If you are in the market for a beautiful hanging plant that is colourful and easy to care for, then look no further than the Bridal Veil hanging plant.
These plants are one of the most popular in all of the United States because they are easy to care for and don’t require much watering or pruning.
This means that if you are busy or travel a lot, it is a great option. There are, however, a few important tips that anyone looking to buy one should consider. This brief article looks to act as a mini-guide on how to best care for your plant so that you get the most from it.
Table of Contents
Basic Care
There is not much science behind caring for a Bridal veil plant (aka Tahitian Bridal Veil and the Dotted Bridal veil). Pruning, if necessary at all, can be done with large or small shears whenever you feel necessary.
One main area of understanding that people with a Bridal veil plant should have is surrounding the issue of drainage and watering. Firstly, if you will use any drainage cover, look to use some gravel or pebbles to line it.
You will use gravel or pebbles as a means to pull water away from the soil and to prevent it from getting too soggy. You should also ensure that the soil you are using has good drainage capabilities.
Since you will not want your soil to get too soggy, look to water the plant infrequently. You should also use water-soluble fertilizer because the plant is susceptible to getting root rot. Ideally, you will want to water it about once per week.
The soil should be relatively dry to touch but beware not to let the soil underneath dry out too much. This will likely happen if you fail to water the plant sufficiently or are subject to too much direct sunlight.
A Step by Step Guide
If you are just looking for a quick and easy step-by-step guide on how to care for your Bridal Veil plant, then this is the guide for you:
- When deciding on a place to hang your plant, consider utilizing a porch or outside area that will get sunlight and shade throughout the day. In winter, look to place the plant in an area that gets bright and indirect light.
- Keep an eye on the temperature in your area because the plant will thrive in 55-70 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is any hotter then you will risk burning the leaves of the plant.
- Make sure to use a potted plant soil with a lot of drainage and add a few pebbles to the soil mix to increase humidity.
- Water the plant one or maximum two times per week and if you are unsure of what soil to use, consider a drier soil rather than a wetter one.
- Lightly water the soil before applying fertilizer. Mix 1 part fertilizer to 4 parts water and carefully pour onto the moistened soil; avoid wetting the foliage.
- Be aware of root rot! Some symptoms include blackening of stems, yellowing leaves or lack of growth. If your roots are healthy, they will have fibrous roots and white tips.
- Pests are the devil! So know the signs of when they are nearby! Aphids are the most common pest when it comes to the bridal veil. These Aphids are tiny insects that love to feast on leaves and can leave webbing and small speckles on the leaves of your plant. If you notice that pests are near your plant, bring it outside and mix warm water with insecticidal soap (3 tablespoons per gallon of water). Add the soap mixture to a clean sprayer and spray the entire plant, coating both sides of the leaves. Leave the plant in a shaded spot outside until the leaves dry. Repeat every four to seven days as needed.
- Pruning promotes blooming
- When the temperature is too cold, bring your Bridal veil inside.
FAQs
It is usually up to the grower as to when they want to prune the plant. However, it is most commonly recommended to prune your Bridal Veil plant in mid-late spring. This is because it keeps the plant from growing too sporadically and can help to enhance the plants flowering.
Too much water will affect the roots, which will begin to rot; the rotting will continue upwards, leading to the leaves and stems turning brown. With this in mind, it is important to understand that you should only look to water your plant when the soil feels dry to touch.
To start growing a bridal veil in the first place, look to cut a 4-inch section of the stem with one node attached and place it in a pot with soil. Keep moist, then place in a warm position until the roots form, taking a week to a few weeks, depending on your climate.
Propagating Tahitian bridal veil by division is the best way to create new plants quickly as you can keep many of the stems on the new plant. Division propagation is where new plants are not grown from small seeds or bulbs but are rather separated from the parent plant and grown in that way.
As is the case with many plants, the flowering season of the Bridal Veil plant is from March to September. This means that you will need to care for the plant more during this time. However, it would help if you still looked to care for your plant in the non-flowering season. Just water the plant once every 2-3 weeks instead of once per week.
A typical plant can grow to be 2.5-3 feet in length. This is why it is so good for hanging in baskets.
