If you’re looking for a unique garden plant, you might check out the Florida Beauty houseplant. This plant is easy to care for whether you place it indoors or outside. It thrives when it is in a mild climate with moist soil and organic matter.
We’ll provide more information about the Florida Beauty houseplant, including its preferred temperature, lighting, the type of pot you should buy, the best soil mix, watering schedule, fertilizer, repotting and propagation, its growth zone, plants that resemble it, and problematic diseases and pests.
Florida Beauty: What is it?
The Florida Beauty houseplant has dark greenish leaves and salmon pink twisted stems with a bumpy red callus. In addition to performing well indoors, it is also effectively wrapped around a burlap tree or totem.
Florida Beauty Plant Family
It belongs to the Arum family.
Plant Care Basics
It doesn’t require much care and can be kept indoors or outdoors. It thrives in mild climates with moist nutrient-dense soil. It grows well in pots or hanging baskets.
Temperature and humidity
It thrives in temperatures between 55 and 80 degrees, unlike the Florida Ghost. Ghosts prefer a temperature between 65- and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Whichever you choose, your plant will be susceptible to cold.
Maintain the appropriate temperature before winter begins to avoid freezing. Keep tropical plants away from open windows. You won’t have to worry about humidity. It can survive with modest moisture. When you live in a drier area, more moisture may be needed in your living space. You can do that by:
- Put pebbles in a tray, add water, and get your plants to grow away from the water.
- Use a humidifier or place other plants around it.
Recommended Lighting
A medium amount of sunlight is ideal for greenery since direct sunlight scorches the leaves. Place it near a north-facing window, but not too close.
You can also place grow lights close by, but not directly beneath the bulb. It needs an equal amount of sunlight and darkness, so the artificial lights you use should be bright during the day and dark at night.
Which type of pot should you buy?
They come in containers for placement inside the home. For plants that want to grab anything, replant as follows:
| Nursery Pot | Basket Inner Diameter Size |
| 35 centimeters | 40 centimeters |
| 40 centimeters | 45 centimeters |
The ideal soil mix
Like many tropical plants, it needs well-drained soil and drainage while watering. According to UConn, it needs a lot of organic matter. If you don’t have potting soil, order it online or buy Sphagnum moss.
The sphagnum holds water and assists with aerating it so the water can flow through. It contains charcoal, bark, and peat that have acidic and alkaline pH. Peat moss offers a more natural habitat.
Watering Schedule
It should be watered every week, keeping the soil moist. Only water it when the top two layers are dry or when your finger touches it. In colder months, it needs less water.
Fertilizer
Nutrition is crucial for your Florida Beauty’s well-being. The plant needs nitrogen fertilizer. Nitrogen promotes leaf growth and green health. Before fertilizing, make sure the soil is moist to prevent root damage.
Propagation and repotting
Due to their slow growth, climbing plants should only be replanted every two or three years. If you’re unsure, look for roots poking through drainage holes. It doesn’t like cramped spaces.
Spring is the ideal time for repotting and propagating plants because they grow. Both propagation methods require sterilized shears.
Stem Cuttings
- Cut one to two inches above the leaf node where two leaves are attached.
- Put the cutting in tepid water. Put in a warm place until roots develop.
- Provide fresh water every three days. Meanwhile, prepare your container for planting the cutting.
- Use your finger to make a hole when placing the stem cutting. It should be planted and the soil should be packed around it.
- Keep it upright with a straw.
- Let it grow and care for it as mentioned above.
Air Layering
This process uses a sterilized knife to wound the plant.
- Make a slit in the stem about two inches deep and two inches long.
- Hold it open with a toothpick.
- Ensure the peat moss is moist enough to stick to the branch and rub around the wound.
- Wrap it in plastic wrap, but not too much, as you may need to moisten it if it gets dry.
- Meanwhile, prepare a container for your plant according to the above methods.
- Remove the stem once new roots sprout after three weeks.
- Cut the wounded area above and below with a sterilized knife. Don’t hurt the roots when removing everything.
- Water your Florida Beauty houseplant and place it in light, just as you did when you first received it.
Growth Zone
The Florida beauty houseplant’s care depends on its growth zone. It grows outdoors in zones 9 to 11, and on the patio in zones 4a to 11.
Florida Beauty Varieties
Some plants resemble Florida Beauty.
Florida Ghost
It is like Beauty, but has longer stems, several lobes, and starts white, hence the name.
Pedatum
Unlike the Florida Beauty houseplant, it has thinner lobes and is a climber.
Florida Beauty Diseases and Pests
There are some concerns you know about for your Florida Beauty to survive.
The main problem involves fire blight disease, which occurs when bacteria spreads and attacks its growth. Black or dark brown branches are the first sign. Over time, oozy lesions can kill the plant. Prune diseased branches and leaves to prevent spreading. Fertilize to prevent bacteria from attacking.
Another concern is mealy bugs that resemble waxy cotton. They breed fast, and Neem oil is the best killer.
That’s what you need to know about the Florida Beauty plant. If you choose to grow it, give it good soil, water it regularly, keep it free of pests, and your Florida beauty plant will live for many years. We hope you found this article on the Florida Beauty houseplant informative.