Lipstick plant scientific name is “Aeschynanthus” and it is a beautiful indoor plant that can brighten your room, kitchen or bathroom with its beautiful blossom. The plant gets the name of lipstick plant as its flower buds come out of a dark maroon coloured tube, portraying a lipstick tube shape. The flowers usually grow in clusters with its glossy waxy, green leaves. Lipstick vine and Basket vine are some other names commonly used for the lipstick plant.
The lipstick plant is non-toxic and is native to southeast Asia. The plant can be seen growing in the tree branches and on the wall cracks. The plant needs no special attention from you as it is easy to grow and care for the lipstick plant. You can grow these plants easily if you provide them filtered sunlight, a good amount of humidity and well-drained soil. The lipstick plant blooms from early springs and continues to grow till summers.
How to grow and care for a Lipstick Plant?
All the lipstick plant species need minimal care to grow but you need to take care of the right amount of water, temperature and other things for better growth of the plant. There are many different types of lipstick plant but the procedure to grow and care for all are nearly the same.
- Soil: For the lipstick plant the soil needs to be light and aerated and it should remain wet most of the time. You can even use a potting mix specifically designed for such kinds of plants. Most of the potting soils that are used for the potting mix tends to be heavy so it needs another substance that makes it light and good in terms of drainage. You can make your own mix by using a part of potting soil along with perlite and peat.
- Water: When you are watering your lipstick plant make sure you water the plant after the top part of the soil actually gets dry. Do not water when it is already wet, watering after getting dry help in blooming. Overwatering can lead to some problems like root rot or leaf drop. During the growing season, water is once weekly. During the winter season when the growth is slow, water once every two or three weeks.
- Light: The lipstick plant blooms in bright but indirect light, keeping them in a shade with the window of the room where sunlight comes after getting filtered through the window. Direct sunlight can damage the foliage. Whereas too little sunlight can cause leaf drop and slow growth. Just do not put the plant in direct sunlight if you want your plant to have great blooms. If you want to place them outside during the growing period, place them in a shade.
- Temperature: As tropical plant they are made to tolerate warm and humid climates. The ideal temperature must lie between 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. They can tolerate temperature till 60 degrees Fahrenheit but slow growth will happen. However in any case make sure that the temperature never falls to 50 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, as it will result in leaf drops and tissue damage.
- Humidity: The lipstick plant’s succulent nature is also due to the humidity that it receives while growing. In the tropical rainforest, the climate is highly humid and you need to maintain that climate at your home as well. You can do it easily by filling a water bottle at normal room temperature and spraying the water on the lipstick plant several times a week. For good growth, you can even place the plant in your bathroom.
How To Prune Lipstick Plant?
The pruning process is simple and it can be one to promote good growth and better blooms during the blooming season. Prune the long stems of your plant with blades but make sure the blades are sanitized before the pruning process as it can transmit disease to your plant. Pruning can help the plant from looking leggy and straggly. You can watch lipstick plant images of pruning for better understanding.
Also read:
- Purple Heart Plant: Know How to Care, Propagate and its benefits
- China doll plant (Radermachera Sinica): Growing & caring tips
Lipstick Plant Propagation
To enjoy all the lipstick plant benefits, you need to propagate the plant with soft stem cuttings. Do not throw away the stem cuttings while doing the pruning process as it can help you in propagating new plants.
- Take a pot and fill it with well-drained soil and put some water and wait for the soil to settle.
- Make some 1.5 to 2 inches hole in the soil, then place the stem cuttings of your lipstick plant and cover it with the soil.
- Water the soil once again and then place the pot in bright indirect light, and maintain the desired temperature and humidity around the pot.
- After four to six weeks, your lipstick plant must have formed the roots.
There are a lot of lipstick plant varieties in the market but here are some common varieties are
- Curly Lipstick Plant
- Mona Lisa Lipstick Plant
- Black Pagoda Lipstick Plant
which are the most common kinds of lipstick plants that are easy to grow and care for. They all look attractive and have their own charm. If you are willing to buy a lipstick plant for your home, you can find a lipstick plant for sale on e-commerce websites like Amazon.
Note: Apart from these, somewhere Aglaonema Plant, people are also called Red Lipstick Aglaonema Plant because of plant leaf color and shade which don’t come under Lipstick Plant
FAQs
Q1: What kind of soil do lipstick plants like?
Medium weighted and well-aerated soil is required for lipstick plants.
Q2: How much light do lipstick plants need?
Lipstick plants need bright but indirect sunlight of optimal growth.
Q3: How do I get my lipstick plant to flower?
Make sure the soil is well-drained, put it in bright indirect sunlight, provide a humid climate and water it weekly during the blooming season.
