The Strawberry shake plant is common amongst lovers of beauty, additionally, this is a low-maintenance plant so long as you can get the conditions right for it.
The first thing that you need to put into consideration is the temperature requirement of the plant.
If you can grow your plants in an environment with just the right temperature, you can grow your plants with ease. Read this comprehensive guide to learn all that you need to care for your Philodendron Strawberry Shake plant.
Contents
- What Is Strawberry Shake Plant?
- Strawberry Shake Plant Care
- Propagation
- Problems to Watch Out for
- FAQ
- – How Do I Identify Strawberry Shake Plant?
- – How Do I Plant the Strawberry Shake Plant?
- – How To Repot the Strawberry Shake Plant?
- – Why Is Mulch Important for Strawberry Shake Plant?
- – How Do You Increase the Variegation of the Strawberry Shake Plant’s Leaves?
- – What Are the Uses of Strawberry Shake Plant?
- Conclusion
What Is Strawberry Shake Plant?
Philodendron Strawberry Shake plant is a beautiful plant popular for its highly variegated leaves. The leaves of this plant have a striking combination of contrasting colors and you only need to rotate the plant a little bit to see something new and exciting.
Strawberry Shake Plant Care
The Strawberry shake plant may be strikingly beautiful, but it is very easy to care for. After temperature, you need to consider the soil, water, and nutrient needs of your plants. Are you ready to grow and care for some strawberry shake plants? Here are the necessary care tips for you:
– Water Requirements
Just like other plants, strawberry shake plants use water to sustain their life. These plants rely on water to move nutrients from the soil to their leaves through their roots and stem.
They also use water to maintain a rigid stem and leaves. Truly, your plants cannot survive without water.
Even though plants need water to survive, strawberry shake plants do not like to be overwatered. In terms of their watering needs, strawberry shake plants are low-maintenance as you only need to water them once or twice weekly. Just make sure that their substrate does not run dry.
You can tell that your strawberry shake plants need more water when their leaf petioles can no longer carry the leaves. Also, the stem will look very weak.
If you still do not provide water to the plants, you may notice that the leaves will start withering or even become brown. Make sure that you give your strawberry shake plants as much water as they need.
– Soil Requirements
If you can get the soil right, you can grow your plant with ease. If you are growing your strawberry shake plant as an indoor plant, you cannot use regular garden soil as it might be too heavy or compacted for the strawberry shake plant roots in pots. Instead of using garden soil, you will need to use a potting mix for your indoor potted plants.
It does not matter if you are using soil or potting mix, just make sure that the substrate can be moist and free draining at the same time. This means that you want to buy or make a potting mix that is well-drained but can retain a certain amount of moisture. The preferred pH for this plant substrate is pH 5-7.
You should also pay attention to your strawberry shake plant pot. The pot should have multiple drainage holes so that you cannot overwater your strawberry shake. Note that for indoor plants, you want to place the pot on a saucer or anything that can hold the excess draining water so that it does not destroy nearby objects or the furniture.
– Light Requirements
Light is very important for plants because they can only get the energy to sustain life from light. If you do not grow your strawberry shake plants in a well-lit room or give them access to enough sunlight, they will die. You need to pay close attention to how much light your strawberry shakes receive daily.
Strawberry shake plants need at least four hours of direct sunlight daily. It is best to give them four to six hours of daily sun for their optimum growth. Natural light is better than an artificial one, so only grow your strawberry shake plants under a grow light when you do not have access to sunlight.
You can tell that your strawberry shake plants are lacking light when they look weak, are growing in one direction alone, and are etiolated. An etiolated strawberry shake plant has long and weak petioles. Do not make your plants suffer from a lack of light because they may not recover fully from it.
– Humidity Requirements
Humidity is an important factor to consider when growing plants because plants can only collect water and nutrients from their substrate when the humidity is just right. If you grow your strawberry shake plants in an environment with unsatisfactory humidity, you may notice some unpleasant signs such as stunted growth.
Strawberry shake plants need very high humidity for their optimal growth. They usually require around 80 percent humidity but can thrive in lower levels so long as the humidity level does not go below average. Note that you should only grow strawberry shake plants around other plants with a similar humidity requirement.
To supply your strawberry shake plants with their needed humidity level, you can install a portable humidifier around the plant.
You can also grow your strawberry shake in a grow box or a bag in which you can trap the air moisture. If you want something simple, you can get a spray bottle and spray water droplets around the strawberry shake leaves when they look dry.
– Temperature Requirements
Strawberry shake plants do well between 55 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a thermometer or you do not have time to always check the temperature of the room, just make sure that you are living in USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11. So long as you live in the preferred zone of the strawberry shake plant, you can grow it without problems.
Please note that the strawberry shake plant is not a temperate plant, so it does not perform well in cold places. This is not a frost-hardy plant, so you must keep it safe from the cold temperature of winter. Make sure that the temperature does not go less than 55 degrees Fahrenheit in winter.
Additionally, remember that temperature is more like the first and most important growth factor to consider before you buy any plant. The temperature of an environment affects plant growth processes such as flowering, germination, nutrient and water absorption, transpiration, and almost every process occurring in plants.
– Fertilizers Requirements
The beauty of a plant reflects a plant with quality fertilizers. Many plants can thrive in a nutrient-depleted substrate, but if you want the optimal growth and beauty of your strawberry shake plant, you need to feed it with quality nutrients.
Nonetheless, you must remember not to overfeed your plant as overfeeding is just as harmful as not feeding at all.
Just because your plants need nutrients does not mean that you need to fertilize them too often. You can feed your strawberry shake plants just once a month in their active growing seasons from early spring to mid-autumn. Make sure to use quality fertilizer for indoor plants.
If you can find a philodendron-specific fertilizer for your strawberry shake plants, better. You can tell that you are not giving your shake plant enough fertilizer when you notice discoloration in the leaves, stunted growth, as well as weakness or death of the plant.
If you notice that your shake plant is lacking a specific nutrient, you can quickly correct it by spraying foliar fertilizer on the leaves.
– Pruning
One thing about strawberry shake plants is that they can grow out of control if you are not too attentive. To keep the size of your strawberry shake plants in check and also maintain their beauty, you need to occasionally prune them. Pruning helps to maintain the beautiful sign that your visitors see when they look at your plants.
To prune your strawberry shake plants, you will need pruning scissors or a knife. Remove weak and dead leaves from the shake plant.
Also, look for leaves that are growing out of control and then remove them. While pruning your plants, ensure to remove the leaves from the surface of the substrate so that they do not decay there.
You should prune your strawberry shake plants once or twice yearly a year after you start growing them. Well, the pruning rate depends on your preferred plant size as well as your schedule. Please remember to use only clean and disinfected tools when pruning your plant so that you do not expose it to contamination.
Propagation
Propagating your strawberry shake plant is easy so long as you have a healthy and matured mother plant which you can get cuttings or shoots from. Here are the common methods to propagate your strawberry shake plant:
– Propagation by Cuttings
All you need is a healthy cutting for this method. You can get your strawberry shake cut by collecting its stem with three or four leaves. Just make sure that there are nodes in the stem and you are good to go. Use a clean and disinfected knife or scissors to collect the cutting from the mother plant.
Wait for 24 or more hours for the cutting to callus. When the wound is dry, you can plant the cutting in a new substrate. Make sure that the substrate is either newly-bought or made potting mix or baked potting mix. Do not use an old potting mix without sterilizing it so that you do not harm the plant.
You should water the strawberry shake cutting two or three times weekly until it starts to produce new leaves. You can also water it by using a spray bottle to mist the leaves. Make sure that you keep the new plant in a place where it can receive just the right amount of light.
– Propagation by Shoots
When your strawberry shake plant is matured enough, you will notice some shoots popping from its roots. These shoots grow to become healthy plants, so instead of using your plant cutting, you can collect the shoots. Propagation by shoots is easy, but you need to pay attention to the process so that you do not harm your plant.
The first thing to do before collecting the shoots is to brush off the substrate from the surface so that you can reveal the point where an individual shoot is attached to the mother plant.
Additionally, check if you can collect it with some nearby roots, there is no problem if you cannot find any roots.
If the shoot has some roots attached to it, you just need to pluck it, wait until the wound dries up, and then plant it in a new substrate. If there is no root attached, you should pluck the shoot, wait until the wound dries up, dip the shoot in a rooting hormone and then plant it in a new substrate.
Now you know how you can propagate your strawberry shake plant.
Problems to Watch Out for
Strawberry shakes have proven to be easy to grow and propagate. Well, you just need to avoid the following problems for your plants to grow optimally:
– Pest Attack
Pests such as slugs, fungus gnats, mealworms, etc. can attack your strawberry shake plants. You should use insect or mollusk repellent to repel your plant pests.
As for fungus gnats, they can indicate that you are giving your strawberry shake too much water than what it needs. If you see fungus gnats near your plant, try to reduce how often you water the plant.
– Watering Problems
You can either overwater your strawberry shake plant or not give it enough water. Overwatering the plant can lead to root rot and the leaves will become brown and fall off.
Not giving the plant enough water can lead to the withering of the leaves, petioles, and stems of the plant. Make sure that you water your strawberry shake plant once or twice weekly. You can always check the moisture of your plant substrate to know if it needs more water or not.
– Light Problems
Light is important, but you should not give more light than what your strawberry shake plant needs. Growing your strawberry shake in a place with four to six hours of sunlight is great for the plant. If the plant does not receive up to four hours of light, it would have stunted growth, become weak, and die.
Exposing the plant to too much sunlight can lead to sunburn and it can spoil the coloration of your plant leaves.
– Nutrient Problems
You know that your plant will have stunted growth, and pale leaves, and might even die if you do not give it enough nutrients. What if you overfeed it? Overfeeding your strawberry shake plants can lead to their leaves burning and you can see your plants withering before your eyes.
To save your plant, you may want to rinse the roots with clean water. Therefore, as long as you can avoid these problems, you are good to go in growing strawberry shake plants.
FAQ
– How Do I Identify Strawberry Shake Plant?
The very first thing that you’d notice about the strawberry shake plant is the leaf variegation. A single leaf can have multiple colors (two at least) with clear boundaries between them. The leaves are triangular or spade-shaped. Strawberry shake plant leaves can grow an inch in length and around five to seven inches in width.
If you take a closer look at the plant, you’d notice that it is a climbing plant. As a climber, the strawberry shake plant can grow in beautiful pots decorated with a cage or stake. You can also support their growth with a trellis, but most people prefer either a cage or stake.
The best way to describe and remember the strawberry shake plant is by using the elephant ear plant description. Its leaves have a similar shape to that of elephant ears, but they are variegated. Also, the strawberry shake plant is a climber because of its weak stem.
– How Do I Plant the Strawberry Shake Plant?
Now you have gotten your plant seedling, suitable potting mix, and well-drained pot. What you need to do now is to transfer the plant from the bag or container it came in into the new pot. What can you do with the potting mix that it came with? Well, you can use it if you like.
The best time to plant or transfer your strawberry shake plant into the new pot is in march as that is when the growing season starts in the year.
All you need to do is to pour some potting mix into the pot, carefully remove the strawberry shake plant from its old substrate and then plant it in the new one. You need to be careful with the roots so that you do not damage them.
It is best that you transfer your strawberry shake plants away from direct sunlight as the heat of the sun can stress the plants. Immediately you plant your strawberry shake in its new pot, water it and then keep it a few feet away from direct sunlight.
When the leaves look studier and the plant looks fully recovered from transplanting stress, you can move the pot to your preferred location.
– How To Repot the Strawberry Shake Plant?
What do you think happens when your strawberry shake plants look so big and are spreading wide? Well, you must remember that growth is also occurring under the soil surface. While it is common for gardeners to forget about the roots of their plants, your plants can suffocate if you continue to grow them without repotting them.
Remember that the strawberry shake plant is a perennial plant. This means that unless you are growing it in regular garden soil (i.e. outside in the ground), it can quickly become root-bound and it is your duty to transfer it into a larger pot. Its new pot should be 4-6 inches wider than its current pot. Do not transfer it into a very large pot at once.
When transferring your strawberry shake plants, remember to be careful with the roots. Also, note that it is best to transfer the plant into a new pot in early or mid-spring so that it can get used to its new environment before the heat of summer comes.
– Why Is Mulch Important for Strawberry Shake Plant?
Mulch for strawberry shake plants is not compulsory, but surely necessary. Some reasons why you may consider using mulch are:
- Water retention: If you grow your strawberry shake plant in regular garden soil or a substrate that does not retain water, it can quickly face drought. Using mulch can help save some moisture that would have been lost through evaporation in the substrate.
- Root pests: Fungus gnats can be disastrous to many plants and you can use multiple layers of mulch to prevent them from reaching your plant roots. Remember to pay attention to your plants’ watering needs.
- Nutrient competition: If you expose the substrate of your strawberry shake plant, other unwanted plants can grow there and compete with your plant for nutrients and moisture. Using mulch can prevent weed competition.
- Aesthetics: Mulch generally boosts your plant and substrate’s beauty. You can be creative with the color of the mulch and try to make it match that of the stake or cage.
Why not use mulch for your strawberry shake plant? Some common types of mulch for your strawberry shake plant are rocks, pebbles, shells, and wood shavings.
– How Do You Increase the Variegation of the Strawberry Shake Plant’s Leaves?
The major reason you probably bought your strawberry shake plant is because of its highly variegated leaves, right? This means that you must care for your plant so that its leaves can stay beautiful.
The first thing that you should do to maintain your plant leaves is to grow your plant in a place where it can get the right temperature and humidity.
After temperature and humidity, pay close attention to your watering and feeding rate. By doing so, your plant will surely continue to produce beautiful leaves.
Well, the leaves are still susceptible to pest attacks and dust. This means that you have to prevent pests from reaching the leaves as well as remove dust from the leaf surface regularly.
How do you remove dust from your strawberry shake leaves? Use a slightly damp cloth to wipe the leaves regularly. Do not wipe the plant leaves so hard so that you do not damage them. Also, you should not use a wet cloth that can leave water droplets on the leaf surface. Do not wipe the leaves so that they become wet.
Now you know all the care requirements of strawberry shake plants. It is time to learn how to propagate your strawberry shake plant so that you can get more strawberry shakes from a single plant.
– What Are the Uses of Strawberry Shake Plant?
Would you like to grow some strawberry shake plants in your home? Excellent idea. Note that the major use of this plant is as an ornamental plant. It is prized for its colors and growth pattern (i.e. it is a climber). You can grow this pot on a shelf or table so long as it has access to some light.
If you want to display the beauty of strawberry shake plants, you may need to grow them outside where they can climb supporting structures and display the colors of their leaves. Note that you can only grow strawberry shake plants outside when you can easily provide the requirements of the plants.
Conclusion
Remember to pay close attention to your strawberry shake temperature, humidity, water, nutrient, and light needs. So long as you can remember the following, you are good to go:
- Strawberry shakes are not frost-hardy, so you want to keep them away from the cold of winter.
- This plant loves a humid room, so consider installing a humidifier nearby.
- Water your strawberry shake plants once or twice weekly. You can increase or decrease the rate according to how quickly the substrate dries up.
- Give your plants a balanced fertilizer and see how beautiful their leaves will be.
- Ensure that your plants get four to six hours of sunlight daily.
The Strawberry shake plant is a perennial plant, so it can live for more than two years. This means that you just need to plant an individual strawberry shake and view it for a very long time without having to plant more every year or two.
Now you are fully ready for your strawberry shake plants, right? Make sure to check back to this website for more useful plant tips.
- Is Cinnamon Good for Plants? Some Different Ways To Use It - June 3, 2023
- Growing Brussel Sprouts in Containers – 7 Crucial Steps - May 30, 2023
- How to Care for Carnivorous Plants: Provide The Right Needs - May 26, 2023
