It is important to understand How to Take Care of an Angel Plant if your aim is to keep it healthy and happy. These exotic attractions are hybrid foliage plants that are available in a wide range of hues. They are mostly found in tropical regions and are bred for indoor growing, including greenhouses.
In this guide, we provide care instructions that you can implement to grow them successfully. However, keep in mind that there are about 400 different species of these plants, each having its own demands when it comes to the environment, climate, nutrient uptake, and watering requirements.
This is because the amount of water and light that your particular angel plant needs, may differ. When cultivated, these dainty plants will afford you a spectacular variegated leaf display that will enhance any setting. Have a browse through the information below and learn the best tactics to care for your angel plant and a few extra tips about their preferences.
What Is An Angel Plant
Angel plants are perennial shrubs that are native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world. They are recognized as weeds in Australia, New Zealand, Central America, the West Indies, and on islands in the Pacific Ocean. This is because these plants can persist as suckering clumps, especially in moist areas.
They can also be spread by seeds, cuttings, and stem segments if properly cultivated. However, knowing how to take care of an angel plant is key in aiding it to grow its best. This is because each species requires specific conditions to reach its full potential. Clustered blooms with fused petals and a superior ovary are characteristics of these eye-catching plants.
Their flowers are also mostly pollinated by insects. Once established, these drought-resistant plants can easily thrive outside or indoors. Angel plants grow best in zones 8 and above, but in colder locations, they must be overwintered indoors. Also, depending on the cultivar or species, their blooms can reach a length of up to 24 inches. The hues of blossoms include red, peach, gold, orange, white, and pink, amongst others. Here’s a video with more information about exotic angel plants.
Best Soil for Angel Plants
When growing these ornamental perennials, it is essential to learn how to take care of an angel plant. To begin with, using the best soil is vital to keep them healthy. These plants and their cultivars are frequently sold as ornamentals in several markets. They have a strong ability to escape cultivation and colonize new habitats because of how they spread through seeds, cuttings, and rhizome fragments.
The Brugmansia flower is solitary, pendulous, and fragrant at night to draw nocturnal moths, which are the plant’s pollinators. Sand, loam, and clay soils that are acidic to barely alkaline are ideal for growing them. This plant can tolerate moderate levels of dryness but not salty soil. Therefore, the best soil for growing them should be heavy, acidic, or neutral.
You can opt to plant them seasonally in borders during the summer season. If doing so, it is best to select a warm, protected location with indirect sunlight. Before planting, work in a lot of organic matter, such as well-rotted manure or garden compost, as they prefer rich, fertile, moisture-retentive soil. To keep the soil from drying out, covering the surface with a thick layer of mulch is recommended. Keep in mind that the key factor when being grown for angel plants lies in their significant beauty.
Angel Plant Propagation – How it’s Done
Angel plants are upright-growing perennials that belong to the fibrous cane begonia group. They have strong stems, bright leaves, and large clusters of dangling flowers in a variety of colors. Their feathery, wing-like leaves are often dotted or banded, adding to their attraction.
Contrasting colors on the underside of the leaves are frequently included in the foliage’s splashy patterning. There are a few methods for growing them healthily. However, you would have to know how to take care of an angel plant to keep them thriving.
Listed below are a few propagation tips to take heed of. Following them diligently will afford you a marvelous garden!
Tips:
- A technique for producing new plants using fragments of an existing plant, such as roots, stems, leaves, or buds is recommended.
- Incorporating compost into the soil increases its fertility, structure, and ability to retain water.
- Potting composts should be used when growing these plants in containers.
- Soils with a combination of different elements, such as loam, coir, peat, sand, and fertilizer are essential in providing angel plants with the nutrients they need.
- Plant seeds in the spring as germination will proceed more rapidly and more successfully in a warm propagator.
- Always wear gloves when handling cuttings and seeds of this plant because it is highly toxic in all forms and its sap can irritate the skin.
- Keep seeds out of children’s reach and in a safe location if you plan to store them.
- The majority of these plant species have similar growing requirements which include warmth, humidity, airflow, and water.
- If grown in pots indoors, it is best to place them in an east or west window with good light to enhance flower development and accentuate leaf colorations.
- The ideal temperature for indoor spaces is between 70 and 75 degrees during the day and no lower than 60 degrees at night.
Angel Plant Care Indoor
Learning how to take care of an angel plant when growing it indoors is essential if you’re looking forward to an extended bloom season. This is because these plants also have their specific demand to thrive like most others. Although they are quite hardy, neglecting them is not advised as they do need attention from time to time. Listed below are a few care tips that will help you grow them without any hassle.
Angel Plant Care Tips:
1. Sunlight
To begin, ensure that you choose an appropriate place indoors to place your plant. This is because exotic angel plants need to be filtered or dim sunlight to grow their best. If your plant is growing unevenly in response to light from a window, rotate it occasionally.
2. Watering
It is best to use warm water to water your plant at least two times per week, depending on your regional climate. This is because watering requirements can vary, just like lighting demands. For this reason, it is important to pay attention to how your particular plant responds to hydration and its needs.
3. Fertilizing
For favorable results, use a fertilizer that is one part nitrogen, two parts phosphate, and one part potassium once a month to feed your exotic angel plant. Keep in mind that the day after you water your plant, you should always fertilize it.
4. Pruning
Due to the fact that angel plants have long canes, careful pruning is advised to maintain their compact and rounded shape, especially when grown in hanging baskets. Pinch back the top growing sprout when the plant is about 6 inches tall. This will ensure that lateral shoots appear in a few weeks. Remove any canes that begin to dominate the plant or develop quickly with little leaves. When the plant is a year old, prune it severely in the winter and once more in the late spring.
5. Repotting
Although angel plants are better off if they are potbound, repotting them in the spring or summer is highly recommended. This is because a plant that has too much soil surrounding its roots may become waterlogged and develop root rot. A commercial potting mix or other well-draining soil would work well. Clay pots are favored because they dry out more quickly.
6. Disease and Pests
While mildew is not a concern with these plants, fungus can develop if they are overcrowded, irrigated from above, or have poor air circulation. Also, keep an eye out for mealybugs on foliage. To get rid of them, dab cotton swabs with alcohol and give them a gentle wipe.
7. Temperature
The ideal temperature for indoor spaces is between 70 and 75 degrees during the day and no lower than 60 degrees at night for angel plants. Give them a warm, protected area in the sun or partial shade in the hotter months as they will dry out more slowly.
Conclusion
One of the most prevalent and eye-catching perennials in tropical areas is the angel plant. It is mostly utilized as a decorative plant in hedges and along fence posts. It has the capacity to spread and develop thickets where it roots from leftover plant parts.
If grown in the right conditions, they often develop into sturdy, long-lived shrubs.
However, if the leaves begin to turn brown or fall off, it is typically an indication of a reduction in watering or waterlogging which can flaw them. Therefore, we have developed this guide on how to take care of an angel plant so that you will have a good understanding of its demands and needs.
Remember to also feed your plants with a liquid fertilizer high in potassium that promotes flowering. They typically develop a single stem before beginning to branch out which indicates that they are ready to bloom. Here is more information from the Missouri Botanical Gardens about the beautiful pink angel plant that is commonly grown.