How to care for the Tongue Leaf Plant? Save this care guide
Text
Images: Internet
The Tongue Leaf Plant, also known as Glottiphyllum and Bao Lu, is a perennial succulent plant. It has a short or no stem, fleshy tongue-shaped leaves arranged in opposite pairs with 2 lobes, about 7CM long, bright green, smooth and glossy, with the leaf tips slightly turned outward.
The Tongue Leaf Plant opens in the afternoon with sufficient sunlight and closes at night, continuing this cycle of opening by day and closing by night for about 7 days. If there is cloudy and rainy weather or insufficient light in the growing location, it will be difficult for it to open; artificial lighting can be used and it will open normally. The plant is cross-pollinated. It blooms in autumn and winter, with flowers emerging from the leaf cluster, bearing short stalks, golden yellow.
It prefers warmth, is relatively drought-tolerant, fears high temperatures, and cannot tolerate excessive moisture. The optimum growing temperature is 18-22 degrees; above 30 degrees growth slows and it enters a semi-dormant state.
Four-season care
Repot every spring, removing dried and withered leaves. After summer temperatures exceed 32°C, the plant will enter a semi-dormant state. At this time, move the potted plant to a cool place, stop fertilizing and control watering, keep the potting soil slightly dry, pay attention to ventilation around the environment, and wait until the weather cools in autumn before resuming normal water and nutrient supply. Autumn is the growing season, and during this period sufficient water and nutrients must be ensured. If the leaves are found to be wilting, water promptly. In winter, keep the greenhouse temperature no lower than 10°C, keep the potting soil always moist, change watering to misting, stop fertilizing, and ensure it can overwinter safely.
Light: The growing season requires sufficient light. In summer, when temperatures are high and light is strong, appropriate shading is needed.
Watering: During the growing season, ensure sufficient water and moist soil. Do not water too much, do not let water accumulate in the pot, and the soil can be slightly dry.
Soil: It has no strict requirements for soil, but dislikes compaction and water accumulation. It is suitable for growing in fertile, well-drained sandy loam.
Fertilizing: During the growing season of the Tongue Leaf Plant, apply a dilute organic liquid fertilizer once every 2-3 weeks. The Tongue Leaf Plant grows vigorously in autumn, so nitrogen fertilizer should not be excessive, otherwise it easily causes leggy growth and leaf rot; emphasis should be placed on a balanced supply of the three elements nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In addition, when applying organic fertilizer as a liquid feed, do not splash the fertilizer solution onto the leaves, so as to avoid causing disease spots and rot.
Propagation: Propagate by division or sowing. Division is generally carried out in spring together with repotting; cut the old clump into several clumps and plant them separately in pots. Home propagation is usually done by cuttings between September and October. Clean wet sand can be used as the cutting medium. After the cut surface has dried, insert it into the sand bed, maintain a suitable rooting temperature of about 20°C, and roots will form after one month. When the new roots have grown to 2-3 cm long, transplant them into pots.
The article was compiled by the Succulent Boutique Pavilion. The copyright belongs to the original author. For some articles, the source cannot be identified and they are marked as sourced from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately and we will handle it promptly.