If you live in a warm climate zone then I have good news for you. You can grow turtle vine plants as an evergreen groundcover. Because it likes to live in a warm climate you can grow it for 365 days.
When grown as a groundcover it shows vigorous growth. In containers and hanging baskets, this plant grows moderately and remains short.
Each stem produces many small green leaves.
Below are my recommendations to grow this plant at its best.
About the plant
Because it is a trailing plant, it remains small in size. Under good conditions, it grows 2 to 4 inches tall but spreads more than 2 feet. Fertilizers are required for a good spread.
When it spills over the container edges, believe me, it looks very beautiful and eye-catching.
You will notice that your turtle vine plant has large leaves near the base. The leaf size decreases as you move toward the vine tip. The dense production of leaves makes it a beautiful hanging basket plant.
Light Needs
Turtle vine creeping inch plant needs direct light to grow. But you need to protect it from the afternoon sunlight.
The sharp sunrays fade the leaf color of the plant but only if it is growing in the container.
Ground-rooted turtle vine plants will not get affected by the intensity of sunshine.
If the summers in your area are hot like Texas, then you need to move the plant pot inside or arrange some shade for it in your outdoor garden.
Potting Soil
No need to worry about the pH of the soil. Choose peat-based potting soil and protect your plant root from excessive water.
Peat has the ability to absorb the required moisture.
As far as regular potting soil is concerned you need to make it suitable before use. For that, you need to add perlite to increase the water holding capacity. Then the second thing you need to add is compost which gives nourishment.
At last, add those ingredients that will improve its draining power. If you do not amend your potting soil with organic material like compost then you need to spend money on fertilizers. To reduce this expense you must add some kind of organic material to the potting soil.
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Watering
Constant moist soil is required for healthy turtle vine plants. For that, you need to water it on the regular basis. But you should let the soil dry between each watering application. This will prevent root rot like stubborn fungus diseases.
In winter, change your watering routine and water it only when you feel the top few inches of the soil are dry.
To water it in spring and summer you should adapt the deep watering method. Keep pouring the water to the base of the plant until you see it coming out of the bottom hole. Therefore, a bottom hole is necessary for this watering technique.
Fertilizing
To full fill, its nutritional needs you need to feed your creeping inch plant with a well-balanced fertilizer.
A balanced fertilizer is a plant supplement that contains all the growing ingredients in a balanced quantity. Many online fertilizer manufacturers sell balanced plant nutrients.
For potted turtle vine creeping inch plants, you should use fertilizers designed for foliage plants.
If you are growing it as a ground cover then you do not need to worry about the nutrients. It will absorb all the required nutrients from the soil. For shining leaves, you can amend your Lawn soil with compost or animal manure.
Both these substances nourish the soil and increase its fertility.
Temperature & Humidity
The temperature and other environmental factors in USDA hardiness zones 10 to 11 are suitable for this plant. In these zones, you do not need to worry about the soil, temperature, and humidity.
A temperature below 60 degrees F is not favorable for the plant.
The best indoor temperature range for this plant is between 60 to 80 degrees F.
To maintain the right humidity mist water on the plant leaves. This will increase the room humidity. You can also group the plants in a room to give them comfortable air moisture.
No need to use electric humidifiers only for this plant. It has the tendency to adapt to the growing environment and grow accordingly. If the leaves are turning yellow and brown then you need to worry about the room humidity.
Repotting
Repot this plant once in 2 years. This plant does not like to live in small size pots but in large pots, they grow bigger in size. To keep them short and sweet pinch the edge of the stems.
For repotting use any type of pot material like plastic or ceramic. The material of pots does not affect the growth of plants. But for your plant safety, there should be a draining hole at the base of the plant.
This hole is there to drain out the extra water from the soil. Otherwise, they will get infected by fungus and start decomposing.
Propagation
If you do not have stem cuttings then propagation is only possible with seeds. But seeds take time to germinate and 50 % of seeds will not germinate.
First of all, inspect the plant and choose healthy stems. Then cut a 3 inches long stem. Remove all the leaves near the cut. The plant is in moist soil and placed in a warm location.
Keep eye on the moisture level of the soil and water it immediately when it starts drying.
Within few days your stem cutting will develop new roots and you will see a well-established plant in your pot.
Once the stem grows 6 inches long then you can expose it to bright light. But before that low light is beneficial to encourage new growth.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a grass substitute. Then you definitely grow turtle vine ground cover.
Keep the temperature above 60 degrees F for indoor growing plants.
Fertilize it with a balanced fertilizer to keep your plant happy. For outdoor growing turtle vine plants amend your soil with organic matter like compost or animal manure.
Do not use synthetic fertilizers they are for heavy feeder plants.
