How to Grow Purple Waffle Plant (Hemigraphis alternata)

By Matt Gibson and Erin Marissa Russell

Purple waffle works is a slow - get groundcover that is cultivated mainly for its showy , heavily - textured foliage , which is grey - green on the topside , and either dismal red , maroon , or purpleness on the bottom , bet on the variety . Though typically grow as a houseplant , the purple waffle plant can also be grow alfresco as an annual inUnited States Department of Agriculture hardiness zona 10 and 11 .

These relatively easy - to - grow plants only need nominal attention to flourish , such as seasonal watering , monthly feeding during the growing time of year , minimum pruning and grooming , and an occasional crop-dusting of insecticidal soap spray if pest issues grow .

purple waffle plants in a garden center

Purple waffle plants are excellent alternative for interior interior decoration and have a wide range of versatility . They are perfectly suited to string up basketful , terrariums , or received pots and container . set a potted over-embellished waffle flora on top of a mesa or ledge in the living way or bedroom , enhance the beauty of your workplace by exhibit a majestic waffle plant on your desktop , or make for the kitchen to life with by placing a purple waffle works on the countertop .

you may also use the purple waffle plant as a delicious ground cover beneath the canopy of an indoor genus Ficus tree . Outdoors , the purple waffle flora progress to a endearing backcloth for burnished , splashy flowers when used as a groundcover or when paired with other tropic plant in ornamental bed .

heighten the smasher of the imperial waffle plant life ’s typical leafage by accenting it with a pretty container . Clay peck look keen with its endearing maroon or purple leave , but you may really get the eye of Guest by pair your purple waffle plant with a container that display different shadowiness of purple , or provide a contrast to its regal leaves by pot it in a pinkish , blue , green or lily-livered planter .

purple waffle plant

The containers you opt can have a spectacular effect on how your house plant affect your home ’s interior decoration , and the purplish waffle works take care excellent in a assortment of different colors and designs . It is especially beautiful in a string up basketful , as its long stem drape elegantly down the side of your container .

Also known as red ivy , ruby fire ivy , metal leafage , and burial ground works , the purple waffle plant is usually mature in containers , as it can be rather invasive when leave to circularize . The genus name Hemigraphis come from the Greek wordshemi , which mean one-half , and graphis , which means brush . Though the blooms go mostly unnoticed , midget but pretty , brightwhite , tubular - shaped flowersdecorate the works briefly during the summertime . Though the flush are infrequent and dead - lived , the bright lily-white color of the blooms face stunning next to the profoundly - hue foliage .

Varieties of Purple Waffle Plant

Hemigraphis alternata is the most unremarkably cultivated species of works in the Hemigraphis genus . The Hemigraphis genus go to the plant home Acanthaceae . There are around 30 metal money of Hemigraphis plants , all of which are native to the tropic regions of Asia . Typical hemigraphis characteristic include grey - immature foliage with reddish or purplish tints , depend on the metal money . The most unremarkably cultivate varieties of Hemigraphis are :

Growing Conditions for Purple Waffle Plant

position purple waffle plants in bright indirect light inside or in partial shade environments outside . Direct sun exposure can sear the edge of the foliation . The metal sheen that several varieties of the plant are famous for can fade due to direct sunlight exposure . Artificial Light work out very well for purple waffle works if you do n’t have a good bright but indirect spot for them .

Use an all - function potting mix or standard commercial potting land for container rise purple waffle plant life . If you are grow them outside as an one-year , admixture in several inches of well - rotted compost or a good leaf stamp to invigorate and enrich the soil , as well as to ameliorate drain and moisture retention capabilities .

majestic waffle plant need a warm humid environment to rise well , so care must be taken to bring home the bacon warmth and humidity when grow them indoors . If you expose your purple waffle plants to the elements , be certain to bring in them inside before Robert Frost or any cold front in which temperatures drop below 40 degree Fahrenheit . There are several ways to increase the humidity around your waffle flora :

How to Plant Purple Waffle Plant

majestic waffle plants are not loosely grow from seed because propagate them from cuttings is so easy . Once you have a empurpled waffle works , you may make as many as you wish from press cutting . For instruction on how to propagate purple waffle plants via clipping , refer to the How to Propagate section below .

Care for Purple Waffle Plant

If you keep the soil around your royal waffle plant somewhat moist , the plant will flourish . The land should never be waterlogged , or too wet , but just a little bit moist , like a parasite after it has been wrung out . If you live in an particularly dry climate surface area or you ca n’t provide water on a regular docket to provide consistent wet , impart some pee - soak up crystals to your potting soil to help it retain moisture at a higher grade .

In their tropic habitat where they grow in the wild , purple waffle plants run to grow under trees in the jungle . hobo camp soil is rich in nutrients from decayed leaves . When grow majestic waffle found indoors , it is important to replicate the alimentary content that the plants are used to in their native surroundings . Do this by provide a slow - release houseplant fertiliser , such as a 6 - 12 - 6 liquid or granular feed to offer a good remainder of the three key nutrient all flora demand to endure , nitrogen , phosphate , and atomic number 19 .

Though violet waffle plant are slow - growing by nature , some pruning is needed to keep up the plant life ’s visual collection , and to boost them to grow how you want them to . There is no need to cut down the purple waffle plant ’s tallness , as it never grows any tall than eight inches gamy , and is usually no bigger than six column inch . However , stems of the purple waffle plant can become fantastically long if not maintained . While this may work in hang baskets , you may want to keep them from becoming longer than needed to keep the plant ’s looking their best .

For bushier plants , pinch the tip of the stem off just above the leaves or stem turn nodes . Doing this will refocus the plant on growing new leafage , as well as slow down the growth of the theme itself . Use a sharp , clean pair of pruning shears or scissors to clip off any excess growth . Do n’t forget , you may use any clippings you take to propagate young plants .

When you notice roots amount out of the drainage golf hole of your container , it is clock time to repot your purple waffle plant . Carefully turn the whole plant over , container and all and mildly tap the bottom of the container to comfort the works out without damage the stems . The stems of the purple waffle plant click apart rather easily , so do n’t pluck on the plant to advance it to loosen itself out of the container . Instead , use gravity and , if necessary , expend a butter knife to separate the soil from the sides of the container , or to free the root ball from the container if it has become wedge in .

When repotting , pick out a container that is at least 25 to 40 percent expectant than the late container so that the waffle flora has plenty of way to thrive in its new home base . Lightly sweep off excess soil from the root orchis and employ a high - quality potting dirt to satisfy in the extra blank to invigorate and refresh the grease around your waffle plant . You should only call for to repot your purple waffle plant every four to five years .

How to Propagate Purple Waffle Plant

Purple waffle plants grow by spreading and newfangled roots develop as it spread at each maturation node , which make these plants very prosperous to spread . If you have one majestic waffle works , you could well make as many new plants as you require at any time . Simply cut the end of a radical that is actively mature , making sure to trim at least one node with the stem tip using a sharp-worded fair twain of pair of scissors or garden shears .

To give yourself a greater probability of success , attempt to prune a root word that is close to the soil , as it may already be forming roots , which will make it easygoing to start rooting when you place it into land . Once you have taken a slip , put it directly into a pot filled with moistened potting soil . Water the soil frequently , keeping it moist at all times until you find unexampled growth in your stem tip cutting . Once you point out new growing , cut back watering so that you are only cater enough to keep the soil slightly moist at all times .

Garden Pests and Diseases of Purple Waffle Plant

Purple waffle plant are fairly resistant to problems with pest and disease . The most common maladies a gardener who grows purplish waffle plant life is likely to encounter are scale , whitefly , or root rot , all of which are fairly common for houseplants . The other problem you ’ll encounter listed below are less common for purple waffle plants but still may be encountered . We ’ll exp lie the symptom , so you ’re able-bodied to diagnose any challenges that come up , as well as a quick account of how to deal with them . For full details on any of these blighter and diseases that can collide with royal waffle industrial plant , just follow the link .

Alternaria : For more info , you’re able to read our clause Dealing WithAlternaria Blight . Alternaria is a seedborne fungal pathogen that cause the diseases of Alternaria leaf spot for love apple ( also call Alternaria base canker ) , Alternaria folio spot for cole crop ( also called Alternaria blight ) , and folio blight of carrots ( also foretell black rotting ) . Alternaria infections can also strike houseplant like the purplish waffle industrial plant .

The first potential signs of an alternaria infection may occur when flora are very young , exhibited asdamping offor stunt growth of seedling . However , septic plants may be symptomless until they ’re large and ready for transplantation , giving them plentitude of time to exit Alternaria along to neighboring works . Keep an eye on seedlings for the early signs of Alternaria to forfend give the disease time to circularise . Later symptoms include yellow or brown spots on foliage that expand in darkening closed chain and finally stunt maturation . The first sign most gardeners will notice is that septic plants tend to flower and go to seed earlier than expected .

As soon as a flora begins to show signs that it may be infected with Alternaria , it ’s of import to quarantine it so you may honour and care for it without giving the disease a hazard to spread to other plants in your garden . If a plant is infected and you end up destroying it , ensure not to admit the beat flora , trimmings or rubble from the plant , or even the territory where it was growing in your compost . You should also not allow livestock to eat infected plant .

you may forbid Alternaria from becoming a trouble in your garden by choose to mature resistive varieties , making sure your plant are spaced out adequately , cautiously weed your garden and the fence in region , rotating crop , and impale droopy plants so there is plenteousness of elbow room for air to circulate . Giving your plants sufficient N plant food also reduces the risk of them take Alternaria . address greenhouses with moving-picture show that absorbs ultraviolet illumination will keep Alternaria from producing spores . The disease is exacerbated by to a fault dampish shape , so anything you could do to reduce supernumerary moistness in the plant life ’s environment will also help prevent Alternaria .

When you irrigate your plants , aim the water at the base alternatively of reserve it to splash onto their foliation . Also , make certain the stain is catch enough drain and that plant pots have holes to take into account wet to escape . Only provide plants with hydration when they really need it — you could essay the soil to see whether it ’s time to water by puzzle a finger in near where plant are growing .

If the worldly concern feel moist or filth particles cling to your skin , it ’s not yet time to irrigate your plants again . If ethnical and environmental controls do n’t keep Alternaria from take hold , you ’ll need to either treat with fungicide or simply take and destroy septic plants .

Downy Mildew : Downy mildew is a fungal infection common for plants rear in greenhouses , though it sometimes appears in houseplants or the out-of-door garden . Chilly , cockeyed conditions coiffure the degree for sericeous mildew to take hold , and once it does , it can spread very promptly — so being aware of its symptoms and taking straightaway legal action to quarantine infected plant and cover the trouble are vital .

The symptoms of puberulent mildew include discolored parting that wrick yellow or develop a mottled appearance , stunted increment , and loss of flowers or fruit in plants that should have them . flossy mould shit infected flora more susceptible to other problems , and plants with the disease get weaker and finally die when the disease is forget untreated .

sericeous mildew is often mistaken for other blights and fungal disease or trouble with nematodes , and its appearance diverge widely look on the host flora . However , the trademark symptom of downy mold for which it is name can serve in diagnosing the disease . Plants with downy mould display a fuzzy gray , brown , or purple fungus on the bottom of their foliage . The disease fan out with the movement of wind , water , and dirt ball .

Preventing the disease is much bare than attempting to plow an irruption already in process . The most crucial factor in preventing downy mildew is minimizing excess moisture in the plant ’s environs . nurseryman should be careful not to overwater plants and ensure that the soil or plant containers offer plenty of drainage . Water plant from the root word instead of splashing their leave with piddle , and ensure sufficient air circulation by spacing plants out according to their preferences and prune them as needed . lacrimation in previous afternoon rather of in the cool of dawning can help preclude excess moisture , too .

Gardeners should also pick the garden well to understate plant debris on the surface of the territory , which can provide the kingdom Fungi with a concealment smear . Using mulch can aid shrink the endangerment of downy mildew , as it lets air circulate in the soil but will foreclose water from splash onto plants and potentially spreading the disease . Fungicides can be used as a preventive touchstone or , if used early enough , can plow case of downy mould . More data on deal with fungicide can be get hold on the last pageboy of this text file from the Purdue University Agricultural Extension : https://www.extension.purdue.edu / extmedia / BP / BP-68 - W.pdf .

In severe cases of sericeous mildew , the only viable option may be removing and disposing of septic plants . Do not admit plants with downy mildew , their debris , or their territory in your compost . For more information , you may read our clause Identify , Prevent , and Treat GardenProblems : Downy Mildew Fungal Disease .

Mealybugs : mealybug are specially common when a flora has been raised in a nursery , but infestation is also prevalent in houseplant and sometimes come out in the outdoor garden . The flightless insects resemble small , fluffy bit of cotton that can be clean , cream , tan , or brown . Affected plants develop curl leaves or yellow-bellied discoloration of foliage , and areas where insects are feeding may become awkward . Though damage from mealybugs tends to occur slowly , it can be fatal .

nurseryman of vulnerable flora can treat a mealybug problem with predatory insects , including ladybeetle , lacewings , and mealybug destroyers . you could also fight mealybugs off by spraying infested plant with urine from the garden hose , but this method acting ask several rounds of treatment to be effective . After using weewee to physically knock mealybugs off the plant , you should remove any that remain with a Q - Tip dipped in rubbing alcohol .

At all stage of their aliveness bike , mealybugs can be pop with horticultural rock oil or a neem oil discussion . you’re able to make a homemade neem oil color spraying out of a liter of affectionate water , four or five drop curtain of dish soap , and a teaspoonful of neem oil , then spray plant with the mixture about doubly per calendar week . However , neem oil treatment are also prejudicial to the population of good insects , so they should be used sparingly and cautiously . Severe infestations may want handling with Beauveria bassiana . For more data , you could understand ourarticle How to Fight Mealybugs .

Powdery Mildew : The full term “ powdery mold ” is used to line fungal disease triggered by one of several pathogens that have similar effects . Initial signs of the disease include minuscule areas of grey or white mold on foliage that resemble talcum powder . These spots tend to appear on the top side of leaf , the tops of fruit and stem , and the outer edge of peak petals . Where the disease persists for over a year , affected plants will evolve lepidote black areas on their stems or leaves .

Unlike other fungal disease , moisture is not required for a plant to develop powdery mold , and it is common in hot , waterless surround . Because the disease spreads quickly , gardeners of susceptible plants should watch for its symptoms and quarantine any plants that show signs of powdery mildew as before long as they detect the sign . The disease is potentially fatal .

To prevent powdery mildew , avoid feeding plants with nitrogen fertiliser late in the summer , as supererogatory nitrogen feeds the fungus . Clean the garden to remove plant life junk or leaf litter from the open of the soil , and keep plant trimmed or prune regularly .

Powdery mold can be do by with fungicide , sulphur , potassium hydrogen carbonate , or neem oil . you’re able to make a homemade neem rock oil treatment out of a cubic decimetre of warm water , four or five drop of dish easy lay , and a teaspoon of neem oil colour . Spray plants with this root about twice per week . Some gardeners choose to remove and discard infected plants . If you take this route , do not admit debris from the plants or the grime where they grow in your compost . For more entropy , you’re able to read our clause Identify , Prevent , and TreatGarden job : Powdery Mildew Fungal Disease .

Root Rot : Root rot is unwashed when there is excess moisture where the industrial plant is produce , either due to the industrial plant receive too much water or grease not proffer enough drainage . Because solution rot affects the plant ’s root system of rules first , the first symptom also appear underground , so they may go unnoticed until the disease has progressed quite a mo . With time , the terms to the root system will result in above - ground symptom such as stunted outgrowth or wilted foliage . Unchecked , root putrefaction can be fatal to plants .

If you suspect root rot , prod up the plant and examine its roots for symptom of the disease . Look for changes in the coloring material or texture of the root system . works with root rot may have portions of their roots change state grim or develop a soft , slimy texture . If you see areas like this in a plant ’s root system , practice clean , sterilized garden shears to dress them away and cast away them ( but do not add them to compost ) Once this is done , if the root are still waterlogged , you may lay the plant out on paper in the sunshine to dry out out before putting it back into the priming ..

To treat ancestor rot , it is imperative to correct the conditions leading to the excess wet . This may entail adjust watering routines , repotting a flora with a different grunge culture medium , moving to a new container , or commute the location where works are growing . For more data , you’re able to learn ourarticle How to Fight Stem and Root Rot .

Scale : Scale insects are likely to ride out off a nurseryman ’s radar because they look more like bumps on a flora ’s stems or branches than they see like insect . The modest , armored bug generally stay in place once they ’ve latched on to a plant and come in shades of immature , gray , brown , and black , with armored carapace .

In increase to the comportment of the dirt ball themselves , a scale of measurement plague can be visually identified in other ways . The hemipterous insect let loose a clear , sticky substance mostly referred to as “ honeydew ” that draw in ants . It may also facilitate theappearance of coal-black moldon industrial plant leafage , result in another trouble the gardener must address .

If you see scale insects on a works , first practice a sporty , sterile gardening putz , bush brush , or even a disease - free twig to scrape them off and toss out them . If there are too many bug for this approach to make sense , you may choose to simply prune away affected areas of the plant . you could also use predatory dirt ball such as lacewing , lady beetle , or parasitic wasps to resist off scale .

spark infestation can be treated with neem oil , which will also work to prevent more scale insects from invading . A homemade neem oil colour spray can be made of a cubic decimeter of affectionate weewee , four or five drop curtain of dish soap , and a teaspoonful of neem oil , but gardener should bear in mind that this discourse also has minus effect for beneficial garden insect . For more information , you could study ourarticle How to Control Scale Insects .

Whiteflies : Tiny whiteflies are a common pest in greenhouses , on houseplants , and on love apple harvest . They tend to stick in group on the bottom of plant leaf , much like aphids . But unlike aphids , whitefly will take flight if they are brainsick .

you’re able to name a whitefly problem by the bearing of the louse themselves , but other symptoms will make the infestation plain if you do n’t notice the bugs . move plants exhibit blank spots on their leave of absence and may formulate wilted foliage , leaves may become discolored or wan , ontogeny can be stunt , or the plant may generally become weak . Whiteflies also release a sticky , clear marrow in areas where they are feed that attracts ants .

If you take in whiteflies betimes enough , you may treat an infestation by just spraying the insects with water from the garden hosiery to remove them from the industrial plant . However , you ’ll need to reduplicate this process several time to get results . you could also practice chicken pasty traps or predatory insects , like lacewing larvae , ladybugs , and whitefly parasites , to treat the problem . For more information , you may understand our clause How to crusade Whiteflies [ https://www.gardeningchannel.com/how-to-fight-whiteflies/ ] .

violet waffle plants are beautiful , comparatively loose - to - develop , highly versatile houseplants . If you desire to land a flake of liveliness into your home or bureau , waffle plant are an excellent choice for most any par . WIth this guide in hand , develop , maintaining , and propagating waffle plants should be a simple task for any gardener . The only question that remains is which assortment of waffle plant you ’re going to choose .