Muehlenbeckia

All about the Muehlenbeckia

The Muehlenbeckia is a low-growing garden plant with small leaves and long, wiry stems that sprawl out. This is a hardy plant that is extremely low-maintenance and grows very fast. It is very popular as an indoor houseplant.

The wiry stems make this plant suitable to be placed in a basket and hung with leaves draping down. It can also be used in rock gardens or to climb on walls and cover them. It can grow about 5 to 15 centimeters tall, thrive in warm temperatures, and grow small, white flowers in the springtime.

Nicknames

• Creeping Wire Vine
• Mattress Vine
• Angel Vine
• Matted Lignum

Different types of the Muehlenbeckia

The Muehlenbeckia genus has several species. Here are a few of them:

• Muehlenbeckia australis
• Muehlenbeckia complexa
• Muehlenbeckia astonii
• Muehlenbeckia axillaris
• Muehlenbeckia ephedroides
• Muehlenbeckia fruticulosa
• Muehlenbeckia hastulata
• Muehlenbeckia volcanica

Origin of the Muehlenbeckia

Muehlenbeckia originates from New Zealand. Because of this, it can even be grown outdoors. It is also grown in South America, Australia, and Papua New Guinea.

This plant consists of a variety of species and belongs to the Polygonaceae family. And its most widely known species is the Muehlenbeckia complexa.

How to take care of the Muehlenbeckia

The Muehlenbeckia, also known as the Creepy Wire Vine, needs low care. It can survive in a variety of conditions. With minimum effort, you get yourself an ornamental houseplant that will enhance the beauty of your home.

Inspect the plant regularly and watch out for mealybug, whitefly, spider mites, blackfly, etc. In case you spot any of these, use pesticides to protect your houseplant.

Watering

Water this plant when the soil is dry at least 2 to 4 centimeters deep. Don’t overwater or make the soil soggy. This can cause the leaves of the Muehlenbeckia to turn yellow.

Water regularly during the growing season as the soil needs to be slightly moist. Once a week is enough. Ensure that the soil is dry before you water again. And water less during the wintertime.

When it comes to the Muehlenbeckia, under-watering is always better than over-watering, as over-watering can cause irreversible damage to this plant.

Location

For the Muehlenbeckia to grow properly, it should be placed in an appropriate location. Place it where it can get partial to full but indirect sunlight. Don’t place it in direct sunlight, as that will scorch the plant’s foliage.

If the plant is placed near a window with too much sunlight coming in, use curtains to filter out the light or change the plant’s location. If the Muehlenbeckia has fewer leaves, chances are it needs more sunlight. Moreover, cold winds can also damage this plant.

Keep this plant away from air conditioners, cold drafts, or vents as these could dry it out. The Muehlenbeckia enjoys warm temperatures and will probably die in extremely cold temperatures.

Lower temperatures will slow down the growth of the Muehlenbeckia. Also, avoid sudden temperature changes as that can cause shock to the plant.

Plant nutrition

The Muehlenbeckia is not extremely demanding when it comes to the soil as long as it is fast-draining. A commercial all-purpose potting soil is the perfect choice for this plant.

Pruning isn’t mandatory. However, this plant can be pruned to tame its growth and keep its shape and size. Prune this plant in the springtime and this will help with fresh growth.

If you feel that your plant is getting unruly, just prune it to the desired size with a clean pair of pruning clippers. An unclean pair can cause disease and fungus to the plant.

As far as repotting is concerned, the Muehlenbeckia plant should be repotted once in about 2 years using houseplant potting soil. It doesn’t need repotting too frequently. The new pot should be slightly bigger than the old pot.

Ensure that the selected pot or container has good drainage. Furthermore, the Muehlenbeckia doesn’t need to be fed too much. In fact, it can even go on without being fed at all. When feeding it, use a balanced fertilizer to feed in the spring season. This is when the new growth begins.

Don’t feed this plant in the wintertime as the growth is very slow. Only feed it in the summer and springtime.

Air-purifying

This plant has quite a small leaf size, and so it doesn’t have air-purifying properties the way some other indoor plants have.

Toxicity

The Muehlenbeckia is not considered to be toxic to cats and dogs but will cause mouth irritation when ingested. You still shouldn’t let your pets munch on this plant at all. If too much is ingested, it can cause vomiting and loss of appetite. In such a case, consult a doctor.

Propagating the Muehlenbeckia

The Muehlenbeckia plant can be grown with seeds, but this process is a bit tedious.

Stem cuttings also can be used to propagate this plant. Select stems with leaves on them and cut their tips. Cut about 7-10 centimeters of the tips and plant them in the soil. Wait for the roots to start developing. Additionally, using rooting hormone will help the roots to grow quicker.