Purple Waffle Plant Care & Propagation Guide

The colourful Purple Waffle plant produces prosperous purple-tinted foliage with a crinkly look, comparable to the texture of a waffle. An handy to grow, low renovation determination that provides a colourful contact to any room or office.

Purple Waffle Plant Quick Info

Botanical/Scientific Name	Strobilanthes alternata
Common Name	Purple Waffle Plant, Red Ivy
Varieties	Belgian Waffle, Dragon's Tongue, Hemigraphis Moonlight, Red Flame Ivy
Uses	A delightful ground cover beneath the canopy of an indoor ficus tree
Origin	Indonesia
Light Care	Bright indirect light
Soil Care	Consistently moist soil
Temperature Care	Between 55-80 degrees
Humidity Care	Misted
Watering	Moderately moist soil year-round
Pruning Care	You can prune it back at any time
Fertilizer Care	General indoor plant fertilizer diluted to half the recommended strength
Propagation	If you take a stem that lies close to the soil, roots may already be forming
Toxic	Purple waffle plant is not toxic

Purple Waffle Plant Care in Detail

Purple Waffle Plant Watering

The purple waffle plant is highly handy to develop for novices for a plant with such an amazing appearance. The two key elements for success with this tropical plant are heat temperatures and everyday watering. In addition, red waffle flowers admire a rich, humus soil, which you may also complement with month-to-month fertilizer as necessary. The red waffle plant is at home in the backyard as an annual or in a window as a houseplant.
Purple waffle vegetation are great specimens for the patio container or striking basket. When planted in aggregate with different tropical plants, they serve the characteristic of a trailing plant or "spiller." Paired with a tall specimen such as ti plant, the red waffle plant will properly cowl the soil.
Purple waffle vegetation are pretty care-free, although they can be difficulty to some of the equal pests that plague many indoor plants, such as scale and whitefly.

Purple Waffle Plant Soil

If you maintain the soil round your purple waffle plant barely moist, the plant will thrive. The soil must by no means be waterlogged, or overly wet, however simply a little bit moist, like a sponge after it has been wrung out. If you stay in an mainly dry local weather location or you can not grant water on a everyday time table to grant constant moisture, add some water-absorbing crystals to your potting soil to assist it keep moisture at a greater level.
In their tropical habitat the place they develop in the wild, purple waffle flowers have a tendency to develop below bushes in the jungle. Jungle soil is prosperous in vitamins from decayed leaves. When developing pink waffle flora indoors, it is vital to replicate the nutrient content material that the flowers are used to in their native environment. Do this by using supplying a slow-release houseplant fertilizer, such as a 6-12-6 liquid or granular feed to furnish a top stability of the three key vitamins all flora want to survive, nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium.

Purple Waffle Plant light

Your Purple Waffle Plant prefers brilliant oblique light, however no direct solar due to the fact the foliage will bleach out and sunburn. In much less light, it can also lose some of the wealthy pink colorings.
Providing plenty of bright, oblique lighting fixtures will hold their shades vibrant. They'll desire at least six hours of mild per day. But be cautious to watch the colour of your plants. If they begin to appear washed out, they might also be receiving too a lot light.

Purple Waffle Plant Temperature

The Purple Waffle plant is pretty resilient when it comes to temperature. Fortunately, these who preserve their vegetation indoors have a tendency to have few troubles that are linked to this need.
The accepted vary that you need to assume to preserve this flowers at ought to be round 12 to 26 stages Celsius. Although this is a extensive range, they do not like the temperature to fluctuate too much.
Sudden drops are extraordinarily unsafe for this plant and can reason the leaves to drop. Anything decrease than about four stages Celsius must be avoided.

Purple Waffle Plant Humidity

Info additionally suggests excessive humidity is an fundamental phase of purple ivy plant care. Mist the plant regularly, or higher yet, create a pebble tray to grant humidity to all your indoor plants. Place layers of pebbles in a plant saucer, or any container except drainage holes. Fill three-quarters of the way with water. Set the flora on pinnacle of the pebbles, or close to the pebble tray. Indoor humidity is generally low, mainly in winter. Pebble trays are an handy way to supply your houseplants what they need. Waffle plant data says it is convenient to get extra developing waffle plant life by way of propagating from stem cuttings. Take 4- to 6-inch (10-15 cm.) stem portions from the waffle plant, casting off all however the pinnacle leaves, and region in small containers in moist soil.

Purple Waffle Plant Fertilizer

Overfertilizing purple waffle flowers frequently reasons weak, spindly increase that detracts from their naturally lush, shiny appearance. Monthly feeding with a vulnerable fertilizer answer all through the developing season will assist maintain the plant developing vigorously -- mainly if it is in a pot. Dilute 1 teaspoon of standard purpose, 20-20-20 ratio fertilizer in 1 gallon of water. Replace one watering per month with the fertilizer solution, taking care no longer to splash any on the leaves. Purple waffle plant life advantage from a relaxation duration at some point of the less warm months, so quit feeding in fall to permit the plant to enter dormancy.
During this plant's developing season – the spring and summer season – fertilize your pink waffle as soon as a month the usage of a fundamental indoor slow-release granular fertilizer. Slow-release fertilizers permit your plant to get entry to the vitamins when they want them.
Dilute the fertilizer to half of power for a healthful plant. In the fall and winter, when Purple Waffle Plant improvement naturally slows, there is no want to use as a whole lot fertilizer – if any at all.

Purple Waffle Plant Pruning

Purple waffle flora from time to time increase minor beauty issues. The most frequent problem is spindly or dead, broken growth. Prune off the undesirable stems at the base each time they appear. Before use, soak the pruning shears in undiluted family disinfectant for 5 minutes and rinse them utterly earlier than you use them. Disinfecting the shears prevents the unfold of disease. Purple waffle vegetation require excessive humidity and can also improve leaves with crisp edges if the air is too dry. Daily misting will assist right the problem, as will normal watering. Use demineralized water to stop white spots from displaying up on the leaves.
Pruning your waffle flora can forestall them from turning into unwieldy, even though their small measurement is very manageable overall. Additionally, if you be aware a set of leaves succumbing to any structure of plant disease, it is exceptional to use your pruning shears to dispose of any diseased plant remember earlier than the trouble spreads.

Purple Waffle Plant Pest & Disease Control

Purple waffle plant life go through from few serious insect problems, even though they may additionally advance minor infestations of whiteflies and scale insects. The issues exhibit on the undersides of the leaves, the place cottony rely and honeydew sap frequently appear. Advanced infestations can reason leaf hot and stem dieback. Treat scale or whitefly infestations with a ready-to-use insecticidal cleaning soap spray. Spray the answer on the tops and bottoms of the leaves each 4 to seven days till the bugs are gone. Rinse the leaves with smooth water a few hours after every utility to limit the threat of injury. Follow the directions on the label as they differ amongst brands.

Purple Waffle Plant Propagation

Purple Waffle Plant Leaf Propagation

Place purple waffle plant life in vivid oblique mild interior or in partial colour environments outside. Direct solar publicity can scorch the edges of the foliage. The metal sheen that a number of sorts of the plant are well-known for can fade due to direct solar exposure. Artificial lights work very properly for red waffle flowers if you do not have a precise vivid however oblique spot for them.
Use an all-purpose potting combine or popular industrial potting soil for container grown red waffle plants. If you are developing Purple Waffle Plant outside as an annual, combine in countless inches of well-rotted compost or a appropriate leaf mildew to invigorate and enrich the soil, as nicely as to enhance drainage and moisture retention capabilities.
Purple waffle vegetation want a heat humid surroundings to develop well, so care have to be taken to furnish heat and humidity when developing them indoors. If you expose your red waffle vegetation to the elements, be certain to convey them inner earlier than frosts or any bloodless fronts in which temperatures drop under forty tiers Fahrenheit.

Purple Waffle Plant Division Propagation

Heightwise, there is little want to prune this plant. It tends to develop no large than about 6″ tall, possibly as excessive as 8″.
But stems can emerge as significantly elongated. While this appears desirable in a placing pot, you may also choose to hold them at a precise size for visible appeal. If so, use a sterile pair of pruning shears to snip off excess. You can constantly use the extra for beginning new cuttings!
To motivate bushier growth, you can pinch off stem hints simply above a leaf or stem node. This will gradual the Purple Waffle Plant's boom and redirect the plant to developing leaves.

Purple Waffle Plant Propagation in Water

If you preserve the Purple Waffle Plant soil round your purple waffle plant barely moist, the plant will thrive. The soil must by no means be waterlogged, or overly wet, however simply a little bit moist, like a sponge after it has been wrung out. If you stay in an specially dry local weather location or you cannot grant water on a ordinary agenda to supply steady moisture, add some water-absorbing crystals to your potting soil to assist it continue moisture at a greater level.
In their tropical habitat the place they develop in the wild, red waffle vegetation have a tendency to develop underneath bushes in the jungle. Jungle soil is prosperous in vitamins from decayed leaves. When developing purple waffle vegetation indoors, it is necessary to replicate the nutrient content material that the flora are used to in their native environment. Do this by using presenting a slow-release houseplant fertilizer, such as a 6-12-6 liquid or granular feed to grant a accurate stability of the three key vitamins all plant life want to survive, nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium.

Purple Waffle Plant Varieties

Purple waffle plant alternata: Leaves are darkish inexperienced or grey on top, red undersides. This is one of the greater frequent varieties.
Purple waffle plant exotica: Leaves are smooth and green with magenta undersides.
Snow white purple waffle plant: Leaves are dappled white and pink, magenta or pink undersides.
Hemigraphis moonlight: Purple Waffle Plant leaves are deep purple-green and have a silver shimmer.
Belgian waffle: Purple Waffle Plant leaves are inexperienced with cream round the edges and middle, pink undersides.
Dragon's tongue: Leaves are slender and alternating inexperienced and purple, rippled edges.

Purple Waffle Plant Benefits

Air Purifying

Purple waffle are recognized as one of the most fulfilling air-purifying for indoor and outdoor. Purple Waffle Plant may also get rid of inconsistent all-natural substances such as decane, benzene, and octane.
Furthermore, these vegetations may additionally moreover sanitize the air from a number different VOC compounds like methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, and additionally hexane that generally provide inner your home.

Decoration

Garden fanatics usually make use of these herbaceous perennials as houseplants due to the fact they can extend indoors appeal. You can function Purple Waffle Plant as low-maintenance seasonal in addition to your place of job desk, room facet table, or on the kitchen counter pinnacle to make these rooms seem to be greater striking.
As a end result of its small dimension as properly as slow-growing habit, folks have a tendency to extend it as a groundcover for areas underneath some thing like a Ficus tree. Besides, you can additionally make use of them to beautify different flowering.

Purple Waffle Plant Care FAQs

Purple waffle plant cats

The pink waffle plant is now not toxic. It is no longer poisonous to puppies or cats. According to the ASPCA, nothing in the plant will damage your pets at all.

Purple waffle plant aquarium

Purple waffle plant aquarium is a prostrate plant with coloured leaves. It is a terrarium, vivarium, or lavatory plant that is from time to time used as aquatic plant ornament even even though it is no longer a proper aquatic plant. Under a applicable environment, it can solely be submerged for numerous months. After that, it have to be grown emerged for a few months once more so they can repair the strength they lose earlier than it has the capability and electricity to adapt and live to tell the tale to underwater existence for a length of time.
Because of the capacity to continue to exist underwater for a lengthy length of time, a lot of hobbyists used this plant as an choice for different authentic aquatic flowers due to the fact they claimed it can live to tell the tale or even develop a few inches taller and improve roots in their aquarium longer than some of the different actual aquatic plants.
When develop emerged, above water. purple waffle plant aquarium need to be stored in constantly excessive humidity with moist soil. Especially when they are in the restoration stage or when their surroundings is modified from underwater to above water.

Purple waffle plant drooping

There can be many motives why your purple waffle plant is not happy. Care for the plant nicely and you can also be certain it will seem the first-class and enhance the aesthetics of your indoors.

Watering: Your red waffle plant is wise. It communicates properly with the gardener. It will let you be aware of when Purple Waffle Plant desires some water.

Don't panic if it appears absolutely limp and wilted. Water it nicely and it will be returned in structure in no time!
Keep the soil round your red waffle plant moist(not soggy), mist the plant often.

Overfertilizing: This is the most frequent cause why the plant droops. Make positive you fertilize the plant solely when needed.

Overfertilizing reasons the plant to turn out to be weak, develop slowly. The plant will lose its splendor and fails to blossom. Sometimes white spots are considered on the leaves of this plant.
Use demineralized water if you do not wanna see white spots on the leaves.

Ceramic pots: If the plant is grown in ceramic pots, this may be the cause why the plant grew to become weak.

Purple waffle plant loves moisture. Ceramic pots fail to hold water. This is probable the motive why this happens.
Pests
Insects can show quite damaging to the pink waffle plant. Analyze the plant nicely and see which pests infect it.
There are countless standard approaches to deal with pests on Purple waffle plants.

Purple waffle plant indoor care: You have to begin with a true quality, business potting soil for Purple waffle plant indoor care. These are normally lighter in weight than topsoil, sterile and pest-free. Many are handy with a slight starter fertilizer in the mix.

Select a container with a drainage gap or be organized to drill holes for drainage if there are none.
Prepare the container through filling with potting soil up to 2" (5cm) from the rim of the planter. Remove the plant from its pot.
Make a small gap in the soil barely large than the root ball both by means of hand or the usage of a trowel. Insert the plant into the gap and press soil firmly round the roots and simply masking the root ball. When all the plant life are potted, water wholly to settle the soil and provide flora a desirable start. Place plant in a reliably sunny location.
Repot Purple Waffle Plant each two years in the identical container or in a container barely large than the diameter of the roots.