Growing Ant Plants: Tips at a Glance
Ant plants or Dischidia pectinoides are viny, trailing epiphytes (requiring no soil) that will thrive in a terrarium. All this houseplant needs to grow is sun, water, and air.
- Type Vining, tropical epiphyte
- Needs Sun, air, bit of water
- Sunlight Filtered
- Flowers Tiny and red
- Blooms Any time of the year
- Friendly Companions Ferns and moss
- Perfect Spot Bathroom
- Design Tip Place in shell, suspend
- Loves Humidity
Ant Plant: A Field Guide
You scratch my back and I’ll give you a hollow, swollen leaf to live in… or something like that.
In the wild, Dischidia pectinoides has struck a deal with ants: Pollinate me and I’ll give you shelter. Fortunately, this room-and-board arrangement stops at the doorstep. The Ant Plant is the perfect bathroom dweller. It loves a bit of filtered light and humidity and doesn’t need soil—it’s an epiphyte. The Ant Plant hails from a family of eccentrics: climbers and vines with pocket leaves. It’s cousin is milkweed.
The Details: Everything You Need to Know About Ant Plants
Ant plants are best as houseplants. They are particular when it comes to heat, watering and soil so it’s best to understand the particulars before bringing one home or growing.
Heat, Humidity, and Sun
Ant plants prefer warm and humid tempuratures where temperatures need to be higher than 60 degrees. Although preferring a warm environment, ant plants should not get direct sunlight, making them ideal indoor house plants. The combination of warmth without direct sunlight make them great plants to place in the bathroom.
Watering Tips
Moist soil is preferred by the ant plant but overwatering is a big no-no. Drainage is key to growing and maintaining a healthy and happy ant plant. Ant plants can sustain dry soil more than it can handle saturated soil.
Soil Preferences
Because ant plants prefer damp soil but can’t handle overwatering, the key is to have soil that offers proper drainage that doesn’t allow for water to collect. As Ant plants are best indoors, continuous fertilizing and checking of soil is key to maintain an ant plant
For more details on ant plants, read through the following articles.
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