How to Grow and Care for Dragon Tongue Plant (Hemigraphis Repanda)?

The dragon tongue plant is also called Hemigraphis. This is a tiny, charming, and grass-like plant. Their leaves are green but purple or burgundy color inside. It is popular for its unique look and unique color.  It needs some requirements, that are necessary to achieve for its pepper growth. 

You can grow a dragon flower plant in your home garden, this will provide a beautiful look to your garden. But if you are a gardener, you need to learn all about it like how to grow and care for Hemigraphis Repanda. 

What is a Dragon’s Tongue plant (Hemigraphis Repanda)?

The dragon’s tongue plant is a tropical that is considered to be the native plant of India and Malaysia. Its foliage is colorful making it unique and famous in the market. You can grow it in your home garden and it will be best for you to grow it because it belongs to the family of Acanthaceae.

Pairing this purple waffle plant with lighter-colored plants and dark green leaves creates an elegant look. This plant is not difficult to grow, you can easily grow it in your home garden. It would be best if you cut the stem for trimming but later in spring or summer. Take 3- to 4-inch cuttings from the plant’s green (soft, not woody) part.

You can adapt it because it is adaptable, needs low-maintenance and it is also beginner-friendly.

It rarely grows taller than 15 inches (38 cm), so it can fit easily anywhere. 

How do you grow dragon tongue plants?

If you want to know how to grow this plant then you need to learn the process. You have to merge this plant with others that praise it or you can use multiples in the aquarium. It is better to use the Paludarium. This variety can be known as the houseplant. 

Hemigraphis Dragon’s Tongue blooms with small pleasant fragrant flowers. You have to provide this plant with filtered light and keep the soil moist. You have to fertilize the dragon’s tongue with a balanced houseplant liquid. Fertilize only when the plants need this.

How to Propagate Dragon’s Tongue (Hemigraphis Repanda)?

You need to cut the stems later in the spring and summer because you don’t need to cut the stems earlier. You have to take 3 to 4-inch cuttings from the green part of the plant that is soft and absolutely not woody. 

Once you have propagated the plant, you need to remove the leaves from the bottom half potion. You can also soak the cutting in the rooting hormone and then place the cutting in a vermiculite-filled pot.

Dragon Tongue Plant Care

You can get some caring tips on how to maintain dragon tongue aquarium plants. Here are these:

Flowering And Fragrance

This plant contains unique flowering and fragrance. It produces flowers that are white and pink in shade, they contain five petals that produce a pleasant unique smell. You will notice that these petals of pink and white color make a charming contrast.

As their growth reaches a peak at the time of spring and summer, similarly, this time is the time for a plant to bloom. It also produces an amazing aromatic scent in the plant that cherries you and attracts people’s attention.

Sunlight needs 

This plant is included in the category of the plant that wants filtered sunlight.  So this plant requires a good amount of sunlight. But you have to provide it with indirect sunlight.

When you provide your plant with direct sunlight, it will destroy the foliage of the plant. They can adapt the slow sunlight but it will affect their growth rate. So only filtered sunlight is recommended for the best growth of the plant.

Temperature needs

If you are new to this field, it’s important for you to know that some plants want ideal temperatures for their best growth. The ideal temperature for this plant is 40 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit You need to give this temperature to your plant otherwise it will not grow. 

Another fact about them is that they want to grow in the hot climate. Their USDA hardiness growing zone is 3-10. So keep an eye on its temperature schedule and requirements.

Watering needs 

Water is the primary source and component for the growth of plants. It can make your plant live and dead as well. Now the question is how water can make your plant dead, then you should know that an excessive amount of water can ruin your plant. So you need to take care of the water schedule of your plants.

When it comes to this plant, you have to water this only when the soil is dry. Because they do not prefer an excessive amount of water. It is one of the evergreen perennials that will not grow well in dry conditions. Humidity levels should be maintained for the healthy growth of your plants. 

Fertilizer needs

This is obvious that fertilizer is a necessary need of the plant. For feeding your plants, you need to give balanced liquid fertilizers to the plant so that they will grow well because a good dose of fertilizer is important to keep your plant healthy.

You need to give a proper dose of the liquid fertilizer in the blooming season, preferably in late spring. Remember, that the plant requires a good amount of balanced liquid fertilizer. During fall and winter, do not fertilize the plant as it is dormant.

Soil needs

The dragon flower plant needs well-drained and moist soil as well. The porous soil is preferred by them. If you want your plant to grow well then you should have to give soil like this. 

Be regular in your watering schedule because the soil will remain drained but avoid excessive water supply because it will destroy your plants.  So, you have to use well-drained soil which will retain the excess water from the soil.

The peat moss, manure, and compost are the organic matters that are recommended to use if your soil is poor. They will support the soil to grow the plant in a healthier condition.

Pruning needs

The pruning is also considered to be the caring tip for the plant that helps in developing new growth in your plants. It will help in the sense that the weak part of your plant will be cut off and will encourage your plant to develop new branches.

You can also get the desired shape and size of your plant by pruning it. You need to remove all the dead and decayed leaves from the plants so that the negative energy from the plant is removed.

The pruning is the activity to maintain the shape of your plant as well. You have to make use of sterilized scissors for your plant. 

Tips for Dragons Tongue Plant

Soil Type	Moist, well-drained, and porous soil
Water Supply	For occasional water, check if the soil is dry then give water evenly to the soil
Light	Bright indirect light, direct light in the morning,
Humidity	Preferable – High humidity greater than 50%
Fertilizer	Liquid fertilizer, giving more fertilizer in the late spring season and avoid using it during all and winter
Potting	The pot should have a proper drainage hole or system, avoid too big pots

Some facts about Dragon’s Tongue(Hemigraphis Repanda) Plant

There are facts about this category of plants that will help you understand all about this plant;

• It is a slow-growing plant and has a low growth rate habit.
• It can grow up to 8” tall.
• It has thin, narrow green leaves which possess a crinkly texture.
• This fine, colorful leaves can grow to be 2 inches long.

Uses of Dragon’s Tongue(Hemigraphis Repanda)

• Its foliage has a great role in making it best for ground covers, hanging baskets, color container gardens, window boxes, etc.
• It produces the nectar, which attracts pollinators and does not repel bees. 
• For cooking, its beans can be combined with herbs, spices, and vegetables. You need to know the dragon tongue beans recipe so that you can make better use of it.

Pest and problems of Dragon’s Tongue(Hemigraphis Repanda) Plant

• You will see the moisture stress and root rot problem with your plant because it’s normal. It is caused due to the excessive amount of water. You can treat it by repotting your plant in a new pot with well-drained soil.
• You should know the fact that spider mites get attracted to indoor plants and dragon’s tongue is no more exception.
• The discolored leaves, curling edges, and droopy appearance are the obvious signs of a spider mite infestation.
• The aphids, scales, mealybugs, and many others are included in the list of pests that affect this plant in your garden.

Conclusion

Dragon’s tongue plant care is compulsory. Their leaves are green but purple or burgundy color inside. It is popular for its unique look and unique color.  It needs some requirements, that are necessary to achieve for its pepper growth. 

You can grow a dragon tongue plant in your home garden, this will provide a beautiful look to your garden. When you grow the plant in your home garden, you come to know that this small plant is low-growing and ideal in dish gardens. 

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