly so they start facing brighter light
- The whole process of propagation should take around 4 weeks
Propagating Using Seeds
When propagating these plants using seeds follow these steps
- Use your two fingers to create a hole in the center of the soil
- Place the seeds in well-draining soil but do not water them immediately.
- Wait for roots to acclimatize to the new soil and only then start watering the plant
- Ensure that the area you have placed the seeds is hot and humid
- this method of propagation is very slow so it will take a lot more time to see the roots.
Propagating Using Offsets
Offsets are complete clones of the main plant which are produced asexually. To propagate the plant using offsets follow these steps
- Cut the offset from the plant using a clean pair of scissors or shears and clean all the soil from the offset
- Wait for a few days for the offset callus to reduce
- Place the offset in well-draining soil
- Wait for roots to acclimatize to the new soil and only then start watering the plant
Potting and Repotting of Callisia Repens Plants
Callisia Repens plant is a very slow grower so you don’t really need to do repotting of this plant so ensure that you pick the right pot at the start when you are propagating the plant.
Creeping inch plant Flowers
Creeping inch plant is not just about foliage but also has blooms that are small and white in color and grow in clusters. When seen from afar these blooms are not seen as they are so tiny but if you look at them closely you will be able to enjoy their beauty. These blooms are only to be seen in autumn and summer provided and they show up only if they have been given the right growing condition.
Callisia Repens Size, Growth & Fragrance
Creeping inch plant is odorless so don’t expect any fragrance from the plant. It can grow up to 10 cm or 4 inches tall as it’s a small and compact plant. When they creep they still remain close to the ground so when pruning this plant instead of height it is the spread that you have to manage.
Issues with Callisia Repens Plants
Purple Leaves
In Winter when the Creeping inch plant goes dormant so you will see its leaves turning purple. It’s not an issue and the plant will regain its leaves in the summer
Pests and Diseases Affecting Callisia Repens Plants
Callisia Repens plant is usually susceptible to common pests and diseases like aphids, scale, powdery mildew, spider mites, mealy bugs, and root rot. You should check the plant from time to time and apply a water spray or if required insecticides to remove the pests.
Toxicity of Callisia Repens Plants
Callisia Repens plant is not toxic to either humans or pets. Still, this plant should not be ingested in large amounts by either humans or pets because this plant is not edible and in large amounts, it can turn poisonous to humans or pets. It is an attractive plant so will always draw the attention of kids and pets the best way to place this plant in the house is to use hang it in the basket and place it away from the reach of kids and pets
Callisia Repens Uses & Garden Design Ideas
Callisia Repens plant when used in outdoor gardens as a garden cover can provide a dash of pink in the middle of the green to your garden design. The creeping inch plant is also suited to be grown as an ornamental plant in hanging baskets. indoors this plant can also be planted in a pot
Conclusion
Callisia Repens plant or Creeping inch plant or the pink lady is a very easy-to-grow plant if you follow all the care instructions shared above you will see this ornamental plant growing pretty much on its own.
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