I got two of these earlier this year and they came in those tiny plastic trays that you use to grow seedlings. That’s how small they were. Well they did quite well outside over the summer and fall, and a few friends told me that I better get them inside before the freeze or they’ll die.
The site I linked above says it’s an annual outdoors plant which I take to mean it’ll die off and need to be regrown from seeds or cuttings next year. I never saw any flowers, so I guess I won’t be getting any seeds to plant for next year.
But since I’ve moved it inside, its branches have shot out with brand new growth. In some cases the new growth is 4 or 5 inches in addition to the existing branches (some of which were already two feet long). This new growth is bright green; I assume it’ll turn pink & black as it ages.
This behaviour does not seem to be that of a plant which dies off after a year and needs to be replanted.
I guess my question is, when should I expect this plant to die off? Or does the description of “annual” only apply when the plant is outdoors? Since it’s not going to encounter any temps below 60° inside my home, will it just continue to live and thrive until spring comes and I can move it back outdoors?
Also, since this seems to be so happy indoors where it is getting almost no light, I’d like to try them out back in an area that is so shady I’ve never been able to get anything other than hostas to grow. Should I start snipping off some of the new bright green growth and plant the cuttings in their own little pots now?
Yes – annual means, effectively, it can’t survive freezing temperatures. I have some “annual” geraniums that are six or eight years old because I bring them in and treat them as houseplants over the winter. They may or may not “thrive,” but a lot of annuals can winter over.
No – wait and take cuttings in the spring, when its real growth cycle starts. That’s the time of year it “wants” to grow.
These do really well inside with lots of light. They get finicky if they dry out; forget to water them and they’ll just die.
The colours intensify with the amount of light they get. I have taken cuttings from them and just plunked the cuttings in a glass of water until roots appear. I’ve only ever had them as a houseplant.
Must pick one up! I unfortunately, did not follow my advice, and forgot to water the last one, and it kaputted.
Yes, you can expect less bright coloration the less light the plant gets. Another reason to give it decent light (like an east or west exposure).
You’d get a more compact plant by cutting back all those lanky stems to the new growth (you could try rooting some of those cuttings now - best in a lightweight potting soil mix kept moist but not soggy, and encased in a plastic bag out of the sun until you see new growth starting). Or if you’re happy with the way the plant looks now, hold off the trimming back until late winter/early spring.
The term “annual” is sometimes misused in the nursery trade. Dying at frost is not a reliable indication of what is annual and what is perennial. Technically, a true annual is a plant that completes its entire lifecycle in a single growing season. It grows, flowers, makes seeds and dies. For a true annual, the temperatures outdoors are not always a factor in that cycle. There are hardy annuals (Calendula is one I can think of off-hand) that survive frosts just fine, and only die when their life cycle is complete.
There are a lot of plants that are sold as annuals that are technically tender perennials that die at frost. They are used as annuals because they grow fast and bloom (or produce showy foliage) within their first season. But, given suitable conditions, they will actually live for years. Some common so-called annuals that are actually frost-tender perennials are impatiens, coleus, petunias, begonia semperflorens, and, as you have discovered, Polka-dot plant.
From your photos, I’d echo Jackmanii in saying to cut the leggy portions of the plant hard, back to the base, for the winter. You could choose to try and root the cuttings as well. The new flush of growth in your photos shows the plant to be healthy, and that growth will be nice and bushy come spring.
A lot of tropicals, used as annuals (because of freezing temps) in our Northern latitudes, can overwinter well indoors, but are also sensitive to day length light levels. They get leggy and suffer a bit for lack of lots of light. By chopping them back, the plants don’t have to sustain their tall growth, and can conserve some energy to overwinter. Basically, you are putting them in a holding mode until all the light and warmth for their optimal growth conditions come back.
The other thing to look for in overwintering tropicals is: pests insects that appear right around February. Ya think you’ve got your plants almost clear through winter, and then mealybugs and aphids appear. Basically, the plants are at their stress point, hanging on, and the bugs take advantage of it. I’ve sprayed low tox pyrethrin before taking plants in, but, still, the bugs appear. Just be aware, and pay attention around February. Then, hose the plants off in the shower or sink.
If that’s not clear, ask questions, glad to answer.
Thanks everybody. Regarding the bugs, if these plants are indoors all winter, were are the bugs coming from? Are the eggs already on the plants?
But, but, but… If I cut the long stems off, I’ll lose all that healthy new growth. And the most attractive leaves are out on the ends of the branches. If I cut that off, I’ll be left with bare stems sticking up out of a pot of dirt.
By “leggy” do you mean simply that the branches are getting too long? I agree, in fact they’re almost like vines at this point. But I thought that was sign of a healthy plant.
Patty (nice name BTW),
Yes, you can cut the long stems all the way back, and, from your second photo, that healthy new growth down at the bottom will flush out better for it. I know it seems that you’re cutting back too much, but that’s how many plants work.
Especially with shorter winter days, plants can get leggy, meaning lanky and stretching for light. This puts some stress on them as well.Read my previous post again.
If you are uncomfortable with cutting back the plant hard, (I certainly understand this, it seems like you’re chopping too much and hurting the plant until you have the experience of seeing the plant respond with new growth), at least cut back all the really long wayward sproingy branches I see in your first photo.
The bugs, yeah, I wonder, but they love to hit overwintered plants right about February. You can help avoid it by cleaning up all “pot trash”—all the leaves and gunk at the top of the soil, and, again, give your plant some winter showers. Use the spray attachment in your kitchen sink to hose off the undersides of the leaves and stems a couple of times before spring, helps to rinse off eggs & critters, and dust.
And it didn’t scream as much as I thought it would.
In preparation, I put on The Phantom’s Theme from Phantom of the Opera and draped a dark coat over my shoulders. I don’t own any cloaks or capes.
I snipped away madly as the organ music roller-coastered up and down.
HaHaHaHaHaHa <snip, snip> HaHaHaHaHaHa
I trimmed down the stalks on the clippings and stuck them in a glass of water. I’ll give them to a neighbor that has an east-facing window to see if they will put out some roots.
So, Hon, Glad you took that final cut, so funny the way you did it!
The Clippings: Just take the top couple of nodes under the nice new leaves (Joints where you see new leaflets coming out…look close. You’ll see tiny leaves ready to sprout) The lanky stems, toss them out. Honest, they do no good here. Chop 'em. You can root the tops in water, or be more elaborate with Jackmanni’s previous technique to better sucess.
elelle is right about stress promoting bug infestations on overwintered house plants.
In most cases the plants probably come in with very low levels of active or dormant pests and/or their eggs. Less healthy plants (and after a winter of low light and humidity, some plants are struggling) eventually play host to a full-blown infestation. Other insect sources are plants in the same area.
A couple of sprayings before the plants come indoors eliminates most of the insects. After that, periodic washings at the sink (a gentle stream of lukewarm water directed to upper and lower leaf surfaces dislodges bugs) keep most problems under control.
