Goldfish Plant Care
Common Name: Goldfish Plant
Scientific Name: Nematanthus wettsteinii
Lighting: Bright to Moderate Light
Watering: Moderate to Heavy
The Goldfish plant is characterized by bright orange flowers radiating from glossy green foliage. The flowers looking like orange goldfish thus the name. This houseplant prefers a little more work than others due to the high humidity it requires.
The Goldfish plant prefers bright light. A nicely lit area out of direct sunlight will work perfectly. If the leaves begin to curl up, your plant is most likely not receiving enough light. Try moving it to a more lighted area.
The Goldfish plant requires moderate to heavy water levels. Keep the soil moist at all times, however prevent the soil from being soggy. This houseplant is in the same family as African violets and thus requires high humidity levels. Mist the plant daily to help fulfill its humidity requirement.
This houseplant also needs warmer temperatures. Keep temperatures above 60 degrees. Be sure to also avoid vents and drafty areas. Another area of caution. This houseplant can go into a resting period. If your plant begins to drop healthy looking leaves, keep the plant dryer than usual for about a month, then begin normal watering again. This should spring the plant back into gear.
Seeing as this houseplant can be a tricky one, please share any tips you have with everyone!
Labels: Flowering Houseplants
posted by drayas @ 10:25 PM
15 Comments:
I have had a goldfish plant for 3 years. I have it at a east facing window that gets bright light 6-8 hours a day. I keep it watered but not soggy. I trim it back when stems get over 18". This keeps it bushy. It continually blooms 10 of 12 months.
I finally found a hanging goldfish plant at the end of last summer--according to most greenhouse owners, these were rare because of a poor season in the midwest. It is a young plant, stems are only 6-10 inches, but it seems to be content hanging in a north window of the kitchen. It suprisingly is not very much maintenance. It is above the sink, so that might help increase the humidity during the winter, because it sure gets dry here in Indiana!
It sure is nice to see it's flowers even in the winter!
My son brought home a Goldfish Plant from a school project they did. It was a small cutting in rich potting soil. I had no idea what it was. It has been in our window sill facing east for about 2 months. It is now 14 inches tall and bushed out to 5 stems. I love this plant and wish I had known about them earlier. It loves to be watered and then dried out. I water this one about every 4 days but not heavy. Had to put it in a larger pot today. It is really a beautiful plant with the glossy heavy leaves and "goldfish" blooms. I hear if you keep trimming it back to 18 inches it will really bush out and not get long and leggy. I also hear not to worry if the blooms fall off as it tends to "sleep". Just water less for one month and it will rebloom. Definately recommend this plant. It has grown easily without much care.
My goldfish plant grew find indoors but wouldn't bloom. I asked a nursery and they said the night temperature needs to be below.. some number I forgot! I moved it out outside and its been blooming ever since. I live near the beach in san diego so I don't have to worry about freezing- it stays outside all year. Very easy to propagate from cuttings.
I brought home a goldfish plant about a year ago, in a 3 - 4 inch hanging pot. I hung it above the kitchen sink in the west window. It's been doing great ever since. I hesitate to replant it, as I dont want to disturb it. It sleeps every so often and I have never trimmed it back, but may now, from what I have read. I think this is the first plant I've really had any success with.
Thank you everyone for sharing your tips. Greatly appreciated.
-drayas
I have a gold fish plant that thrives in my south window in the dining room. I don't know now if I should repot it as it has grown so much. Thanks for the help on keeping it trimmed. When do you need to repot it though so it doesn't get root bound.
I brought mine home in a 3 inch pot and immediately repotted it in regular potting soil. I placed it behind my sink in a Westward facing window and it took off! It's been blooming for the last 3 months I've had it. I've watered it every few days. It does dry in between. Good luck.
I have had a goldfish plant for 3 years. It is now giving off a very sticky sap. The sap has damaged the plant stand and the wood floor.Can you tell me why and what I should do?
Thank you
Carolyn
I bought a Goldfish plant about 5 years ago. It was doing really well for a few years. It started to drop leaves and the stems were getting really woody. I wasn't sure what to do with it. I didn't know a lot about this plant back then. Though, I still have the plant today. I have moved out of my old place and into a new apartment. I have trimmed all the dead parts off and watered it and spritzed it. It is actually coming back nicely, new leaves and it is looking good! Still tiny but it is on it's way.
I also just found another Goldfish plant that I actually just bought a few hours ago! I haven't seen one in 5 years, so I bought it immediately. I love these plants, they are so glossy and the flowers are really cute!! Now I know so much more about them that tending to them should be simple.
Is there a best time of the year to replant?
I recently purchased two goldfish plants one for my daughter and one for myself . She has beautiful litte orange flowers she keeps it in a east window.
I have very healthy green but no sign of pretty orange buds . Wher are my flowers?
I think I bought a Goldfish plant about three weeks ago but I'm not sure. I have pictures and will try to upload some. Please help me identify it. It has small rubbery type leaves with a reddish tint on the bottom of them. No flowers yet. I bought it at Home Depot and it did not have a label on it. I put it in a hanging basket that hangs in a West facing window. I've been keeping the soil moist but not wet. All of the sudden the leaves are pulling down but the plant looks good otherwise. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
I received a goldfish plant while in the hospital. I replanted it after I got home and it is on our deck. It's been doing great and growing quite well since the repotting. It just began to bloom a week or so ago. When it bloomed that was how I finally figured out what kind of plant it was.
I have 2 goldfish plants. I am an animal lover so this was a perfect addition. I live in Ohio so we have varied temperatures. My plants do very well outside in the summers from late march or early april through about early to mid september. I start noticing a change with the temperature changes.
These plants are very hardy. They have been knocked off the shelves from time to time, from either the cats or the high winds. I just replanted them in a good quality soil and they bounce back very well. I have also repotted them in larger pots each year and they don't seem bothered by them at all.
I hope that this helps those of you that are having questions about whether they can be transplanted.
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