This week’s houseplant requires a little more “hands on” nurturing – it’s not a water-once-a-week-and-forget-it kind of plant. In fact, getting the watering regimen right for this plant is one of its biggest challenges.
But it is so striking, beautiful and unique, that we absolutely think it’s worth the effort.
The Stromanthe Sanguinea ‘Triostar’ is a tropical plant with magnificent tricolor leaves in hues of green, pink and cream. It’s part of the “prayer plant” family, where the leaves are flat during the day, but then fold up at night, looking like hands in prayer. For this reason it’s sometimes confused with another colorful prayer plant, the calathea.
Caring for your Stromanthe Sanguinea ‘Triostar’
Here’s what you need to do to keep your Triostar happy:
Water: The most challenging part of owning this plant is its watering routine, because the Triostar is a little like Goldilocks – everything has to be just right. It doesn’t like tap water (Triostar is sensitive to the chemicals), so a not too chilled distilled or spring water is preferred. You need to keep the soil moist but without waterlogging it. When it’s cooler out, you can let it dry out a little more.
The leaves will let you know if you need to adjust your watering routine: if they turn brown, it means the plant needs more water; if they are yellow, the plant is waterlogged. Let it dry out and try again.
Light: This plant grew up in the rainforest and prefers dappled light. No direct sunlight, please, as that will burn those gorgeous leaves. You might also want to dust the leaves so it can absorb more light.
Soil: Use a well-draining, light soil. It needs to retain moisture, but can’t be claggy.
Humidity: This is a plant that loves a bathroom window – all that steam and humidity! But if that’s not in the cards, make sure your plant is far away from heating vents or the air conditioner.
With a little love, care, and patience, you’ll get a healthy plant with with extraordinary foliage to enjoy for many years.