Turtle Vine Plant Care, Grow Guide: Tips for Healthy Indoor Plants
Callisia repens, also known as Turtle Vine Plant is a wonderful plant that lies in the succulent plant category. The plans are widely grown in small hanging pots which gives your Garden a wonderful look.
It is a popular indoor plant in India that belongs to the family Commelinaceae. The plant is generally native of South & Central America but they are also grown in India, Pakistan, Australia, Sri Lanka, and many parts of Africa. The plant requires little maintenance & care which makes it the most lovable for indoor gardening.
The plant is classified by its Heart shape & shiny leaves that come in different shades of dark green, light green, violet and wine. The plant is widely known for its ornamental value & medicinal significance. It can be grown easily & can be spread up to 2-3 feet easily.
In this blog, we will guide you through the wonderful Turtle Vine plants and tips to grow & care for this plant. Read the blog till the end & comment below on any problem you face while growing this evergreen plant.
| Scientific Name | Callisia repens |
|---|---|
| Hindi Name | कछुआ बेल पौधा |
| Plant Family | Commelinaceae |
| Common Names | Turtle Vine, Callisia repens, Creeping inch plant, Bolivian Jew, Basket Plant |
| Temperature to grow | 15 to 27-degree Celsius |
| Height of the Plant | 4 inches |
| Sunlight Exposure | Bright indirect sunlight |
| Grown in Region | South America, India, Sri Lanka, Europe |
| Height of the Plant | 3 to 8 feet tall in indoors |
| Flowering Season in India | Spring season |
| Popular As | Turtle Vine Plant |
We purchased a Turtle Vine Plant online which cost us an affordable amount. The plant turned out to be great. You can also purchase the same plant for spreading greenery at your home.
Click on the link to buy now!
Evergreen Turtle Vine Plant Care
The turtle vine plant requires minimum care and can thrive easily in any environment. Some care tips you can choose to follow for your plants are –
- The plant needs water only when the upper layer of soil dries off.
- The well-drained soil is best for the plant to grow.
- The plant prefers bright and indirect sunlight.
- Fertilize the plant very rarely, mainly before spring season.
- Trim the stems before spring to promote growth of new branches.
- The plants can easily be grown by propagation.
- Have a keen eye on spider mites as they can destroy the plant.
1. Soil Requirement
Turtle Vine hanging plant requires well-drained soil to grow. The plant grows well in soil between the pH of 5 to 6. The perfect soil or potting mix for the plant can also be developed at home.
Potting Mix – 3 parts of normal soil + 2 parts sand + 1 part perlite
2. Water Requirement
These plants come under a wide range of succulents that do not require a lot of water to grow. However, you can water your plant twice a month to keep it growing. Also, regularly check if the soil is moist or dry before watering. Provide the plant only with a small amount of water such that it doesn’t overflow from the pot.
3. Sunlight Requirement
The plants need indirect sunlight as they are popular as indoor plants. If you are growing it outside, you can place your plant below a big plant so that it does not receive direct sunlight. Place the plant on North- East side such that it only receives the morning sunlight.
4. Temperature Requirement
The plants grow well between temperatures of 15 to 27 degree Celsius. The plant should never be exposed to too much summer heat or winter cold for a longer time.
5. Fertilizers & Manure Requirement
Fertilize the plant during the onset of the spring season to help the plants grow easily. You must consider choosing a fertilizer that is specifically designed for succulent plants. We recommend a fertilizer that has all the qualities & desired nutrients to help grow the turtle plant.
Buy the best fertilizer for succulent plants from Amazon – Click to View Price!
6. Pruning
Pruning is basically done to help the plant grow and flourish. The stems & the older leaves of the turtle vine hanging plant is removed to let the new leaves grow. Pruning is done before the spring season with sterilized scissors to avoid any kind of infection.
7. Potting & Repotting
The best time for potting this plant is before the onset of the spring season. The plant generally doesn’t require repotting but for your consideration, you can repot it every two years to help them get all the desired nutrients. During repotting you can replace the old pot with a new one to avoid any complications or disease. Remember the mature plant does not require repotting.
How to Grow a Turtle Vine Plant at Your Home?
The Turtle Vine plants are easy to grow. They can directly be grown through the seeds which requires care and maintenance in the early period of plant life. They can also be grown through propagation (cutting) to make several new plants.
Save Earth Life recommends buying a plant from your nearest or local vendors and then starting the propagation. You can also consider it buying from amazon which we bought a year back and the plant is still alive. Later, we started the propagation process and build almost 5 more plants from the parent plants.
You can buy Turtle Vine Plant Online!
Tips to Consider Before Propagation
If you want your Turtle Vine Plant to grow easily you must consider some common tips before starting the propagation process.
- Ensure that the plant you buy is in good condition
- Buy a perfect potting mixture with desired nutrients to help the plant grow in a few weeks only.
- Choose a perfect fertilizer that is specially designed for succulent plants. It provides the plants with the desired amount of macro & micronutrients. You can buy the fertilizer for succulents from Amazon- Click to buy
- Ensure that the pot is of proper size and has holes inside it. We recommend you purchase a hanging pot which can give your house an aesthetic look. Buy Hanging Pots
Turtle Vine Plant Propagation Methods
Before propagation, you must be needing a few essentials such as –
- Gloves
- Sterilized Shears
- A small hanging pot
- A jar of water
After collecting these materials, you can start the propagation. Follow these steps to propagate your evergreen Turtle Vine Plant easily –
- Step 1: With a sterilized shear cut out 3 to 6 inches of stem from the parent plant from the nodes.
- Step 2: Remove the lower leaves from the stem leaving 3-4 upper leaves.
- Step 3: Apply the stem with some rooting gel or aloe vera to enhance its faster growth.
- Step 4: Fill a pot halfway with a good potting mix or loamy soil.
- Step 5: Carefully place the stem cutting in the soil to ensure that 1 inch of the stem is submerged in the soil.
- Step 6: Water the plant until the upper layers become wet.
- Step 7: Place the pot near a window such that it receives some indirect sunlight.
- Step 8: 2 to 6 weeks later you will observe small roots coming out of the soil.
- Step 9: Later, in case your plant does show rooting after 8 weeks, shower them with some fertilizers which are designed specifically for succulent plants.
Common Problems in Turtle Vine Plant (Pests & Diseases)
The most common pests & diseases a Turtle Vine Plant can get are –
1. Root Rot
Root rot is a common disease that affects various types of plants. It is mostly caused by overwatering your plants. Due to overwatering the plant’s roots are attacked by some common pathogens which include Fungi & Bacteria. The fungus absorbs the extra water resulting in Root Rot.
How to Check Root Rot – Take the plant out of the pot and check the roots. If they are affected by root rot, the soil will have a mushy appearance, and the roots will smell bad.
What to do – Avoid watering your plants for a few days or months. Remove the excess soil as the soil absorbs more water. Ensure that the pot has proper drainage available at the bottom.
2. Discolored Leaves (Yellowish Leaves)
The reason behind discolored leaves can be direct sunlight, excessive watering, excessive fertilization, or improper environment.
What to do – Avoid excessive watering and keep the plant away from direct sunlight. You can also avoid fertilizing the plant continuously. Prune off the yellow leaves and replace the location to help the plant grow again.
3. Spider Mites & Bugs
The spider mites attack the plant and damage the leaves. The bugs form a cotton-like web over the plant which prevents it from getting nutrients & air.
How to check – The Spider mites make the lower side of leaves full of tiny brown and white spots whereas, the bugs can make a white cotton-like web over the plants.
What to do – To get rid of the spider mites or bugs, you can use a mixture of alcohol (Detol) + water and spray it over the leaves to avoid pests.
Turtle Vine Plants Benefits
There are no such most important benefits of planting the Turtle Vine Plant but it is commonly used –
- For decoration and ornamental purposes
- The pink small flowers of the plant are used in temples
- It enhances the beauty of your garden or balcony
Conclusion
As you now know everything about the Turtle Vine Plant, you can now easily take care of it and propagate them to enhance the beauty of your garden. You can mention your comments below if you deal with any more problems while propagating the plant. You can also comment about any other plant you want us to write on!
We will personally ask the expert gardeners about your problem and reply with a suitable solution. Share this blog with your friends to tell them about the beauty and delicacy of Turtle Vine Plants.
FAQ Related to Evergreen Turtle Vine Plant
Ans – Yes, the turtle vine plant is an indoor plant as it cannot tolerate direct sunlight. You can also plant them outside in your garden under a shady region.
Ans – A turtle vine plant requires minimum care & maintenance. It can grow & thrive easily in any environment. To maintain a turtle vine plant, you just need to –
- Keep it away from direct sunlight
- Avoid overwatering them (water once a week)
- Provide fertilizers every year before monsoon
- Grow them in a loamy or well-drained soil
Ans – There can be various reasons why your plant must not be growing such as –
- You are keeping them in direct sunlight
- You must be overwatering the plants
- There can be some mites & spiders that would be eating up the roots & leaves
- You will be constantly fertilizing your plant to grow well
Avoid all these activities & you will observe changes in your turtle vine plant.
Ans – The turtle vine plants are a creeper that can easily grow in hanging pots.
Ans – Yes, you can grow turtle vine plants inside the house or outside the house. You can place them in North – East side to help them grow better.
Ans – Yes, turtle vine plants can be grown in water too. The only difference between growing them in water and in the soil is between maintenance & care. The plant requires extra maintenance when they are grown in Water.
Comment (1)
Definitely believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the net the easiest thing to be aware of. It is not easy to have this plant at home but you made it easy.
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