How to Grow a Dolphin Plant? A Guide to Caring for the Blue Little Elf

The dolphin plant (Streptocarpus saxorum) is an ornamental plant native to South Africa. When it blooms, its flowers are vivid in color and endlessly varied in form, making it very endearing, like a group of little blue elves. Today, the editor will introduce to you the growing methods for the dolphin plant.

I. Growing habits of the dolphin plant

The dolphin plant likes a semi-shaded living environment with fairly good ventilation. Its flowering period is spring and autumn, but with proper care it can bloom all year round. The dolphin plant needs a cool environment, but it also needs a certain amount of light. Therefore, in spring and autumn it can receive direct sunlight, but in summer it must be shaded and moved to a cool location, because the dolphin plant is a tropical plant and is suitable for growing in a warm environment. In winter, temperatures below 10 degrees can easily cause cold damage, so measures to keep it warm must be taken promptly.

II. Growing methods for the dolphin plant

1. Soil

The dolphin plant is afraid of waterlogging. When choosing soil, be sure not to choose clayey soil; choose soil with good air permeability and excellent drainage. If you want to mix your own soil, you can use a 3-in-1 peat mix, or mix ordinary potting soil with sand, which can likewise increase its air permeability.

2. Water

The leaves of the dolphin plant are fleshy and have a relatively high water content themselves, so do not water too frequently, and do not place a tray under the pot, to avoid the roots rotting from lack of oxygen. Of course, try not to let it dry out either; if it lacks water, its leaves will curl and the plant shape will be poor. Many flower lovers say this balance is hard to master. Just remember: better dry than waterlogged. In general, if the leaves wilt, watering will restore them in a day. You can also use the bottom-watering method to replenish water. If you are not quite sure how to do this, you can refer to succulent watering methods for watering.

3. Light

The dolphin plant needs a certain amount of sunlight, but excessive exposure will cause the leaves to turn yellow and curl, and in severe cases the leaf edges will scorch. The best approach is to place it indoors and let sunlight shine in through curtains or plant leaves. Spring and autumn are the main flowering and growing seasons, and the sunlight at this time is relatively soft, so it can shine directly on the plant. Appropriate light helps keep the plant shape compact, so the effect after flowering will also be better.

4. Fertilizing

The reason it is said that the dolphin plant is relatively easy to grow is that it hardly needs fertilizing. The dolphin plant has low fertilizer requirements; just apply a little fertilizer every month and a half. Of course, if slow-release fertilizer is applied to the growing medium, you can simply leave it alone. You can also apply liquid fertilizer once a month while watering, and this is already enough to meet the fertilizer requirements of the dolphin plant.

The above are the growing methods for the dolphin plant. I hope they can help you!