Growing Episcia Indoors

BOONKIAT: I grow my Episcia in two parts of burnt earth and one part of top soil. As the burnt earth available nowadays contains too much silt, I prefer to sift them before use. In highrise gardening, drainage is very important for the plants to do well. I grow them on plant-stands as well as on the floor of my north-east facing balcony due to space constrains. Left: Boon Kiat's Episcia plants grown on the floor of his balcony.

MAMAT: The only success I have is with Episcia cupreata, which I have grown it for five years where the plants now cascade down from a high hanging pot placed in the corridor. It has leaves of the size of an adult man's fist. Other plants like 'Tropical Topaz', 'Pink Panther' and 'Suomi' aren't doing that well.

I have some that I grow at the foot of my tall Hibiscus and Bougainvillea plants. However, this has resulted in a somewhat messy arrangement

I grow my plants in normal burnt soil - those that you find in the nursery. I am not too much of a mulch, peat, cocopeat compost user and fertilize using sheep dung. I do not want them to be too pampered!

Growing Episcia Outdoors

GLORIA: I grow my Episcia both as potted plants as well as in the ground. I have some that are in pots or plastic baskets, and allowed to have their stolons rooting directly into the ground. Within my potted Episcia, some are wicked, while others are not. I use lots of perlite to ensure good drainage and I keep the potting mix moist all the time Wherever I grow Episcia in my garden, I always place them with a significant amount of shelter from rain. All my Episcia plants get a few hours of direct sunlight every day.

MONA: All my Episcia plants are grown in pots. Most of my plants are grown in soilless mix consisting of 1 part of peat moss, 1 of part vermiculite and 2 parts of perlite. I grow them everywhere around the house. Right: The shaded roof of Mona's Atrium where she grows some of her Episcia plants.

SEAN: I grow my Episcia in pots as well as ground cover. Some of my plants are grown in pots placed outdoors with the same conditions as those planted in the ground. They get morning sun and good air circulation, which helps to prevent them from rotting away from too much water. I feed them with slow-release Osmocote granules once every month. Those in pots are grown in a normal potting mixture

BOONKIAT: Try to give them the sunniest location that you can afford though you need to experiment on the optimum conditions to grow them well. Each variety has its own unique light requirements and we have to experiment to determine the best for them. Also, devise a soil mixture that will start to dry out by the 3rd if not 4th day to prevent rot. Remove stolons to promote healthy growth and flowering and give the plants as much leaf space as you can afford.

Above: Episcia plants make good ground cover in the outdoors for Gloria and Sean.

GLORIA: Tips to grow them or at least, and to ensure that they survive (HAHA):

• Well-drained soil or potting mix
• Their leaves require shelter from heavy rainfall or will be damaged and rot very quickly
• Give them more sun than you would expect- colouration is brighter
• Do not be too anxious to fertilise - too much fertiliser results in very tender leaf growth that seem more susceptible to mealy bugs and other pests
• If you want flowers rather than more stolons, you must pinch off the stolons as they are produced and allow the existing plant to get bigger.

MAMAT: From my limited experience: give them ample water, never allowing them to dry out, and some sun too, otherwise the growth will be slow. The ones that I got recently didn't really do well as I initially placed them on the floor of the growing area. They need good drainage too.

MONA: I am still learning to get to know this fascinating plant. Each cultivar has a character of its own, some are fussy and others are easy growers. One thing for sure is that they love warmth and humidity.

As for watering and feeding... I water whenever the soil feels dry to the touch. I fertilize every 2 weeks with DynaGro 7-9-5 fertiliser at dose of 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water. Any balanced fertilizer would also do. I feed them whenever need be (at most, monthly), with fish emulsion.

Maintenance for Episcia is high, especially, especially when they are planted in pots. I find that I need to replant them after a few months... They lose their vigour and become unsightly. Some problems encountered with Episcia are: fungal leaf-spots, mealy bugs, leaves turning brown from low humidity and too dry onditions, dying back of the plant if it is overwatered or given too little air circulation. Left: A 2-in-1 gadget that combines a hygrometer and thermometer, which Mona uses in her atrium.

SEAN: I noticed Episcia has a tendency to change the colour and the pattern of their leaves in tune to the amount of light they receive. The best conditions I have accessed to growing them outdoors is to put them in positions where they get some amount of good morning sun and semi-shaded positions for the rest of the day. To create a good-looking plant, I would advice to cut mature stolons and plant them in the same pot as the parent to create a fuller display.

Green Culture Singapore (GCS) would like to thank Gloria, Mamat, Mona, Sean and Boon Kiat for their time to answer the interview questions sent to them via private message.

The Green Culture Singapore Garden Interview made its debut in September 2005. It is a monthly feature article aimed to showcase the gardens of Singaporeans. If you wish to share your garden with the rest of the GCS family, do send an email to the Administrator.