The Polka Dot plant is a captivating houseplant, known for its stunning speckled leaves in shades of pink, white, and green, thrives with proper care.
For proper polka dot care, the ideal conditions, including light, temperature, humidity, and watering need to be evaluated to maintain a balanced atmosphere for plants. We will dive deeper and unveil everything you need to know to care for your polka dot plant to its full potential.
About Polka Dot Plant
Botanical Name: Hypoestes Phyllostachya
Family: Acanthaceae
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Mature Size: 1-2 feet tall
Sun Exposure and Soil Type: Partial and Moist, Well Drained
Bloom Time: Summer or early Fall
Flower Color: Lilac or Pink
The Polka Dot plant also called freckle face plant, is an herbaceous climate perennial plant with its bright and variegated leaves. The common polka dot plants feature green foliage flecked with pink with other purple, white, or red varieties available.
These plants grow best in warm and humid conditions with bright, indirect light or partial shade. They have a moderate growth rate and remain relatively small once mature, especially when grown indoors. Being native to warm climates, many gardeners treat them as annuals when planted outdoors.
The Polka dot plants are easy to grow with the proper conditions and have a moderate growth rate. These plants are not considered invasive plants in temperate climates, but they are considered invasive in some tropical areas.
They are small, tubular purple flowers that grow as spikes though the plant is grown for its foliage and grows, maturing at 1 to 2 feet tall. It is also the easiest plant to grow indoors.
Pruning
You can prune these polka dot plants in the spring after their dormant period ends and new growth emerges. Cut or pinch back the top two leaves on each stream every week to promote bushier growth and keep your plants from being leggy.
New growth should be more compact. Pinch tall new shoots that grow at the tip to make the plant compact. When the plant flowers, clipp of the flower spike with clean, sharp shears as the plants enters dormancy after it blooms. Removing the spike restricts plants from going into dormancy.
Propagation Of Polka Dot Plants
Propagate the polka dot plants from the stem cuttings. It is very easy to propagate and produce a new generation of plants.
Here's how to propagate your polka dot plants from a stem cutting rooted in water.
Cut a stem tip from the mother plant and make sure that it is at least two and four inches long. Remove leaves from its lower half.
Place the cutting stem in the glass or jar available. Submerge the lower portion of the stem by adding the needed water.
Put the cutting in a warm place with bright and indirect light. Then, toff off the water to keep a consistent level and change it every two weeks restricting algae from forming.
When roots are 2 inches long, the cutting becomes ready to pot up in the soil and can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
Potting And Repotting
Polka dot plant often grows in containers where they thrive with the perfect soil mix and consistent moisture. Select a potting mix containing peat or compost for organic matter as well as pumice for good drainage. Also, you can mix in compost and perlite to create a fertile mixture.
Use a container with drainage holes a couple of inches wider in diameter to fill and set the plant so that the soil is at the same level as in the original nursery pot. You can space plants more compact if you want to combine these plants with other flowers. Once the plant outgrows the container, repot it in a new container about 2 inches wider.
Overwintering
Bring the outdoor container plants indoors before the night temperature falls below 60 degrees Fahrenheit in late summer or early fall. Start by setting your pot in a shady spot for a few days so it adjusts to lower light.
Bring the plant indoors and set it near a bright window but away from the direct light. Let its soil dry between watering and winter but don't let the soil completely dry up. You can return back the plant to its original outdoor place in spring once the temperature stays above 50 degrees.
Growing Polka Dot Plants From Seed
These plants can be grown from seed any time of year as a house plant but you need to start seeds eight to 10 weeks before the last frost date if you are taking it outdoors. The seeds can germinate in less than a week in soil that is at normal room temperature.
Fill a small pot with moist potting mix. Use well-drained potting mix with organic matter such as peat moss and is porous.
Then, press lightly the seeds into the potting mix, spacing out, and leaving them exposed to light. Use 4 to 5 seeds in a 4-inch diameter and 8 in a 5-inch pot.
Cover the pot with a clear plastic wrap and place it in indirect light. Provide water whenever it is needed to keep it moist.
After the seed sprouts, remove the plastic and water it to keep the soil moist and well-drained.
Wait until the temperature becomes consistent above 50 degrees Fahrenheit before you begin to harden off your plant. Start by placing it in a shady spot for an hour in a warm day and gradually increase the time outdoors, introducing it to morning and filtered sunlight.
Get Polka Dot Plants To Bloom
Purple flower spikes bloom in late summer or fall, then become dormant or die. Unlike other flowering plants, gardeners typically want to prevent these plants from blooming because flowering causes the plant to go dormant or die.
These plants are grown for their showy foliage rather than these small flowers and pinching off their spikes allows the plant to direct its energy into the foilage and keeps the plant thriving longer. Also, These plants bloom by sending up a small spike with tiny pink and purple flowers.
Polka dot plants can be easily grown in containers as houseplants. When grown indoors, they need bright, indirect light moderate water, and proper temperature conditions.
Under the proper conditions, they stay relatively compact and will grow about 1 to 2 feet tall and wide. Also, they should be kept moist and need partial shade away from direct light. You can pinch the plant spikes when they grow leggy for bushier growth and prevent flowering. If your home has low humidity, give your plant a misting with a spray bottle.
Light
Outdoors, plant polka dot plants in a location with some shade in it. Too much light is toxic to plants as it causes their variegation to fade. These plants do well in dappled shade or with a bit of morning sun.
The amount of sunlight, the plant will thrive depends on where you live as indirect light from an east-south facing window is ideal indoors.
Soil
These plants prefer organically rich, well-drained, slightly acidic soil. For the containers, choose potting soil that contains peat or compost and pumice for good drainage. They have zero salt tolerance and shouldn't be grown in coastal soils. They prefer rich potting soil or a homemade mix of compost, peat moss, perlite, and bonemeal as indoor plants.
Water
While watering these plants, keep the soil evenly moist. Water the plants when the top half inch of soil dried out and cut back slightly on watering during winter. Once the spring arrives and you see new growth appear, resume watering again until it blooms in a moderate amount.
Temperature And Humidity
Keep your polka-dot plant in a warm place with at least 50% humidity. These plants prefer temperatures over 60 degrees Fahrenheit, so they are only hardy outdoors in growing zone 10 and 11. Move the container plants outdoors in the spring after any danger of frost passes, then bring them back indoors well before the frost in the fall if you want to overwinter them.
Fertilizer
Feed container plants with a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer once a month during the warm growing season. Apply a fresh layer of compost to bedding plants each spring.
Common Pests And Problems
While these plants are relatively easier to grow, gardeners might face several issues while cultivating them. Unfortunately, they might fall prey to scale flies and aphids.
Pests like mealybugs, aphids, and whiteflies can affect these plants and can discolor the foliage or leaves with holes. Keep a close eye on the foilage and spray the plant with horticultural oil to get rid of these unwelcome visitors.
Root rot is another disease, which can kill plants if overwatered or planted in heavy soil. Signs include wilting stems and leaves, yellowing leaves, and stunted plants. In case of minimal damage, you can dispose of the infected stems and roots and replant the healthy portion in fresh and well-drained soil.
Several varieties of Polka dot plants are bred for their leaf coloration. The most popular of the plant types have leaves speckled with pink and green. Other varieties have green foliage dotted with deep red or cream. Here are some of the varieties of Polka dot plants mentioned below:
Panipuriana - has bright lavender with bright green veins.
Carmina - The leaves have bright red splotches.
Confetti - It comes in white, red, pink, burgundy, and rose and is smaller at 8 inches in height.
The Splash Select - It has leaves that appear dipped in rosy red, white, or bubblegum pink.
The Proven Winners Hippo Series - These plants come in green foliage dotted with rose, scarlet red, and white.
Pink Brocade - This plant features green leaves with mottled pink spots.
