Polka dot plants are famous for their leaves but what to do when polka dot produce flowers.
Sometimes polka plant grows purple or blue blossoms spikes.
They look beautiful but a polka dot flower means your plant is about to die.
Polka plants need a warm and humid environment to produce flowers. When polka flowers mature into seeds, your plant starts dying.
You must not allow your plant to grow flowers to help your plant live longer.
Below is the complete guide on this topic. If your polka dot plant is producing flowers. Then you must read this guide to save your plant from premature death.
Let’s start:
Why does Polka Dot plant flowers?
Flowering is the natural part of the polka dot plant life cycle. Flowers turn into seeds and seeds are required to grow more polka dot plants.
Polka plants need warm weather and correct light exposure to produce flowers.
Once the flowers turn into seeds, the plant slowly starts wilting and dying. But the good news is you can save your plant by preventing flowering.
To control flowering, you need to make some changes in your polka dot plant care routine.
Follow the below tips and have a beautiful thriving polka dot plant for years.
Polka Dot Flowering in Hot Weather
When you place your plant in hot weather and give it proper water and nutrients. Then the polka plant starts growing rapidly.
But the polka plant does not produce leaves, it spends all its energy in growing flower spikes. Because it is in its DNA and is 100% natural.
Plants produce flowers when light, temperature, humidity, and everything thing else is perfect.
The question is polka dot plants need warm weather to grow. But then they start producing flowers. what to do to prevent flowering in polka dot plants.
To stop the flowering process, you need to learn:
How to Grow Polka Dot plants in Hot Weather and Prevent Flowering?
Change Location
If your plant is growing in a pot. Then the best way to stop flowering is to move it to a cooler place. This will shift the plant energy from growing flowers to survival mode.
Make sure it gets the proper amount of light otherwise in cooler temperatures it will start wilting. Then you need to face another problem.
In low light polka dot grows leggy and unnatural.
Also, in the low-temperature range, it needs less water. Therefore, it is best to check the soil moisture before watering the plant.
This technique will help you to prevent overwatering your plant.
Watering Technique
Generally, polka dot plants need less water to grow. But in hot weather, you need to keep eye on your plant leaves.
Proper watering prevents dehydration and plants keep thriving.
If your plant has curled and floppy leaves this means you are not supplying enough water. In the summer heat, spray some water on its leaves for instant comfort.
Misting will keep the plant cool and prevent flowering.
Note: When you are misting water make sure the direct sunrays cannot touch the plant leaves. Or you will face scorched leaves.
In waterlogged soil, polka dot develops root rot and other fungus diseases.
Therefore, the best way is, to check the soil condition before watering the polka dot. Allow the plant soil to dry a little bit before watering.
Follow this technique in spring and summer. But in cool weather allow the top 3 inches of soil to dry before watering. This will surely prevent overwatering and root rot in the winter season.
Use Mulch
If your polka dot plant is growing in your outdoor garden in garden beds. Then you must use the mulching technique to prevent overheating of the root zone.
Mulching will prevent the sun rays and hot air in the root zone. The roots stay cooler and your plant will not produce flowers.
The use of mulching will also reduce the need for frequent watering.
It acts as an insulation and protective layer.
It reduces water loss due to evaporation and your plant always has enough moisture for respiration and other vital functions.
Cut the Stems
When you see your polka dot plant is growing long stems. Immediately cut them because later they will turn into flower spikes.
Pruning large stems will not harm your plant. Instead, this re-shifts the plant energy into making more leaves rather than flower spikes.
For pruning, you can use a sharp sterilized knife. Use rubbing alcohol to disinfect the tools before and after use.
Repotting Shock
Generally transplanting does not trigger seeding face in houseplants. But your polka dot plant is a little different.
High heat and transplant shock trigger seeding in polka plants. Because your plant feels that it is about to die due to repotting.
And seeds are the way to save its genes. Therefore, it starts producing flower spikes as a result of transplant shock.
To prevent flowering, you can only cut the unwanted growth of flower spikes. This will save lots of plant energy and save the Polka dot plant from dying.
If repotting is necessary then after repotting provide your plant with the best possible environment to grow. Also, cut the growing spikes.
Longer Day length
When the days are longer than nights your polka dot will definitely produce flowers. This is natural and scientists are researching this behavior of plants.
But you want to prevent flowering, right!
If the plants are growing in outdoor beds, then you cannot do anything. Whereas you can move potted plants indoors as the day lengthens.
You can turn off the light and your plant will go into sleep mode. It will never know about the day’s length.
Lack of Fertilization
Less fertile soil trigger flowering because lack of nutrients puts stress on the plant. This stress acts like repotting stress as a result Polka plant produces flower spikes.
Because it thinks that now the soil is out of nutrients and it will not survive for a long time. It is best to invest in next-generation by producing seeds.
On the other hand, if you give too much fertilizer. Then polka dot plants take advantage and produce flower spikes.
Because the plant thinks that now it has tons of nutrients and it is best to spend them on growing flower spikes.
Which is a natural behavior of plants.
So, you need to learn the correct fertilization method. First of all, fertilize polka plants only in spring and summer.
Use general-purpose houseplant liquid fertilizer. Dilute it in water and give it during the watering session.
How to Prevent Polka Dot plants from Flowering?
To prevent polka dot plants from flowering you must follow the above techniques. Keep the plant at an ideal temperature that is slightly cooler than its natural habitat.
Keep the room temperature below 70 degrees F.
Immediately cut the flower spikes once you see them on your plant.
Follow the light fertilization routine to prevent flowering. Keep it in a good bright place to prevent leggy growth.
Use mulching for outdoor growing polka dot plants. Mulching will keep the root zone temperature low.
Conclusion
Now it is clear that flowers mean the end of your polka dot plant. Prevent polka dot plant flowering by changing its growing environment.
Place the plant pot at a slightly cooler temperature. It needs warm weather and high humidity to produce flowers.
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