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Order a gorgeous Lipstick Plant (Aeschynanthus radicans) to elevate your indoor greenery collection! We love how she reminds us to put our best lips forward and pucker up for a smack. Aeschynanthus produces what looks like miniature red lipstick tubes on her green vines. The Lipstick plant blooms throughout the spring and summer, so fertilize monthly for that classic color to flourish. She can have vines that voluptuously spill over to three feet.Â
Lipstick Plant Care & Buying Guide
This plant prefers bright, indirect light to promote blooming!
Keep your plant's soil consistently moist like a wrung out sponge but not soggy. Use your plant watering meter to gauge the moisture levels. Use tepid, unsoftened, filtered, bottled, or tap water sitting 24 hours to release the chemicals. Bottom water since the leaves lay on top of the soil. Let it sit in the bowl of water, checking with your meter when it is registering moist every fifteen minutes until the topsoil has moistened. (Do not let her sit for hours in the water.) Remove and let her drain thoroughly. Once the water is fully drained, place her back into the cache or decorative pot. Slow down watering in the winter months and back to normal in the spring when she's getting more light.
Although this one is from a native humid climate and will grow faster with higher humidity around it, average humidity levels at least 40% is adequate for this plant's needs.
To keep your plant blooming, avoid cooler temperatures under 70°F. If planted outside, sit her in the shade but give her brighter, indirect light. Beware; the sun will scorch her leaves!
To keep your plant blooming, avoid cooler temperatures under 70°F. If planted outside, sit her in the shade but give her brighter, indirect light. Beware; the sun will scorch her curly leaves!
Fertilize when watering twice a month in the spring and summer with a 1/2 strength water-soluble fertilizer high in phosphorus to encourage blooms. Drop back your fertilizing in the winter to just once a month.
Repot the Lipstick Plant in the early spring in a well draining soil mix with perlite. Bump up the diameter of your container by two inches and ensure it has adequate drainage holes. Add a piece of screen to keep the soil from spilling out but allowing drainage. Water the plant ahead of time to hydrate. Add the mix to the bottom of the new slightly larger container. Tease the roots if they are root bound in the pot. Carefully place it in the center, adding backfill around the edges. Leave a 1/2 inch of space between the soil and the top edge to prevent water spillage. Water thoroughly and let drain.
Prune the long vines of your Lipstick Plant to control her from looky twiggy. Also, you'll encourage new growth for the following year, which is where flower buds will develop. Only prune 25% of the branches at a time, so you don't miss out on the blooms!
Take several 6-8 inch stem cuttings in the early spring before buds have started forming. Use a knife or sharp pruners, and cut below a node on a softwood stem. Remove the bottom leaves to expose the nodes. Dip the ends in rooting hormone and plant in a mixture of 1/3 vermiculite or perlite and 3/4 regular potting mix. Water and loosely cover the cuttings with a large clear plastic bag to create some humidity around it. Continue to water, and give it the bright, indirect light. After 6-8 weeks, test to see if the roots have anchored. If so, you can remove them from the humidity tent and start to fertilize monthly.
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Lipstick Plant: Overview
The Lipstick Plant (Aeschynanthus radicans) is a gorgeous epiphytic vine with glossy pointed leaves and arched, trailing stems. It’s an ideal choice for hanging baskets, as the Lipstick Plant leaves are very decorative and it produces fabulous red blooms. The flowers of the Red Lipstick Plant look like tiny tubes of lipstick, giving it a festive and fun look.
Also known as the Lipstick Vine, this charming indoor plant is semi-succulent, which makes it fairly drought-resistant. The Lipstick Vine Plant belongs to the Gesneriaceae family and is native to Malaysia and Thailand, where it grows on trees, like orchids or bromeliads. Many Lipstick Plant varieties have pink, orange, yellow, or purple flowers, while other types of Lipstick Plant also have curly, twisted leaves.
This lovely tropical vine is suitable for growing outdoors in USDA hardiness zones 10-12. While it only grows about 16 inches tall, an indoor Lipstick Plant can grow vines that reach up to 3 ft. in length, given the proper care. This plant enjoys plenty of bright but indirect sunlight and is moderately easy to care for. It’s also a non-toxic, pet-friendly plant.
The beautiful Lipstick Plant symbolizes charm, passion, and love. Its flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds, making it a perfect plant for encouraging and enjoying pollinators in your garden.
Lipstick Plant: Benefits
- Relatively easy to care for and drought-tolerant
- Improves indoor air quality, acting as an air purifier
- Great gift plant
- Gorgeous red blooms that last for weeks
- Pet-friendly plant
Red Lipstick Plant: Care Guide
If you’re wondering how to care for your Lipstick Plant, it’s not difficult as long as you provide for its basic needs. Note that Twisted Lipstick plant care is identical. Here are our Lipstick Plant care tips to get you started:
Watering and Humidity
Water your Lipstick Plant thoroughly and let any excess water drain. Whether you have a Twisted Lipstick Plant or a variety with normal leaves, it’s important to keep your plant’s soil slightly moist but never soggy. Average humidity is sufficient for your plant, but it will grow quicker in higher humidity. When misting your plant, do so in the morning to allow time for the water to evaporate. Use lukewarm water.
Light and Temperature
Although the Lipstick Plant light requirements aren’t strict, the best place for it is in bright, filtered sunlight. This way it will produce more blooms. Avoid direct sunlight, however, to protect your plant’s leaves from burns. A Lipstick Plant suffers the most and can shed its leaves if exposed to cold drafts or sudden temperature changes. The ideal temperature is 65°F to 80°F.
Soil, Feeding, and Repotting
The best soil for your Lipstick Vine is humus-rich and well-drained. Add some perlite to enhance drainage. Feed your Lipstick Twister Plant monthly with a liquid fertilizer rich in phosphorus and diluted at half-strength to promote better blooming. Repot your plant about once every three years. Water thoroughly before repotting and use a 2-inch larger pot with drainage holes.
Propagation
Lipstick Plant propagation is easy. Take several 6-8-inch cuttings in the spring and remove the lower leaves. Plant in a well-draining potting mix with perlite and cover with a transparent plastic bag to keep humidity high. Once you learn how to propagate a Lipstick Plant, you can get as many new plants as you need.
Pruning, Cleaning, and Common Issues
To take care of your Lipstick Plant properly, prune the vines about 8 inches after blooming to encourage fuller growth. If you have a curly Lipstick Plant, prune it in the same way. An Aeschynanthus plant will bloom better next year after pruning. Clean gently under the shower to remove dust. If you have a Twister Lipstick Plant, wash it under the shower and then allow it to dry well, so no moisture remains in the folds of the leaves.
Crisp or curling leaf tips are a sign of underwatering while yellowing leaves indicate too much water. Don’t allow the leaves to come in contact with the soil to prevent fungal issues like powdery mildew.
Lipstick Plant: Placement, Companion & Alternative Plants
The Aeschynanthus Lipstick Plant looks stunning with its long vines spilling from a hanging basket, radiating color and elegance.
Best Locations & Uses
- Beautiful hanging vine for brightly lit spaces
- Wonderful office plant
- Eye-catching porch plant in warmer climates
- Suitable for more experienced plant enthusiasts
- Ideal for homes with pets
Companion Plants
Combine your Aeschynanthus radicans Lipstick Plant with other tropical plants to create a lush and beautiful indoor oasis:
- Aglaonema Red Siam (Aglaonema commutatum ‘Red Siam’): The beginner-friendly and colorful Aglaonema Red Siam adds a unique tropical vibe to any space.
- Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior): Easy-going and drought-tolerant, the Cast Iron Plant is an ideal plant for people with busy lifestyles.
- Calathea Rattlesnake (Calathea lancifolia): The pet-friendly Calathea Rattlesnake gets its name from its elongated leaves marked with a vivid, dramatic pattern.
Alternative Plants
Other beautiful vining plants to consider for your indoor garden include:
- Philodendron Cordatum (Philodendron cordatum 'Green'): Philodendron Cordatum with its shiny, heart-shaped leaves looks spectacular when trained over a trellis or left to cascade from a hanging container.
- Hoya Carnosa Tricolor (Hoya carnosa 'Tricolor'): The low-maintenance Hoya Carnosa Tricolor has intriguing leaves in cream, pink, and green, blooming with clusters of star-like flowers.
- String of Pearls Plant (Senecio rowleyanus): String of Pearls is a charming easy-care succulent vine.
Order Your Lipstick Plant for Sale From Lively Root Today
Add color and style to your interior with a glamorous Lipstick Plant for sale from Lively Root!