How to grow a lipstick plant? Keep this complete guide to care and cultivation

The lipstick plant gets its name because its appearance and shape closely resemble a lipstick. This flower originates from the tropical regions of Indonesia and eastern India. It likes a warm, bright, semi-shaded environment. Its leaves are opposite, thick and fleshy, bright and verdant. The stems are distinctly angular, and the flowers bloom at the tips of the stems. The flower colors include peach red and scarlet, with a pale yellow center, shaped like a chrysanthemum, with narrow petals. The stems are angular and become semi-trailing after extending. They are glossy, and the flowers open successively from spring to autumn, with numerous stamens; the ovary is inferior, with no style, and 4 stigmas. The capsule is fleshy, splitting open in a star shape into 4 valves; the seeds are numerous.

Soil for growing a lipstick plant

For a lipstick plant, loose and fertile sandy loam is best, and drainage should be as good as possible. The potting soil is best slightly acidic; a potting mix made from peat soil, sand and vermiculite can be used, with an appropriate amount of superphosphate added. A lipstick plant usually needs little fertilizer. When potting, an appropriate amount of livestock hoof and horn pieces and crushed bone pieces can be added as a base fertilizer, which can help it grow well.
Light for growing a lipstick plant

A lipstick plant likes a semi-shaded environment. Apart from the strong light at midday in midsummer, which should be properly shaded, it should be given sufficient light the rest of the year, especially in winter. If the placement location has too much or too little light, the leaves easily turn pale green or yellow-green. The care method for a lipstick plant is particular: insufficient light easily causes the stems to grow leggy and makes it hard for it to bloom; too much light turns the leaves reddish-brown. For a lipstick plant grown at home, it is most suitable to hang it about 1 m away from a south-facing window.
Temperature for growing a lipstick plant

A lipstick plant should be placed in a cool, ventilated spot, and attention should be paid to maintaining environmental humidity. Avoid continuous high temperature and high humidity; poor drainage and ventilation will cause rot. A lipstick plant is not cold-tolerant, and in winter it needs to be brought indoors to overwinter. A lipstick plant is not strict about air humidity, and it can adapt as long as the indoor air is not too dry. The suitable growing temperature for a lipstick plant is around 25°C, and the overwintering temperature should be above 12°C. If the leaves are found to turn red, it is either too much light or too low a room temperature; the room temperature should be raised in time, because too low a room temperature will cause leaf drop and dry, withered stems.
Summary: In the care method for a lipstick plant, another very important point is to promptly cut off the spent stems that have already bloomed, which can save nutrients, promote new shoots, and make it produce more buds and flowers. A lipstick plant can be propagated by cuttings. Spring and autumn are the suitable periods. In addition, the price of a lipstick plant is also very affordable; a potted lipstick plant is about 20-30 yuan, so friends who like growing flowers and plants can consider buying a pot of lipstick plant to take home.
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