What Is a Callisia Repens?
Callisia Repen’s‘ Pink Lady’ (which you can also think of as pink lady sedum) is a trailing houseplant that has small, glossy green leaves and clusters of tiny white flowers.
Callisia Repens is a trailing, ground cover perennial that produces small pink or white flowers in the summer. Its 3-inch leaves can be deep green with dark splotches or light green and hairless.
Callisia Repens is often grown as an indoor plant. If you are one of those gardeners who will be keeping this trailing perennial outdoors in the landscape, choose a site that enjoys full to partial sun.
Be careful not to plant it near heat sources like your home or concrete walkways and driveways, which can draw up moisture from the soil causing root rot and other problems during the summer months.
It does best planted near shrubs that provide pollen and nectar for pollinators though it will not be able to spread around on its own without help like many ground covers do.
Callisia Repens Care & Maintenance:
Callisia Repens can be grown on average to slightly dry soil that is well-drained but moist.
This trailing perennial prefers light shade or partial sun. In hot summer months, it does best with morning sun and afternoon shade with a quality organic mulch applied over the roots and surrounding area.
A high-quality compost will provide nutrients for the Callisia Repens if you choose not to feed your plant year-round using synthetic fertilizers such as Miracle-Gro (which are harmful to pets and other wildlife).
If you notice yellowing leaves on your plant, it may be experiencing stress from being overwatered (or underwater plants tend to develop iron deficiency even though they have plenty of moisture available) so test your soils with a soil pH or moisture meter and adjust as necessary.
If you find an iron deficiency, you can use chelated iron to help restore the flow of chlorophyll in your plant. Many gardeners swear by using 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts added to one gallon of water every two weeks or so (following label directions).
Where To Buy:
Light Requirements:
Callisia Repens does best when it receives some direct sunlight, especially during the summer months. It is commonly found in shade gardens, under deciduous trees, and near walls where it can get plenty of filtered light.
Water Requirements:
During the winter months, Callisia should only be watered to keep the soil slightly moist (not soggy).
In general, water them sparingly throughout the growing season so that you don’t overwater it but make sure to give enough moisture for your plant so that its roots are able to absorb as much nutrients as possible from the soil.
Depending on your location, the summer months will require more watering than the winter.
Use a moisture meter (or water when the top inch of soil feels dry to touch) once they start growing again in the springtime.
It is important to apply approximately 1-inch of water per week until you are at your normal rainfall totals for your area and then cut back on how much you are watering it.
Soil Requirements:
Callisia Repens requires rich, well-drained soil that is high in organic matter.
Your best bet is to go with a standard potting mix or some type of compost or mulch. If you notice yellowing leaves (or if petals on any flowers are beginning to curl) it may be because your plant is experiencing an iron deficiency.
Because Callisia Repens is so low-growing, it outgrows its topsoil faster than many other plants which means you’ll need to add an extra inch of compost every springtime and use a soil pH tester to make sure the underlying dirt has plenty of nutrients for your plant.
Callisia Repens can grow well in most soils as long as they are well-drained and do not suffer from high amounts of salts, lime, or other alkaline/heavy elements. If you have heavy soil with an excess amount of minerals, it may be a good idea to mix the existing soil with compost or peat moss before planting your Callisia Repens.
Temperature and Humidity Requirements:
Callisia Repens prefers to be kept at a temperature between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit. It is not recommended that it be placed in areas where temperatures stay above 85 degrees as this can cause the plant to suffer from heat stress or burn.
It does best when humidity levels are kept between 30-50% and should never be exposed to any type of frost, even if it is coming from overhead sprinklers or covers for your plants.
If you live in an area that ever experiences cold weather, keeps your Callisia Repens indoors in an area where it receives plenty of indirect sunlight so it doesn’t become deformed by frost damage.
The general rule of thumb is for the soil (not the air) to be kept between 60-75 degrees during the day and 55-65 degrees at night during the growing season.
If you find yellowing leaves on your plant, check to see how much sunlight your Callisia is receiving (or if you need to water it more). If you can’t give it what it needs for proper growth, consider moving it outdoors so that it will get all of the natural daylight possible.
Fertilizing Requirements:
One of the best fertilizers to use for Callisia Repens is a 20-20-20 fertilizer or something similar.
Use low doses (such as 1/8th cup) every time you water your plants, especially during the spring months when it is actively growing. It can be helpful to do this once in a while if the plant begins to look pale or yellow from lacking nutrients from the soil.
Contrary to what some people may think, too much fertilizer is better than not enough because it will at least let you correct any deficiencies and try again later on down the line rather than having it die altogether because there wasn’t enough nourishment available in the dirt.
Pruning Requirements:
Callisia Repens very little pruning and can grow well even with the flowers still attached to the main stem.
As it gets older, you may notice that some flowers begin to die or fall apart after a while.
You can either cut off any dead flowers that are left on your plant (a scissor works fine for this) or leave them as-is until they wither away on their own. The choice is completely up to you!
If you do want to remove all of the dying petals entirely, be sure not to take too many off at one time and leave at least 3-4 behind so that it won’t look like there’s anything wrong with the plant.
This way, if a few more fall off, later on, it will still look natural and not like something is wrong with your plant.
Potting and repotting Requirements:
You should repot your Callisia Repens every 2-3 years, or whenever the plant is getting too big for the pot you put it in.
Make sure to use a light soilless mix (which can be as simple as perlite and peat moss) with a pH level between 5.5-7.
You shouldn’t need to add any fertilizer when you repot your plants because they are still receiving nutrition from the old soil that didn’t get removed during transplanting.
Although most growers recommend using plastic pots instead of clay ones, I personally find that plain ole’ terra cotta work best for me if you choose to go this route. As long as there are drainage holes on the bottom of the pot, you’ll find that it will work just fine!
Be sure to let the soil dry out fully before watering it again (watering in small amounts throughout the day is better than placing it all in one spot at least once a day).
If you notice cracked or broken pots after transplanting your Callisia Repens, place these into your garden where they can get plenty of water and sunlight but no fertilizers so that whatever is inside of them will not suffer from anything extra.
Callisia Repens Propagation:
This is an easy plant to grow from seed. Just make sure you can clearly see the white insides of it so you know that they are viable enough to even germinate in the first place!
Some people also like to start their plants through cuttings, but with such a fragile stem, I don’t recommend ever doing this.
Once it starts growing, your plant will require very little care and will slowly start to spread throughout your garden in no time!
Since this is such a forgiving plant, there really isn’t much to worry about. However, if you do notice any early signs of trouble with it (flowers falling off, brown or yellow leaves, etc.)
Be sure to take note of them and either find out where the problem lies or try to correct it as soon as possible.
Problems can usually be fixed by giving the plant more water/nutrients or providing better humidity around it so that bugs can’t feast on its tender flesh.
Unless you’re growing these indoors in a greenhouse or other controlled environment, I wouldn’t recommend using pesticides on your plants as they tend not to react well at all when exposed regularly to these chemicals.
Just be sure to check on your plants regularly and give them the TLC they deserve!
With proper care, you can expect your plant to bloom anywhere from 3-12 times per year (though this does depend on a lot of different factors).
Callisia Repens Pest Problems & Solutions:
In certain areas of the world, you may be bothered by pests such as spider mites and aphids.
They are known to spread quickly throughout your garden if you aren’t careful and start attacking other plants in the area.
Fortunately, there are many different solutions for dealing with pests including neem oil (which most organic gardeners swear by!), insecticidal soap, and others that don’t involve any harsh chemicals at all!
To prevent an infestation from occurring in your garden at all is one of the best things you can do.
Plant a diverse selection of flowering ornamental plant varieties that will attract pollinators like bees and butterflies to come into your yard on a regular basis!
You’ll also want to consider getting an organic spray in order to kill off any bugs that may appear on your plants at the start of their infestation.
It might be a good idea to try out something like Neem oil or insecticidal soap before moving into full-on pesticide territory as they will help you with the problem without killing off all of your helpful pollinators as well.
As far as other things go, most pests don’t usually tend to gravitate towards this Callisia species unless they are being attacked by aphids and/or spider mites (both of which are harmful for them anyway).
When growing indoors, it’s also a really good idea to make sure that there aren’t any pest problems that originated from other areas in your home.
Sometimes if you have a bad bug or rodent problem in one place, they might find their way to your plants through the vents or ventilation fans!
