Like the Snack, their blooms smile back!
Learning how to care for your new goldfish plant? We can help! Columnea Gloriosa is this plant’s botanical name, and it is one of the most unique plants to hit the market in 2022. These plants enjoy a good bit of bright, indirect light during the growing season. They have flowers that are shaped like little goldfish, from which it gets its name.
They are native to parts of southern Mexico, Brazil and Costa Rica. This is a rainy area especially in the summertime, so they will require more frequent watering than most plants. Water them just as the top 2-3 inches of soil dry out. You will also be able to visually note when it needs water as the leaves will droop due to lack of moisture. The most important thing with these guys is not to let the soil dry out completely.
These are a great plant to place on top of a desk, and they will delight you with their springtime blooms. During the winter, it may be best to water the plant less, as it will help to support more blooms in the spring and summer. When growing indoors, this plant will do well in both eastern and western facing windows, and will need an approximate 2 hours in the sunlight to promote regular growth. This plant does have a habit of getting a bit leggy when in lower light positions. However, if you are going for a bushier look to your plant, you can always cut your plant at the leggy ends, and propagate them into new soil! Those that take, will offer you its blooms for the next growing season.
If you’re growing these plants outdoors during the summer season, southern windows will be ideal for this plant through winter when the sun is lower in the sky. The additional brightness will offer the best opportunity if you choose to continue growing through the winter. When growing outdoors, the ideal temperature will be between 65º-80º. Personally, I live in hardiness zone 7b, and I will keep my plants outside from about mid-April until mid-September. They do not like direct sun, you may risk the leaves burning if left out for too long. When outside, these plants prefer a nice bath of morning sun, and after a shady afternoon, a nightcap of evening rays. This will ensure your plant is getting maximum potential daily light, and you plant will thank you by blooming and showing off its goldfish flowers!
To fertilize this plant, I usually put about ½ a teaspoon of slow release fertilizer at the beginning of the growing season around mid-April and again in late July. Depending on what fertilizer you use, you may opt for half strength. Too much fertilizer may cause your leaves to burn. Through my fertilizing schedule, I’ve found it takes my plants through the winter season, and will only need to be fertilized at the beginning of next season. This applies for most of my non-desert plants. If you notice your growth starting to slow down, it may be a lack of fertilizer. It helps to top-off your plant with a high-phosphorous, water-soluable fertilizer to get it back to full growth potential without risking over-fertilization.
As winter comes to a close, you may start to notice how much your plant has grown over the last year. Is it time for a re-pot? Try to do this test just before watering day, but tug at the foliage and try to wiggle the plant out of its pot. If there are roots starting to circle it, gauge how extensive the circling is to make your determination. A good rule of thumb is by seeing how deep the bottom of your pot is filled with roots. Funny enough, I usually use my thumb to check how extensive the root system is, and by the time they circle past the width of my thumb, I will re-pot then. Don’t think you need to repot every year though, some plants are slower growers than others, and may only need to be repotted once every two or even three years.
All in all, this is one of the most interesting plants I have ever grown, and the unique blooms that they offer is one of the many simple joys I get to see in the garden. Great for the beginner plant owner as it will tolerate a wetter root system than most plants – and I am a notorious over-waterer. If you are out of town a lot, or looking for a plant that is more drought-tolerant, try our desert plants page!