Indoor Garden Guides
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Zebra
Plant With white veins
contrasting against waxy, deep green leaves, it’s easy to see why the
Aphelandra is nicknamed the Zebra Native to Brazil, the Zebra
Plant made its debut as a houseplant during the exotic, tropical plant
craze of the Victorian era. While
many tropicals have adapted through the years to household conditions, the
Zebra Plant still craves its native environment.
Offering it conditions as close to the tropics as you can get is
your best bet for this beauty, as it dislikes night temperatures below 65
degrees and they can resent the cool, dry winters many homes offer. The
Blooming Trick The Zebra Plant flowers in
the fall and needs conditions similar to its tropical environment to
produce blooms. Creating
just the right mix of light, water, temperature and soil is your best bet
for getting the Zebra Plant to bloom for you. Light The Zebra Plant likes
bright light and they do best in windows facing the east.
This gives them bright morning sunlight but shelters them from hot
afternoon sun. The
Zebra Plant is called a photo-accumulator, meaning it needs a certain number of
days of prolonged exposure to sunlight to bloom, so lighting is important
with this houseplant. Water The Zebra Plant needs
plenty of humidity and water. Use
a pebble tray and regular misting to produce the humidity it craves.
Regular waterings are needed and the soil shouldn’t be allowed to
dry out between watering. Crispy, brown edges on the leaves means it’s not getting
enough moisture. One or
two episodes of forgetfulness and you’ll be punished with lower leaves
being dropped and a Zebra Plant that takes on the shape of a palm tree! Potting While the Zebra Plant loves its
moisture, it hates to bathe in it. Make
sure the potting medium offers excellent drainage. A
peat moss based potting mix or African violet mix can do the trick.
Care and Feeding Dilute
an all purpose houseplant fertilizer, preferably one specific to foliage
plants, to half strength and use monthly on the Zebra Plant.
If you’re rewarded with a bloom, after it fades, the spike should be removed. If the plant needs repotting, only do so in the spring and
when it’s absolutely necessary. To
keep the Zebra Plant from becoming too leggy, an occasional pinching back
may be needed. While Zebra Plants have a reputation for
being finicky, understanding their requirements for high humidity, bright
lights and warm temperatures will help keep them flourishing.
While it’s a little difficult to find just the perfect mix to
encourage blooming, the showy foliage makes enough of a statement on its
own, but those blooms can be oh-so rewarding. |
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Plant.