Home gardening, if done properly, can be a satisfying and therapeutic practice. For most beginners, though, it starts as an extremely tedious and demanding task where no amount of time and effort put into taking care of the plants seems fruitful.
Of course, this inefficiency is avoidable if one is willing to put in some time and effort to learn about the plants they have decided to parent.
Doing so allows home gardeners to understand their plant’s characteristics and features which helps them understand what environmental conditions their plant is adapted to (and hence needs for its survival).
If you own the Ring of fire plant and you want to learn the correct ways to take care of this plant and to propagate it, you’ve come to the right place.
This article will be your guide to everything you, as a home gardener, need to know to grow the Ring of fire plant inside your house. Let’s begin our discussion by first learning more about the plant itself.
The Ring of Fire plant – Basic Information and Characteristics
It is impossible to hope to be able to care for plants if you do not know the first thing about their species and native origins. Getting briefly acquainted with this information and with the distinct characteristics serves the purpose of broadening our understanding of our plant’s strengths and adaptive traits.
This, in turn, lets us tweak our indoor environment to suit the plant’s adaptive strengths, which helps us grow the plant under optimal conditions.
The Ring of fire, also known as the “Henderson’s Pride,” is native to tropical America, where it grows as a climber plant. This plant is known for the exceptional beauty it adds to home gardens.
Most of its beauty comes from its colorful, spikey leaves. These leaves boast a variety of different colors, such as: red, orange, pink, green, and white.
The Ring of fire plant is known to be a hybrid of the Philodendron Tortum and Philodendron Wenlandii, and it is usually pretty difficult to find.
As you might have guessed, it was given this name due to the colorful leaves it boasts and its stunning beauty, which compels gardeners from around the world to seek this plant and add it to its collection.
The plant is particularly famous for its beautiful foliage and the distinct shape of its leaves, which are fiery, spiky (often deeply cut). When properly taken care of, these plants can grow up to 6- 8 feet.
How to Care for Your Ring of fire plant
Now, let’s discuss how you can take care of your Ring of fire plant. Overall, this plant is pretty low maintenance. But being low maintenance does not mean that it does not have needs. Just like every other plant, your Ring of fire plant will die if its needs are not taken care of.
1. Watering Requirements
Being a plant that is native to tropical regions, it is not surprising that the Ring of fire plant requires its soil to be moist at all times. For optimal growth, make sure you water your plant each time its soil goes dry.
To check whether this is the case, use your fingers to see if the upper layer of the soil is still moist. If moisture is found, you may hold off on watering. If it is not, water your plant immediately.
Do exercise caution while watering your Ring of fire plant, though. Over- and under-watering this plant will cause it to die.
If it is overwatered, the leaves will turn soft and brown, and if it is underwatered, it will wither and die away. Bear in mind that these plants are not drought resistant. This means that they will die soon if not watered for prolonged periods of time.
2. Soil Requirements
The Ring of fire plant is actually very picky when it comes to soil. If not kept under the correct soil conditions, the plant will not grow properly.
So, it is important that you pay attention to this section. Firstly, your plant will not grow in soggy soil. So, your everyday pot soil will not be the appropriate choice.
We recommend that you put it in a mix of about thirty percent soil, twenty percent peat, forty percent orchid bark and ten percent perlite. If needed, you may also use some sphagnum moss. Also, it is recommended that you make use of fertilizers to optimize the growth of your plant.
3. Sunlight
The Ring of fire plant thrives when it receives indirect exposure to bright sunlight. Never put this plant under the blazing sun, or its leaves will burn out. Also, never put this plant in place with low levels of light.
If you’re growing this plant indoors, the good placement of this plant would be near a window covered by a thin curtain. This will ensure that the plant receives indirect bright sunlight and grows to its full potential.
4. Temperature requirements
Again, the plant under consideration has tropical origins. Thus, your Ring of fire plant will not be able to withstand cold temperatures for long periods of time.
Temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius will kill your plant. The optimal temperature for this plant hovers around 16 – 23 degrees Celsius. If placed in temperatures that go way above this range, your plant’s leaves will turn yellow, and its growth will come to a halt.
5. Humidity
The Ring of Fire is a moisture-loving plant. It will thrive in moderate to high humidity conditions.
How to propagate your Ring of fire plant
The propagation for this plant is fairly straightforward. For the Ring of fire plant, we use the stem-cutting method of propagation.
To propagate this plant, follow the steps of the stem-cutting method as outlined above. Start by cutting up about 9 inches of the stem with 2-3 leaf nodes.
Next, prepare a suitable potting mix containing all the ingredients in the ratios stated above. Dip your stem in a rooting hormone and place it in the soil mix.
Keep your soil moist throughout the plant’s growth period and place it in the environmental conditions identified above. Your new plant should grow out in no time.
Final thoughts
Overall, the Ring of Fire is a remarkable plant with unparalleled aesthetics. The plant completely changes the appearance of home gardens and is fairly easy to take care of. The guidelines for its proper care have been stated above.