Tractor Seat Plant – Leopard Plants are hot in fashion as house plants these days. Their large fan-shaped leaves and exuberant yellow leaves will make your house brighten up like nothing else.
Do you want to know how to care for this alien plant at home? Just look at this guide we have compiled to find out some of the most straightforward and fantastic care tips.
Contents
What Is Tractor Seat Plant-Leopard Plant?
The Tractor Seat Plant – Leopard Plant is an exotic plant native to Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. It owes its popularity to its bright yellow flowers and large, lush-green leaves. The unique fan-like shape of their leaves is why we call them tractor seats like plants.
Tractor Seed Plant Care
Choose a shaded bright spot inside or outside the house to grow this plant at home. We have compiled all of the necessary information so that you take excellent care of your plant by maintaining the proper requirements, and it’s all written below.
– Light Requirements
This plant is not a big fan of direct sunlight; instead, go for partial or complete shade. Outside in your yard, a shaded patio would be a better place. You can place this tractor-potted plant under their shade as well.
The plant can get sunburnt inside the house as well. This mostly happens when people place it too close to a southern-facing window. Either you should cover such a window with thick curtains or keep the plant well away from direct sunlight. Any spot within a room with a southern window is bright enough for this plant.
On the other hand, if the windows in the room are eastern, western, or northern facing, they are relatively safer. This plant will survive better near these windows. What about a room with no natural light? Artificial grow lights help your plant grow and flower like natural light.
– Water Requirements
Your leopard houseplant loves plenty of water. You must keep its soil moist and allow only the topsoil to dry. During summer, a weekly watering schedule with distilled water is a must. For a plant that loves being watered so much, its drainage needs to be top-notch, not to be overwatered.
Always deep water your spotted leopards. This means using a large volume of water and pouring it steadily. Water only the soil while sparring the rest of the plant parts. Afterward, allow the extra water to drain from the ground into a saucer and then drain this saucer.
We strongly recommend you stick to distilled water for the health of your houseplants. Tap water deposits harmful chemicals and minerals in the soil and leaves. Even collected rainwater is better than tap water. That is unless your house has access to the filtered municipal water supply.
– Soil Requirements
This plant likes loamy soil that stays moistened for a long time without getting overwatered. For this, the soil needs to be appropriately well-drained as well. You can conveniently order the ideal tractor soil online, but we prefer making our own mix.
For this, you need humus-rich loamy soil. Mix it with equal parts coarse quality sand and a few tablespoons of perlite. Perlite is a mineral that comes in the form of round balls. To improve the nutrient levels of the plant, you can also add handfuls of compost.
Another aspect of the plant’s soil requirements is choosing the right pot. The pot should be an ideal size- not too big or small and preferably be made of clay. Before filling it with soil, either put a layer of gravel or a filter paper underneath. This hack prevents the clay and sand from washing away with the water and blocking the drainage hole.
– Temperature Requirements
Your Farfugium japonicum grows best in temperatures above 10 degrees Fahrenheit. This plant likes and tolerates warm temperatures much better.
This makes this an excellent plant to grow outdoors throughout the year. This is when it is grown in US hardiness zone 7 to 9. We can say that tractor seat plant cold tolerance is pretty good.
When living beyond these hardiness zones, you might have to move this potted plant indoors during winters. Inside the house, if they are receiving cold drafts of air from somewhere, move the plant away.
– Humidity Requirements
As a tropical plant, a Farfugium japonicum loves humidity around 50 to 60 percent. Usually, inside and outside the house, the humidity is 35 to 50 percent. You can take help from a humidifier to be precisely sure how humid your home is.
To improve humidity artificially, misting is the easiest way. Spray clean and filtered water using a small-nozzled spray bottle. If you reside in an arid area, you must mist as much as two to three times each week.
If you forget to mist your plant, then a pebble tray or a humidifier is better. A pebble tray will improve humidity from about 15 to 20 percent. A humidifier will help you maintain the proper moisture to the same levels. The only downside to using a humidifier is the mounting expenses.
– Fertilizing Requirements
The leopard plant does not have proper fertilizing demands. This is because their soil is already made from nutrition-rich hummus and loam, which is why it feels sufficient with the nutrition it receives.
From march till October, when the plant is actively growing, you can fertilize moderately using natural compost. Just mix a small amount of compost with the top three to four inches of soil every month.
– Pruning
Pruning is just as important as other care requirements. Trick your branches at the tips at the start of spring. This will only encourage them to grow enthusiastically.
Take a closer look at the leaves and stems for any signs of damage or disease. You should prune these as well. Moreover, don’t forget to regularly clean and sterilize your pruning instruments before use to be safe from any infestation.
Propagation
Tractor seed plant propagation is more straightforward than for most plants. If you are a beginner and unsure if you should propagate your houseplant, let us tell you how easy it is. Only the timing needs to be correct. Early to late spring is the ideal time to carry out this propagation.
This plant grows in individual root clumps below the ground. You can easily divide these clumps into smaller ones and pot them individually.
Before taking the plant out, water the soil copiously to become soft. Use a rake to loosen the top layers of the soil first. Then take a shovel and pull the whole root ball out of the pot. Next, wash the roots gently to have a clear look at them.
The clump of roots will be easily distinguishable from one another. Often they can be separated simply by unknotting them by hand. Occasionally a knife might be needed to separate intertwined roots together. As a rule of thumb, don’t divide one root ball into too many small pieces. Just two to four small sections are enough.
Pot each section in its own pot and take special care of it for the first two weeks. You can plant this tractor houseplant inside and outside the house in rich, loamy soil. Your soil must have an adequate amount of hummus in it. Just take care that you place it someplace shaded from direct light.
Problem
You might have to face very few tractor seat plant problems. However, for a severe plant carer, you must educate yourself on solving common problems such as pests, sunburn, and powdery mildew.
– Slugs and Snails
Snails and slugs mostly affect your tractor houseplant when it is kept outdoors. They are attracted to the leaves and the nutrient-rich soil of your plant. Overgrown grass and moist soil in your garden predispose your plant even more to them.
For instant help, you can lay diatomaceous earth around the affected plant’s pot. Take a few eggshells and crush them before sprinkling them on the soil’s surface. Snails and slugs hate this. Take this opportunity to clean the area around your pot as well.
You cannot ignore a plant infested by snails and slugs. They will not only chew off all the leaves but also weaken the plant from the inside out. Because these are large pests, you can easily spot them. They also leave behind a slimy surface on the leaves and the soil, which can help you identify them.
– Sunburn
This plant gets sunburnt very easily and quickly. Just one to two hours in direct sunlight and its leaf edges will start to turn brown. This happens more often when the weather is hot and the air is dry. It also happens more in the case of mid-day to mid-afternoon sun than early morning or late evening sunlight.
Whenever you see the leaves turning brown or papery, immediately check if it is receiving any sunlight. Move the plant right away to someplace shadier.
Of course, the sunburnt parts will not become green again. You can remove the leaves that have been most severely affected. You can also trim some of the leaves. It is best just to leave the plant and wait until new leaves come up.
– Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew is the reason why we warn against washing the plant. When consistently kept moist, the leaves will succumb to this fungal infection. Countless white-colored spots will appear all over the plant and merge, covering it with a thick layer of white mold.
Mildew is not a particularly dangerous fungal infection. However, the mold layer over the leaves prevents them from carrying out photosynthesis properly. The plant becomes weak and produces fewer new leaves.
Lucky for you, mildew is easy to treat using just kitchen items. Pour two to three drops of neem oil over a cotton pad and use this to wipe the mold off the leaves. Make a neem oil foliar spray and use it weekly to completely eliminate this plant. Add a teaspoon of oil to a gallon of water to make this spray.
– Toxicity
Unfortunately, all parts of this plant are toxic and poisonous. This can be dangerous if your interested pets chew on plant leaves and stems.
Remember to keep this plant away from the reach of pets and kids. However, if accidental ingestion does occur, immediately contact your vet or emergency care physician.
FAQ
Will Tractor Seat Plants come back after a long freeze?
Tractor Seat Plants may recover after a freeze, but it depends on the severity. Providing protection and proper care can increase their chances of regrowth.
What climate does the Tractor Seat Plant like?
Tractor Seat Plants prefer a warm and temperate climate with temperatures around 65-75°F (18-24°C). They thrive in well-drained soil and partial shade.
Do you cut back Tractor Seat Plants?
Yes, pruning Tractor Seat Plants in late winter or early spring helps promote healthy growth. Remove dead or damaged foliage to maintain their appearance and encourage new shoots.
Conclusion
You have finally made it to the end. Below are some of the key takeaway points from this guide.
- Grow this plant under some sort of shade.
- Maintain a temperature higher than 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
- You can propagate this plant using seeds or from cuttings of branches.
- Don’t wash this plant a lot as this can lead to overwatering, which is harmful to the plant.
- Be careful not to ingest the plant, because it is very poisonous to humans as well as to animals.
This plant from Korea and Japan must be on your wishlist for this year. Not only are they highly esthetic at home, but they are also straightforward to take care of.
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