Lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus)

All about the Lipstick plant

It is called a lipstick plant because of its appearance. The flower buds of this plant can be seen from dark-colored tubes that resemble a lipstick tube.

Moreover, this charming house plant gives off a wonderful sight when placed in front of a radiant window. Plus, it is an outstanding option to add a burst of an attractive color to brilliantly lit bathrooms, dining rooms, and kitchens of the house.

Nicknames

The common names for Aeschynanthus are "lipstick plant" and "lipstick vine."

Different Types of the plant

Several types of aeschynanthus plants are present out there. A few of them are listed below:

• Aeschynanthus longicaulis (Black Pagoda Lipstick Plant)
• Aeschynanthus 'Cassiopeia' (Cassiopeia Lipstick Plant)
• Aeschynanthus radicans 'Curly (Curly Q Lipstick Plant)
• Aeschynanthus radicans 'Krakau' (Krakau Lipstick Plant)
• Aeschynanthus micranthus 'Variegata' (Mini Variegated Lipstick Plant)
• Aeschynanthus radicans' Mona Lisa' (Mona Lisa Lipstick Plant)

Origin of plant specie

Aeschynanthus radicans plant is an epiphytic evergreen vine. It has slender flowing and arching branches stemming from the tree. Along with that, the plant has tall, red, tubular flowers in thick terminal batches.

How to Take Care of the Aeschynanthus

We all know that the flowering plants have their elegance, and they brighten up space wherever they are placed. Talking about Aeschynanthus, this vine has pointy, waxy leaves and flowers with colorful clusters of blooms. Growing lipstick plants at one's house are not hard because this plant blooms continuously with proper care.

Location

The very first thing to consider is the placement of the plant. The lipstick plant needs sunlight but which is filtered. This plant doesn't crave direct sunlight. It grows well in the shady light. Therefore, you must place your plant near some window behind the curtain. Other than that, the plant likes to stay in a humid environment. For that reason, you should place it in your bathroom or bedroom. This way, the plant will get indirect, bright sunlight and warmth plus, it will thrive.

Watering

When it comes to watering the plant, you need to be careful that you don't over-water it. It is recommended that you water the plant when the 25% surface of the soil gets dried up. Further, if you see the leaves are getting softened and shriveled, water the plant. And once again, we are telling you to not over-water the plant; you may lose green leaves.

Nutrition

The care of the lipstick plant starts up with airy soil and adequate fertilization. The NPK fertilizer provides a sufficient outcome for as long as you maintain the soil moist. With providing the fertilizer, make sure to add a small number of vitamins to the soil as well, as part of the fertilization. Also, you need to fertilize the plant throughout the vegetarian phase from spring to summer once a month. You can give 1/4th of the dosage to the plant.

Air Purifying

Unfortunately, this plant doesn’t possess an incredibly vital air-purifying capacity. The Lipstick plant also possesses stomata that open up during the day and change CO2 into oxygen. Regardless, this is such a slight amount that you won't even realize anything.

Toxicity

The lipstick plant is nontoxic and non-poisonous to humans and animals such as dogs, cats, and horses as well. And as far as allergies are concerned, that varies from person to person depending upon the sensitivity of the individual. Other than that, the plant is completely nontoxic. Nevertheless, it's a caution for every plant that you must take care that your kids or pets don't eat the leaves.

Temperature

The air and soil temperatures must be a minimum of 21-27 C for adequate blooming. You may get some flower blooming at 18 C, but that can be limited. The 10 C is very low, and it is risky that it can cause an injury which may result in dark red leaves. So keep these temperatures in your mind and take care of your plants.

Propagating the Lipstick Plant

To propagate the lipstick plant, you need to follow these steps. The most effective and easy way to cut the Lipstick plant is with scissors. In this manner, you can handily cut the loose and work in a more targeted direction. We recommend you clean the scissors well before cutting. You can use a disinfectant or pure alcohol to do so.

To cut the cuttings loose, the best thing is to select a fresh stem from the mother plant. We propose cutting more than one branch. You can cut a branch that has at least 3 leaves attached to it. Then, you need to repot the cutting by putting the cut stems in a new pot with fresh soil. And to recover the wounds of the mother plant, apply a cutting powder over them and let the areas dry.

Finally, to have the root growth in the branches that are repotted in the new soil, you will have to wait for 2 months. It takes time to grow the roots of the stem. Thus, wait for it to have a whole new plant by propagation.