Did you placed your Song of India plant somewhere where it can get at least four hours of indirect sunlight daily?
Did you planted your Song of India in a well-drained potting mix?
Did you provide a warm and humid environment for your Song of India?
Are you making sure that the soil is kept consistently moist but never soggy or flooded?
Do you feed your Song of India every 14 days during the growing season with a balanced fertilizer?
Do you keep your Song of India plant free of pests and diseases?
The Song of India requires bright indirect sunlight, at least four hours a day. You will get the most vibrant leaf coloration in these conditions but be sure to remember that too much sun is a bad thing. It can cause scorch which will appear as browning of the leaf tips and margins.
A peaty, well-drained potting mix is best for this plant. It is good to remember that the more peat in the mix the faster the soil will decompose. You will need to repot plants and change the soil to alleviate this issue. Check yearly in the spring if this is a problem. One way to remedy this is by making a potting mix of your own with bark, peat, pumice, vermiculite, and perlite.
When keeping this plant indoors, normal room temperatures of 65-75°F are perfect for the Song of India. It is important to know that it does not tolerate cold well, and even a slight draft near a cold window can do serious harm to this plant that is native to the warm climes of the Indian Ocean. Place the pot on a bed of wet pebbles or regularly mist with water to raise humidity.
Keep your plant’s soil moist but not soaked spring through fall. You should keep it less watered in the winter. Never overwater this plant as it can cause root rot. One issue to be aware of is the genus’ sensitivity to fluoride. A good practice is using bottled, or purified water to water your plants.
The Song of India should be fed bi-weekly in the spring and summer with a 10-10-10 water-soluble fertilizer diluted by half. No feeding is needed during the winter months.
Good job! You are taking good care of your Song of India.
Most notable disease that troubles the Song of India is fusarium leaf spot.
https://www.thespruce.com/growing-the-song-of-india-5087083
https://www.gardenista.com/posts/gardening-101-song-india/
Sreten null
Hi! I’m Sreten Filipović. I graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Belgrade, with a master's degree in Environmental Protection in Agricultural Systems. I’ve worked as a researcher at Finland's Natural Resources Institute (LUKE) on a project aimed at adapting south-western Finland to drought episodes. I founded a consulting agency in the field of environment and agriculture to help farmers who want to implement the principles of sustainability on their farms. I’m also a founding member of the nonprofit organization Ecogenesis from Belgrade whose main goal is non-formal education on the environment and ecology. In my spare time, I like to write blog posts about sustainability, the environment, animal farming, horticulture, and plant protection. I’ve also published several science-fiction short stories.
You can find me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sreten-filipovi%C4%87-515aa5158/
