Today we are going to talk about a plant belonging to the group of succulents considered most decorative for the home. It's about the callisia repens. Its origin comes from Central America and it is a plant that belongs to the Commelinaceae family. It is small in size but generates a perfect leafiness to beautify different spaces in the house. It stands out for its beautiful and showy leaves and, although it has some somewhat more delicate care, it is a quite satisfactory plant to have at home.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you all the characteristics, cultivation and care of the callisia repens.
Key features
It is a plant that belongs to the group of succulents and that stands out for having beautiful but smaller leaves. Although the height does not exceed 30 centimeters, the trend is creeping. They have fine upright stems that are capable of supporting deep green leaves. Some of its leaves have a lanceolate shape. Although its care is somewhat more delicate, it is a plant with an easy propagation. You just have to take one of its stems and put them in a container with enough water so that it can grow relatively quickly.
At almost any time of the year you can get new copies of the callisia repens, since it is only necessary to trim the stems that protrude to renew it constantly. If you want it to grow to have it as a hanging plant, you have to leave the stems that grow around the edges. Its flowering is somewhat reduced and not at all spectacular. As we have mentioned before, the attractiveness of this plant is its leaves. Sometimes, we can find leaves that turn a purplish tone on the underside of it.
It has some distinctive characteristics that make it different from other plants in the same group. The leaves alternate with the stems of about 70 centimeters high. They also have other secondary stems that emit terminal rosettes from which new plants emerge. This is because they appear on adventitious roots. All the ramifications begin to grow in the axils of the leaves that have already detached from the mother plant. This is how the suckers look like.
Caring for the callisia repens
If we want to cultivate callisia repens in good condition, we must take into account some main aspects. The first thing is to know the natural climate where they develop. They grow and develop in cool climates with temperatures around 15-30 degrees.. They are not tolerant of frost, so it is best to protect these plants in the cold winds of winter. If we have it in our home, it is convenient to keep it away from open windows during the coldest winter times.
One of the main aspects to learn well to cultivate the callisia repens is the location. It can grow directly in semi-shade since the direct sun can burn its leaves. However, in the morning some direct sunlight is not bad at all, since the sun's rays are somewhat more inclined at this time. Those specimens that live directly in the dark develop very long stems and few leaves. Therefore, it is convenient to provide it with a bright place but that does not have direct light.
As for the substrate, you have to apply a good liquid fertilizer once or twice a month. You just have to apply in low doses that is added to irrigation water. You have to know that this plant does not require any type of specific substrate, since it is capable of tolerating almost any type of organic soil. The only one indispensable requirement is drainage. We remember that the drainage It is the ability of the soil to filter rainwater or irrigation. The soil where the callisia repens it must have good drainage, since it cannot withstand flooding.
You can prepare a substrate based on coconut fiber and blond peat with a pH of 6-6.5 values. This means that it is a plant that needs slightly acidic substrate. The mixture must contain a proportion of 60% of blond peat and the rest of coconut fiber. Later, a little garden soil is added and expanded polystyrene can be added, which is a plastic material widely used in this sector.
Cultivation of callisia repens
Let's see what are the steps to follow to grow this plant. If you have the plant in a pot, you just have to prepare a good hole that is a little more in diameter than the pot. The hole must be watered and it is better to wait to spend a while. In this way, we prevent the earth from puddling, but we manage to keep it moist.
Then, we must carefully remove the plant from the pot and place it inside the hole. It is convenient to add some peat, compost and the substrate that we have prepared around the plant. We deposit the earth previously extracted from the plant and water again, always avoiding waterlogging. For it, it is ideal to use a sprayer or put a drip irrigation system.
Maintenance and tips
We are going to tell you some tips for the correct maintenance of this plant. An important consideration must be borne in mind that the stems are very weak. They can be weakened by being manipulated a lot since they are fragile. You have to hydrate the plant very well in the hottest periods, especially intense summers. Always use water at room temperature. Cold water should not be applied.
We must do the opposite in winter. Let's not forget that it is a plant that belongs to the group of succulents and that it can store water by itself. You have to make a much lower proportion of water in winter. You just have to wait for the substrate has dried completely so that it can be watered again. Another important tip is to avoid the leaves being soaked for a long time. It is convenient to remove excess moisture to prevent deterioration.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the callisia repens, its characteristics and its care.