Goldfish plant care after flowering: old flower growers add one extra step to extend the flowering period by 30 days

The goldfish plant (Nematanthus gregarius) is a herbaceous plant, evergreen all year round, with dark green, thick leaves and a strong water-storage capacity. Its flowers bloom orange-red, with a small mouth and a big belly, looking like little goldfish swimming among the aquatic plants, and it is deeply loved by many flower lovers.

When the goldfish plant is in bloom, together with its green leaves it is at its most ornamental. Today Hua'er will tell you what I learned from a flower grower: to extend the flowering period by 30 days you only need to add this one extra step, and you can see fish every day. Amazing!

The goldfish plant likes high temperature and high humidity, but during the flowering period you must not spray water on the leaves, otherwise it will speed up the rotting of the flowers and make them fade sooner. So you need to add "one more basin" for it: put it in a shallow basin of water, so the water can enter the potting soil through the holes in the bottom of the pot and let the roots absorb some of it. The main purpose is to increase the humidity around the pot, which helps extend the flowering period.

After flowering, by no means fertilize the goldfish plant. You can keep the potting soil appropriately dry, and just water it thoroughly when there are signs of dry cracking at the edge of the potting soil.

Besides handling it this way after flowering to extend the flowering period, doing the following points before flowering helps it produce more flowers.

1. Pruning

The goldfish plant pays great attention to pruning. During the growth period before flowering, leggy branches should be pinched back in time to promote the growth of side branches and new shoots, and also to make the whole plant more symmetrical and increase its ornamental effect. You should also regularly prune the old leaves at the bottom and overlapping, diseased branches and leaves. For parts that are too dense, you should also appropriately cut off some old branches, so that the air circulates better, which is what keeps pests and diseases from breeding.

2. Light

The goldfish plant likes a shaded environment. During the flowering period it does not need too much light each day; put it on a south-facing balcony or beside a windowsill that avoids direct sunlight. During growth, it can be placed in a relatively cool spot where it can get some scattered light, and that is enough for it to grow well.

3. Fertilizing

The goldfish plant is quite sensitive to fertilizer, so do not apply heavy fertilizer. During the flowering period, you can apply more diluted phosphorus and potassium liquid fertilizer, once a week, and it will produce more buds, bloom more and have a longer flowering period.

That is all for the goldfish plant. If you have other additions, flower lovers, you can share them with everyone in the comments section below. To learn more about growing flowers, you can follow Huajianke!