What Is Rangoon Creeper?
Rangoon Creeper is a vigorous vining plant with heart-shaped leaves, and striking, colorful flowers. It is also known as Vitis cognitive Rolfe and the Common Wine Vine. Nepenthes lowii, commonly called the Raffles pitcher plant or Singapore Pitcher Plant, can be reared in a terrarium.
Rangoon Creeper Care & Maintenance
Rangoon Creeper is a tropical perennial that can grow up to 5 meters in height. It can be trained as a climber or left free-standing. The plant produces purplish-red flowers followed by green berries that turn yellow and red as they ripen from August to December.
Rangoon Creeper is hardy down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit and has been known to survive winter temperatures as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit with minimal damage. However, it should be protected from frost if possible.
Rangoon Creeper prefers full sunlight but will tolerate partial shade and requires moist soil that drains freely. Regular watering during the growing season will keep the plant’s leaves strong and the blooms plentiful, although over watering may cause the plant to suffer from mildew and root rot.
Rangoon Creeper produces tender fruits that should be monitored carefully as they mature to make sure that birds do not eat them and spread the seeds around your neighborhood! Rangoon Creeper does well in containers but may benefit from being staked due to its heavy fruit load.
Light Requirements
Rangoon Creeper is a plant that can be grown in low, medium, or high light conditions.
Low Light: 10 to 20+ hours of fluorescent light per day and partial shade.
Medium Light: Bright, indirect sunlight with 6-8 hours of direct sun per day.
High Light: Direct, bright sunlight without any shade or blooming flowers nearby (leaves will burn).
Water Requirements:
Keep soil evenly moist during the growing season, allowing it to dry out between waterings.
Rangoon Creeper prefers moist soil that drains quickly. A layer of mulch or pebbles will help with watering and drainage.
Keep soil moist but not soggy. Water regularly and allow the top 1″ of soil to dry out between waterings. Mist foliage often increases humidity.
Soil Requirements:
Rangoon Creeper likes its soil to be a bit acidic, so mix in peat moss and sand.
Extend the growing season by protecting your Rangoon Creeper in climates with cold winters.
Grow Rangoon Creeper as an annual or keep it indoors for year-round enjoyment. Keep soil evenly moist during the growing season, allowing it to dry out between waterings.
Temperature and Humidity Requirements:
For short-term care, place Rangoon Creeper in a room above 50 degrees F. between sunlight periods.
For long-term storage, keep your plant outside during the summer and bring it indoors before fall temperatures drop below 50 degrees F.
Rangoon Creeper has not developed any preference for temperature ranges but will do best with average temperatures of 70 – 85 degrees F. night.
It will also need humidity levels of 40% or higher; however, this can be difficult to achieve without using a humidifier or other means for increasing moisture levels. The plant will benefit from being moved into an area where air circulation is strong while avoiding direct drafts (i.e., windows and fans).
Fertilizing Requirements:
Fertilize every 2 weeks in spring and summer with a balanced fertilizer diluted by half.
Rangoon Creeper prefers to be fertilized once a week rather than at once, but it is important not to go over this recommended amount.
It is also vitally important to avoid over-watering when the plant has been recently fertilized since excess nitrogen can lead to rapid growth that may not have time to harden off before frost.
Potting and repotting Requirements:
Pot Rangoon Creeper in spring or summer, when the plant is actively growing.
Use a container with drainage holes and mix light, peat-based potting soil with roughly 20% perlite or vermiculite.
Place your Rangoon Creeper in an area that receives indirect sunlight; keep soil evenly moist during the growing season, allowing it to dry out between waterings.
Rangoon Creeper likes its soil to be slightly acidic (6), so mixing up some homemade compost would give you the best results for this particular plant. Re-pot into larger containers as needed every 2 years, starting from when you first get them at around 4 months of age till they reach maturity.
Propagation info:
Harvest the seeds from ripe fruits as soon as they are ready. Rinse and allow them to dry on a paper towel for 2-3 days, then store in an airtight glass container in a cool, dark place until planting time.
Mature fruit may be opened by cutting along the sides with a sharp knife or placing it into boiling water for about 30 seconds.
Sprout your seed for 10 to 14 days at 60 degrees F; use cactus pots or propagation flats with soil that drains well.
Watering Requirements: Keep potting medium moist all year long (don’t let it dry out). Use a large enough container so that it can accommodate its growth without being crowded.
Disease and Insect Info:
Culture your Rangoon Creeper in an area where it will be exposed to plenty of sunlight but protected from the cold.
It is susceptible to wilt disease, spreading rapidly when plants are close together or crowded into a small space. Yellowing leaves with brown edges indicate a problem with watering; the soil may be too wet, causing rot.
Rangoon Creeper grows best in temperatures between 60-75 degrees F. Avoid over-watering (the plant has no real preference for soil type), particularly if you use a peat-based potting medium since this tends to retain more moisture than other types of potting mixes used for growing cacti.
Strong air circulation is also important in preventing fungal diseases from developing, so make sure that your plant’s containers allow for plenty of cross ventilation and avoid placing them too close to a radiator or other heat source (even if it’s turned off). Rangoon Creeper Problems:
Insects typically attack plants when proper growing conditions are not met. These insects are usually a problem with new growth. They can be kept to a minimum by keeping your plant properly watered (so that leaves don’t become over-dried) and feeding it regularly with small amounts of fertilizer throughout the year.
Regular misting or spraying will help to keep most leaf-eating insects away from your Rangoon Creeper. If you notice any unusual skeletons found near your Rangoon Creeper during the day, this may indicate an infestation of mealybugs or thrip pests in need of treatment; however, if you find that they have been left
behind at dusk, this may indicate the presence of an infestation of spider mites requiring a more thorough treatment process.
You can mist your plant with plain water to keep down insects, use a commercial soap-based insecticide (following all label directions), or spray your plant with a mixture of water and dishwashing liquid.
Rangoon Creeper used in Tropical/Tender Plantings: Rangoon Creeper should be planted outdoors once night temperatures remain above 50 degrees F. They are tropical climbers and will require cold protection during the winter p, particularly if they are tropical climbers ey are tropical climbers they are grown outdoors in non-tropical climates.
Depending on how hardy they are and whether you live in a warm climate zone, it’s possible to get away with planting your Rangoon Creeper outdoors year-round, although this may require keeping it in a pot and moving it indoors during the winter.
