What Is Copperleaf plant?
The copperleaf plant is one of the most decorative and attractive plants that can be easily grown at home. Growing copperleaf plants indoors, outdoors or in a garden brings a unique beauty to your homes and gardens as its long leafy stems provide an elegant look to landscape gardening. You might wonder why it is called “copper” leaf. It is because the leaves are reddish in color and look like copper or bronze leaf.
Copperleaf plant Care & Maintenance:
Growing and caring for copperleaf is easy and reliable. The plant belongs to the Acanthaceae family, which includes other plants such as acanthus and silver dollar plant. These are multipurpose ornamental plants that can be used in landscaping gardens, indoor flower arrangements, etc.
It has been introduced from South Africa where it grows wild in the moist forests of the Transvaal area. The species was identified by Kunth who named it Plectranthus “rugosus”. The name “rugosus” means wavy or wrinkled referring to its leaves with ragged edges.
The young copper leaf plant starts out green in color but slowly changes to purple/red hues as it matures. Its leaves resemble those of Virginia creeper plants. It is a perennial plant that produces beautiful red-bronze leaves and striking bright pink flowers during the spring season.
The copperleaf plant can grow up to 3 feet in height and up to 2 feet wide with time. After growing for quite some months, it will flower in the summer months and give out attractive pink-colored flowers. When grown indoors, its flowering period will be significantly extended as compared to outdoor cultivation. They bloom profusely throughout the year, but they are at their best during the spring season (March-May).
Light Requirements:
The copperleaf plant is originally a woodland plant, which means that it requires bright sunlight to grow well. Make sure you place it near the windowsill or an area where bright sunlight can reach. Mandatory sunlight requirements are fulfilled by providing at least 8 hours of direct sunlight per day and partial shade during the summer season.
Ventilation Requirements:
It really does not matter whether you live in a cold climate or warm climate zone; plants still need proper ventilation to keep their environment fresh and healthy. In general, the ideal temperature for growing any indoor plant should be between 65 – 75°F (18 – 24°C). The temperature may fall under 60°F (16°C) during winter months but it will rise above 70°F (21°C) during summer months.
The best way to maintain a suitable temperature for the plant is to place it near a window with cool drafts. This will improve the air circulation and will keep the environment refreshingly fresh. You can use curtains or blinds for shading if you live in a warmer climate zone as direct sunlight may cause burn injuries to the leaves of your copperleaf plants.
Water Requirements:
Over-watering and under-watering are the two main reasons which cause plant death. You should water your copperleaf plants once every week during the spring season (March-May) when they flower frequently. Watering should be less frequent as the temperature goes higher in the summer months. Once every 10 days will be enough for growing healthy copperleaf plants.
The soil of your pot or planter should always remain moist, but never wet. Under-watering can lead to yellowish leaves with brown spots while over-watering can cause root rot disease that kills off the whole plant within a few week’s time after it starts showing signs of rotting at the roots.
You can check the moisture content of your soil by taking a handful of soil in your palm, closing it into a ball, and then pressing slightly to see if it crumbles. If it crumbles easily with little pressure, the humidity level is right for growing copperleaf plants successfully.
You must water your plant from beneath its leaves because wetting the leaves directly may cause fungal infections which lead to rotting later on. Use lukewarm water as cold water or cold drafts may result in tissue damage while hot water will burn the plants.
Clean Water Requirements:
It is very important that you use clean fresh water for watering your plectranthus rugosus plants. If you are using tap water to feed them then let the tap water stand for at least 24 hours before using it. Filtering your water through a clean cloth or coffee filter will help you improve the quality of your tap water, as well as removing unwanted chemicals and impurities.
The best way to see whether you are using clean water or not is by observing the color and odor of your plant’s soil after watering. If the potting mix becomes lighter in color, then there must be something wrong with your water.
Soil Requirements:
The soil of your copperleaf planter must be able to absorb water and nutrients. It must never remain sticky or wet as this will lead to root rot disease which can cause serious infection to the entire plant. Organic soils are always recommended for growing plectranthus plants because they allow the roots to breathe while at the same time providing it with what it needs from the soil in terms of moisture, fertilizer, and air circulation.
Temperature and Humidity Requirements:
Temperatures below 45°F (7°C) can make your plectranthus plants weak and stunt their growth. While temperatures above 90°F (32°C) will cause root rot disease and may result in the slow death of the entire plant if not treated immediately.
The temperature should always be between 65 – 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the daytime, while at night it can fall to 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit without affecting its health adversely.
Misting Requirements:
Your copperleaf planter must be misted on a regular basis whenever you feel that the leaves are dry. If there is less humidity in your home environment then place your plectranthus plants near cool drafts or air conditioners to promote healthy circulation.
Fertilizer Requirements:
The growing medium of your plectranthus plants must always be enriched with fertilizer to help the plant grow faster and stronger. If you are using a readymade potting mix then it should provide all the required nutrients needed by your plant, so only watering is required during its entire lifetime.
There are many organic fertilizers that you can use in order to keep your copperleaf plants healthy for longer periods of time without any worries about their growth or survival issues.
You can also add fertilizers during every feeding if you have to do so because sometimes the soil may not take up the full amount of fertilizer according to its requirement which means that some may stick around unused.
Potting and repotting Requirements:
You can plant your plectranthus plants directly into the ground as soon as the soil feels a bit dry around their roots. You must remember to plant them at least 1 inch deep so that they can be able to develop sufficient root systems in the shortest possible time.
Prepare your potting mix before planting and water it properly before placing your plectranthus in it for the best results.
During summer, you may need to repot your copperleaf plant because its root system will become large enough to make the existing container too small for it. Always remove all dead roots and prunings from inside the pot because these are not good for growing plants anymore.
Once you have placed your freshly watered plectranthus in its newly repotted pot, you need to water it again so that the soil can become a bit wet before being placed in a drafty area.
If your plectranthus is planted on the ground then wait for another 5 – 7 days before watering it again because it takes time for roots to grow deep enough into the earth and establish themselves properly.
Repotting will provide your plant with new soil which contains all necessary nutrients required by it as well as extra oxygen so that your copperleaf plant can live happily without any problems for many years to come.
Watering Requirements:
Water is needed more than sunlight or humidity when we are talking about plants like plectranthus plants. They require plenty of water every time their soil appears dry to the touch. The growth of your plectranthus will be stunted if they are not watered adequately.
Copperleaf plant Propagation info:
Propagating new plants from your plectranthus is a very simple process that you can do by yourself without any problems. It involves the following steps:
Pruning and trimming Requirements:
You must prune your copperleaf plants properly in order to keep them healthy and looking good for long periods of time. Pruning helps make sure that your plant does not suffer from diseases like black spots or fungal infections because they affect its leaves, stems, flowers, buds, etc.
You should remove 10-20% of its foliage at one go which will provide room for its buds to grow larger with more energy and nutrients so that it can form beautiful blooms during springtime.
You must also make sure that you trim your plectranthus plants between 6 – 8 inches from the ground. This will ensure proper sunlight distribution and allow air to reach its roots properly so that your plant absorbs all available oxygen which is very beneficial for growing healthy shoots during springtime.
Pruning and trimming help your plant grow faster, produce better flowers, and can be useful as well when it comes to controlling pests like caterpillars or whiteflies which feed on leaves of plectranthus plants.
Copperleaf plant Problems:
Leaf spots and fungal infections are the most common problems that you have to deal with when it comes to growing plectranthus plants. These include leaf spot that appears as brown or black marks on leaves, fungal growth around the base of stems in humid areas, etc.
These can be easily dealt with by using a fungicide that guards your plant against all such infections. You must also make sure that air circulation is well maintained in your garden because humidity encourages such growth among other things like salt buildup, etc.
You should never use insecticides on your copperleaf plant for dealing with pests because this will harm its growth and overall health so make sure you take good care of it before applying any harmful chemicals.
Copperleaf plant Pests:
red spider mite, thrips, caterpillars,
Copperleaf plant Diseases:
phomopsis rot/spot, black spot on leaves.
