Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)

Polka dot plants (Hypoestes phyllostachya) are common houseplants with colorful foliar displays. They are highly hybridized to produce a variety of colors and types of leaf spotting. Also called freckle face plants, these houseplants are easy to grow and have few pest or disease issues when maintained as indoor specimens.

I. Appearance and Characteristics

Hypoestes phyllostachya, the polka dot plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae, native to South Africa, Madagascar, and southeast Asia. The spots often merge into larger areas of colour.

The genus name Hypoestes comes from the Greek hypo, meaning “under”, and estia meaning “a house”; this refers to the calyxes being covered by bracts. The Latin specific epithet phyllostachya means “with a leaf spike”.

Growing to 30 cm (12 in) tall and broad, it is an evergreen shrub with leaves heavily-spotted pink or white, as if sprayed with paint. This small shrub with green foliage stained with pink-purple dots forms bushy and compact tufts. The leaves are opposite, oval and pointed. They are borne by petioles of 2 to 4 cm 1. The most common type has green leaves with pink spots, although it can range from white to any shade of pink to red. The spots on the undersides of the leaves are far lighter in color, often white.

Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)
Starr 080117-1693 Hypoestes phyllostachya Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 3.0

It may produce small, solitary pink/purple flowers at the nodes that resemble honeysuckle. The small flowers form on the cob at the end of the stems and are pink/purple. The fruit is a many-seeded dehiscent capsule.

This plant does best in partial sun. In the United States, it is winter hardy in zones 10 and 11. It has low drought tolerance, but is rarely damaged by deer. It spreads by cuttings and seedlings.

II. How to Grow and Care

Sunlight

When it comes to growing polka dot plants in the South, you’re looking for just enough light. Don’t set your polka dot plant in full sun, which can burn up the foliage. At the same time, deep shade may result in spindly, less colorful plants. Polka dot plant does well in dappled shade or with a bit of morning sun. The amount of sunlight this plant will thrive on also depends on where you live. The farther north you are, the more direct sun it can take.

If you are growing polka dot plant indoors, set it in bright, indirect light a couple of feet from a window or by an eastern-facing window for a bit of morning sun.

Temperature And Humidity

Polka dot plants take well to summer outdoors because they thrive in humidity. The plants can survive at 50°F but won’t begin growing until outdoor temperatures remain at 60°F or higher. As an annual, polka dot plant naturally flowers and seeds in late summer or fall to complete its life cycle. But pinching back stems will extend its life, and it can survive winter in a frost-free climate or indoors. If your home has low humidity, give your plant an occasional misting with a spray bottle.

Watering

Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)
Polka Dot Plant / Hypoestes phyllostachya / ヒポエステス TANAKA Juuyoh (田中十洋) CC BY 2.0

Keep this tropical plant’s soil moderately moist to prevent wilting and leaf drop. If it does wilt, polka dot plants usually bounce back with a good watering. Container plants do best when slightly moist, but not soggy, at all times. Water when the top 1/2 inch of soil is dry. For houseplants, reduce watering slightly in winter.

Soil

As a tropical specimen, pink polka dot plants like well-draining, moderately moist soil with some organic amendments. However, they can also thrive in sand, loam, or clay soils with various pH levels. They have no salt tolerance and should not be grown in coastal soils. As indoor plants, they prefer rich potting soil or a homemade blend of compost, peat moss, perlite, and bonemeal.

Fertilizing

When the soil is freshly amended, polka dot plants do not need to be fertilized often. If your polka dot plant is confined to a container, it will benefit from a regular feeding schedule. Once per month, feed the plants with a diluted houseplant fertilizer. The N-P-K ratio should be 10-10-10. During winter, suspend feeding until the light levels increase in spring. Outdoor plants may be fed a time-release granular formula with a higher nitrogen number.

Pruning

Cut or pinch back the top two leaves on each stem every week to promote bushier growth and keep your polka dot plant from becoming leggy. When the plant flowers, clip off the flower spike with clean, sharp shears because the plant will enter dormancy after it flowers. Removing the flowers prevents the plant from going into dormancy.

Propagation

Polka dot plants may not be long-lived, but it’s very easy to propagate and produce a new generation of plants for your garden. Propagating patented plants is prohibited, so if you want another Splash Select Pink, pick one up at the garden center instead. Here’s how to propagate polka dot plant from cuttings:

  • Cut a four-inch section of stem with a sharp, sterile pair of pruners or flower snips.
  • Remove leaves from the bottom half.
  • Optional: Place the bottom end of the stem in a glass of water. Make certain at least one node on the stem is submerged. Set the glass near a window but not in direct light. Change the water at least once a week to keep it clean. Roots should begin forming in about a week and the plant can be transplanted after roots grow to about two inches long.
  • Plant your cutting in a pot filled with moist, light, high-quality potting soil, sticking it about two inches deep. Some gardeners skip straight to this step and find the cuttings grow just as easily.
  • Keep soil moist and continue providing bright, indirect light until the plant is well-rooted and growing. Pinch back any leggy stems.

How To Grow from Seed

Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)
Hypoestes phyllostachya gergelyhideg CC BY 2.0

Polka dot plant can be grown from seed any time of year as a houseplant; start seeds eight to 10 weeks before your last frost date if you’ll be taking them outdoors. The seeds can germinate in less than a week in soil that is at room temperature:

  • Fill a small pot with moist potting mix. Use a well-drained potting mix that is porous and includes organic matter such as peat moss.
  • Lightly press several seeds into the potting mix, spacing them out and leaving them exposed to light. You can use five seeds in a four-inch-diameter pot or eight seeds in a five-inch pot.
  • Cover the pot with clear plastic and set in bright, indirect light. Spray the potting mix with water whenever needed to keep it moist.
  • After the seeds sprout, remove the plastic. Water to keep the soil moderately moist.
  • If you plan to move your polka dot plants outdoors, wait until temperatures consistently remain above 50°F before you begin to harden off your plant. Start by placing the pot in a shady spot for an hour on a warm day, then gradually increase the time outdoors and begin to introduce it to morning sun or filtered sunlight.

Potting And Repotting

Polka dot plant is most often grown in a container, where it thrives with the perfect soil mix and consistent moisture. Select a potting mix that contains peat or compost for organic matter as well as perlite or pumice for good drainage. You can always mix in compost and perlite yourself to create a light, porous, fertile mixture. Use a container with drainage holes that is a couple of inches wider in diameter than the original nursery pot. Fill the container partway and set the plant so that the soil line is at the same level as in its original nursery pot. If you want to combine your polka dot plant with other flowers, you can space the plants more tightly together than you would in a garden bed, about six inches apart. Water well.

You’ll know your polka dot plant has outgrown its container once roots start to emerge from the bottom. Select a new container about two inches wider and repot your plant.

Overwintering

If you’d like to bring your polka dot plant indoors for winter, move it before nighttime temperatures drop into the 40s. Start by setting your pot in a shadier spot for a couple of days so it can begin to adjust to lower light. Spray the plant with insecticidal soap to prevent insects from hitchhiking a ride into your home. Then bring the plant indoors and set it near a bright window but away from direct light. Let the soil surface dry slightly between waterings in winter, but don’t let the soil completely dry out. You can bring the pot back outdoors in spring once temperatures stay above 50°F.

Pests and Diseases

Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)
Hypoestes phyllostachya ‘Rose Splash’ Niedośpian ognisty 2018-09-02 02 Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova CC BY-SA 4.0

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

Pests like mealybugs, aphids, and whiteflies can affect polka dot plants. Typical diseases associated with polka dot plants are root rot, leaf-spot diseases, and powdery mildew.3 Telltale signs of infestations or disease include discolored or damaged foliage and insects crawling or feeding on leaves and stems.

Common Problems

Leaves Losing Their Color

Fading leaf color is typically caused by too much or too little sun. Polka dot plants need bright, indirect light to maintain their color, but hot, direct sun can cause variegation to fade.

Leaves Turning Brown or Drooping

Insufficient water and humidity can cause the polka dot plant’s leaves to turn brown or start drooping. Also, too much sunlight can burn the leaves. Hard water and overfertilization are other reasons for a polka dot plant’s leaves turning brown. Adjust your humidity or watering habits to revive the plant.

Leaves Turning Yellow or Dropping Off

Overwatering can cause leaves to yellow and even drop. If you notice yellowing, reduce the amount of water you give the plant and make sure you’re using potting soil with good drainage.

III. Types of Polka Dot Plants

Different varieties of Hypoestes phyllostachya are bred for their leaf coloration, including:

  • ‘Carmina’: has dark green and red-spotted leaves
  • ‘Confetti’: offers green leaves with spots of white, pink, rose, red, or burgundy
  • ‘Pink Brocade’: features green leaves with mottled pink spots
  • ‘Splash’ series: boasts leaves in mixes of greens with splotches of pinks, reds, or whites

III. Uses and Benefits

Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)
Punktblatt (Hypoestes phyllostachya) blumenbiene CC BY 2.0

Hypoestes phyllostachya is cultivated as an ornamental plant and is familiar as a houseplant, but can also be grown outside as an annual plant in cooler climates or a perennial in the subtropics and tropics. In the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Many different cultivars have been created with different foliage colors.

Find Where to Buy the Best Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)

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