The aluminum plant is a beautiful houseplant. You can place it in your bedroom, kitchen, or anywhere you want. When you provide the best growing environment to an Aluminum plant, the plant will grow healthy and looks great throughout the year.
In this post, we will explain the best Aluminum plant care tips that you can follow easily.
Aluminum Plant care
The aluminum plant is native to the warmest region. You cannot grow it outdoor if you are not living in a warm region. But you can grow it as an indoor plant because you can control the environment inside your house.
The aluminum plant does not produce a flower in heavy quantities. Actually, the plants are grown indoors rarely produce flowers because of the change in their native habitat. You will surely notice some small greenish-white flowers on the aluminum plant.
Moreover, when we grow outdoor plants at home, they do not grow taller and spread like they do in their natural habitat.
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Soil for Aluminum Plant care
Choose the growing medium carefully because it decides the health and life span of your plant. For Aluminum plant care you should use soil that is not tightly packed and does not hold water for a long time.
Take the normal soil and add some peat or coarse sand to it to make it best for your Aluminum plant care. If you have some budget you can choose the premixed soil that is available in every garden store.
In commercial potting mixtures, the manufacturers use a balanced form of different materials together to form a strong product.
If you use normal soil for this plant then you will face root rot conditions for sure. Because the normal soil that we have in the backyard has the capacity to store water content for a longer time. this type of soil is suitable for those plants that required moist soil all the time.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer your plant from spring throughout the summer. For the best possible growth fertilize it twice a month. Spring and summer are the time when plants grow rapidly and in winters they stop growing and you should stop fertilizing them too.
98% of houseplants do not need fertilizers in cold weather.
If you have a potting mixture that releases nutrients at a slower rate then this is brilliant for your Aluminum plant care. Use this mixture and do not fertilize it for at least 3 months. After 3 months check for the fertilizer salt build-up if you find any drain it with normal water.
Water-soluble fertilizers are great for Aluminum plant health.
Pilea Aluminum Plant light Needs
Place it there where it can get good bright light for 5 hours. It is sufficient for this houseplant. If you put it out in direct sunlight for more than 4 hours the leaves will burn and turn round from corners.
So, to protect it from extremely bright light put it under the GROW LIGHT. These are easy to use, cheap to buy and most of the full spectrum LED Grow Lights have full control over the light intensity. In easy words, you can adjust the light brightness and spectrum according to your plant requirements.
Do not put it in direct sunlight or in shade.
Temperature
For Aluminum plants, the best temperature range is 60 to 75 F. But this does not mean you need to maintain this temperature range for every single minute for the survival of your plant. slight ups and downs in the temperature will not affect the plant in any way.
Do not put it where it gets sudden temperature fluctuations. If you see your plant is not showing proper growth and the temperature of light is the problem. Then place it outdoor near the wall where it can get sunlight for 4 to 5 hours directly and then bring it back indoors. This will full fill the light and temperature needs of your plant.
Humidity
High humid levels are required for the plant to survive in your home. Just in case your plant doe not get enough humidity, the leaves turn brown from tips and the stems get shrink. Below are the proven steps that you can follow to maintain the high humid level for your plant.
Put the pot of aluminum plant on the tray filled with pebbles this will increase the humidity around the plant. When the water content drops down from the pot on the pebble tray it will evaporate the create a humid environment around the pot. You should fill the tray of pebbles with water in the summer season for the extra comfort of your plant.
Take a bucket of water put it near the pot and allow the air to enter the area. When the dry in the summers touches the water in the bucket the water gets evaporated and mixed in the air which increases the humidity.
Watering Pilea Cadierei
Give normal tap water to your plant it will be very beneficial for it. Tap water has vitamins and minerals in it which are essential for plant growth. Do not waste your money on buying bottled water for your plant this will not make any difference in plant health.
In the winter season let the soil dries out completely and then add some water. In summers due to hot weather, the plants required more water frequently than in winters. Whenever you see the upper layer of soil is dry add some water this is the best way to water the aluminum plant.
NOTE: Do not allow water to sit at the bottom even in summers. This will damage the root system and plants will die due to fungus in the roots.
Pruning and Potting needs
First of all, sterilize your pruning tools and then use them on your plant. In the spring season trim the plant to promote dense growth. If possible, cut the healthy stems to make clones of your existing plant. Also, cut off any dry and dead parts of the plant.
Potting needs totally depend upon the age ad health of your plant if you grow taller and spread more then you should change its pot. Always choose 2 inches bigger pot when repotting houseplants.
For aluminum plant care it is important to report it once the existing pot became smaller for its roots.
Common problems with the Aluminum plant
Root rot is the most common problem with the aluminum plant. this problem arises when the owner does not use proper soil or give excess water to the plant.
Take care of soil, light, temperature, and humidity while growing houseplants. If you take off these your plant will grow healthy and strong without any issue.
Another common problem is the attack of spider mites and mealybugs. Both these pests attack almost every houseplant.
To counter both these pests use neem spray, spray it all over the plant it will not harm your plant in any way. In fact, neem spray not only kills pests it also prevents other fungus-type bacteria.
Too wet conditions trigger the rotting process of the plant. you will see the color of your plant changes from green to black and the leaves are rotting from tips.
Yellow leaves of the aluminum plant are caused by excessive direct bright light. For the proper aluminum plant care limit its exposure to direct sunlight and place it in indirect bright light.
The life span of aluminum plant
If you follow our Aluminum plant car tips your plant will stay active for at least 3 years. But it is best for you if you propagate it every year. The propagation process is very simple and is similar to every houseplant. All you need to do is cut the healthy part of the plant dip it in cloning gel and place it in rockwool in humid conditions until it develops new roots.
