Variegated Plant Care

Let’s face it, we mostly know two phenotypes available in plants. They are either some shade of green or flowering. As the plant hobby becomes more popular, a lot of people are experimenting in propagation and lab culturing plants. Variegation occurs in nature naturally mostly due to mutations within a plants genetic sequence. Where some chains were once off are switched on and vice versa. When we see a mutation, we are able to duplicate that mutation in a laboratory environment. Plants with variegation require a bit more care and attention in my honest opinion.

Humidity Requirements

Most of our variegated beauties are tropical plants and they come from tropical and sub tropical regions. Even without the variegation they would need decent humidity levels to prevent crispy edges on the leaves. Since we’re talking about plants with colors lighter than the traditional deep green, humidity is very important. Humidity levels consistently below 40% will result in crisping of the leaves especially in the variegated areas. Variegated areas will actually crisp quicker than the traditionally green counter parts. Air movement with high humidity levels is just as important as the humidity itself. If your levels are high but there is no air movement, you risk the chances of mold development. The type of air movement matters as well. To keep this is as simple as I can, keep your humidity above 50% and keep warm to lukewarm air flow around your plant. Too warm air circulating around your leaves will still cause damage. Hot air is typically dry air.

Is watering really all that different?

Watering is one of the top taboos in the gardening world. How much is too much, how often should you water, and so on. Variegated plants add a little caveat to the watering scandal. If you follow my Instagram you can see most of my variegated plants are darn near free of blemishes. Imma let you in on some of my secrets. First major secret, I have never watered my plants on a schedule variegated or not. I know it’s hard to believe but I’m serious. I often see people on Facebook commenting in groups of how their plants are suffering one way or the other. The first question I ask is, how’s your watering, have you checked the roots? Most issues with plants can be rectified by treating or inspecting the roots. With that in mind self watering pots are both a godsend and a curse. These pots can be greatly advantageous for variegated plants. The key to self watering pots is allowing the pot to dry out between refills. If you’re not using a self watering pot, use the wooden chopstick/dowel method. You take either one, stick the stick into the pot until you reach the bottom, l ave it for 3-5 seconds then pull back out. If your media is between 25-50% dry, it’s time to water. When I say dry, the stick will come out with no soil on less than 50-25% of the stick.

The second key to watering variegated plants is what you’re watering them with. Now, I’m no degree certified horticulturalist but I’ve been doing this for 14 years. In my years of experience you need these things to see optimal variegation retention: silica, mycorrhizal fungi, fertilizer, and prop drops. We know how fertilizing plants keeps them healthy and strong but let’s dive into these other additives. First up is silica. Silica is a chemical compound made of silicon dioxide and oxygen. Silica ultimately helps strengthens the plants cell walls. The stronger the cells walls, the more resilient the plant becomes. This resiliency translates into variegation retention. Silica also aids in the physical and structural support of the plant. When adding solids to your water be sure you are using a water soluble version. Silica can also be directly added to the potting media of your choice. Plants that are undergoing significant periods of stress may need more silica than usual. Mycorrhizae fungi had a symbiotic relationship with plants. The fungi in nature, resides in the soil and has a multitude of benefits for the roots of your babies. Some of those benefits are as follows:

• Nutrient exchange: The fungi receives sugars from the plants roots and the plant receives water and nutrient waste from the fungi
• Nutrient Absorption: The fungi has little ridges called hyphae and they literally touch the plant. While they are touching, the hyphae act as root extenders increasing surface area for absorption, ultimately increasing nutrient exchange.
• Increase Resiliency/Reduces Stress: Just like silica, mycorrhizae fungi increases resiliency to diseases in the soil and decreases the impact of stress from adverse conditions.

Now that I’ve given a little synopsis on the science behind water additives to keep your variegated beauty beautiful, let’s look at some other factors that could impact variegation.

What else could be effecting my variegated leaves?

If you’ve done all the above and your variegation is still being particularly sparse, don’t worry I got a few more tricks up my sleeve. We’ve discussed watering and additives to your water but let’s talk potting and lighting. You hear a lot about bright indirect light and most of the time, error in this area is forgivable. Variegation depends gravely on lighting conditions. If your plant is receiving minimal light, you’ll have minimal variegation and vice versa. In my other plant care blogs I explained that every plant could appreciate some direct sun at some point during the day. This is true for variegated plants as well but close attention must be paid or consequences will follow. Early morning sun of the only sun guaranteed to not cause damage to the variegated portion of your leaves. Early afternoon sun can be ok depending on your region. Best rule of thumb is to allow early morning sun then supplement with grow lights. Late evening sun as it sets is ok as well. If you have these plants outside, be sure to cover with shade cloth. This acts as a partial sun situation. Outside of lighting, potting is a major factor. I bet you’re wondering what potting your plant has to do with variegation but to be honest, it has a lot to do with it. If your plant isn’t properly potted your roots will suffer. What happens to any plant when the roots suffer? There can be leaf damage, and ultimately plant damage or death. Use a chunky potting mix and be sure not to over water your plant as discussed in the section above and your roots should be happy.

Need some additional help or do you have a specific question, start a chat. I’m always happy to help.