How to Grow Lipstick Plant? A Detailed Guide to Cultivation Methods and Precautions

The lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus) is a flowering variety with great ornamental value. It is commonly seen in our daily lives and likes to grow in warm environments, but it should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Many people now grow lipstick plants, but before growing one, most people surely want to understand its cultivation techniques better.

How to Grow a Lipstick Plant

1. Soil. The lipstick plant prefers acidic soil, so the potting soil for growing it is best kept slightly acidic. You can choose peat soil, sand and vermiculite to make a growing medium. An appropriate amount of calcium phosphate can be added to the soil. Alternatively, mix leaf mold and coarse sand at a ratio of 8:2, then add a small amount of decomposed animal manure or compound fertilizer for cultivation.

2. Temperature. The lipstick plant grows at a temperature of 18-30°C, with the optimum temperature around 25°C. Its cold tolerance is relatively poor, and the overwintering temperature should be above 12°C. In winter, the potted plant needs to be moved indoors in time for care, and direct cold winds should be avoided.

3. Light. The red spiderwort (lipstick plant) likes to grow in a semi-shaded environment. Throughout the year, apart from the strong light at midday in midsummer, which should be properly shaded, it should be given sufficient light at other times. If during care you find the leaves of the lipstick plant turning red, this is mainly caused by room temperature being too low or light being too strong; at this point you need to raise the room temperature in time. Being in an environment with excessively low temperature for a long time can easily cause leaves to drop and branches to dry up.

Lipstick Plant Cultivation Methods and Precautions

I. Cultivation Methods:

1. Fertilizing: The lipstick plant needs relatively little fertilizer normally. Apply some decomposed liquid fertilizer every two weeks, and it is better to keep it dilute rather than concentrated. When potting, add an appropriate amount of livestock hoof and horn pieces and crushed bone pieces as a base fertilizer, which can help it grow well. During the vigorous growth period of the lipstick plant, apply a decomposed organic fertilizer solution once every 15-20 days. After summer, apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, such as a 0.1% solution of monopotassium phosphate, as well as a 20-fold solution of decomposed fish offal water, bone water, etc.

2. Watering. From March to September each year is the growing season of the lipstick plant. This period also has relatively high temperatures, and the plant has a relatively large water demand, so it needs frequent watering or misting to increase air humidity. In summer, open the windows for ventilation as often as possible. After autumn, gradually reduce the amount of watering to improve the plant's cold resistance.

II. Precautions:

The red spiderwort (lipstick plant) likes to grow in a semi-shaded environment. Throughout the year, apart from the strong light at midday in midsummer, which should be properly shaded, it should be given sufficient light at other times. If during care you find the leaves of the lipstick plant turning red, this is mainly caused by room temperature being too low or light being too strong; at this point you need to raise the room temperature in time. Being in an environment with excessively low temperature for a long time can easily cause leaves to drop and branches to dry up.

What to Do If the Lipstick Plant's Leaves Turn Yellow

1. Temperature too low. Solution: If you find the leaves turning yellow, raise the room temperature in time and take cold protection measures. You can cover the plant with a plastic film and uncover it regularly for ventilation. Once the temperature returns to a suitable level, remove the film.

2. Watering too frequently. Solution: Stop watering immediately, open up the potting soil for ventilation, and at the same time cut off the rotted roots and spray with carbendazim. Watering should follow the principle of “water when dry, stop when wet”; do not water too frequently.

3. Lack of light. Solution: Find some spare time each day to place the spiderwort in the sunlight for a few hours, but it should not be exposed to too much direct sunlight.

What to Do If the Lipstick Plant Drops Leaves in Winter

1. If there is a problem with the roots and it keeps dropping leaves, then it may be that its roots have developed a problem. It may be that it was watered too much at ordinary times, or not watered at all and died of drought. At this point the leaves will begin to drop over a large area, and once it becomes serious it will directly cause the plant to die. So you must check whether the roots have gone bad and transplant and treat it in time.

2. Caused by too much light. The lipstick plant itself prefers bright places with plenty of sunlight. Although it likes sunlight, it can only receive 2 to 3 hours of light each day, and the time cannot be too long. Some friends, wanting it to grow better, let it bask in the sun for long periods like other plants, which produces the opposite effect. So the light duration cannot be too long; it can naturally adapt to a semi-shaded environment.

The cultivation methods for the lipstick plant are relatively simple; you just need to control the temperature and light well. During cultivation, you also need to properly manage fertilizer and water. Only by doing these things well can you ensure the healthy growth of the lipstick plant.