The inflorescences slightly resemble bird of paradise blooms in some species.
Heliconia is a fast, vigorous outdoor grower in tropical regions.
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Can You Grow Heliconia Inside?
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Only a handful ofheliconia speciesare cultivated for indoor care.
Give it a spot near a west-facing or south-facing window, or supplement natural light with a grow light.
Without adequate light, your heliconia will not flower.
Temperatures of 70F and above are ideal.
As with light, the plant won’t flower if its environment isn’t warm and humid enough.
Run a humidifier near your plant to increase moisture, especially in dry regions or during the winter months.
Brown tips and margins on leaves are signs the plants need higher humidity.
Watering
Heliconia requires ample, regular water to thrive, but plants also need good drainage.
Use tepid water, not cold.
Avoid soggy soil, but be sure to keep the soil from drying out completely between waterings.
Plants subjected to drought will experience leaf-browning, especially along the leaf margins.
Keep some space between heliconia foliage and other plants.
Use stakes to keep foliage from flopping on the soil, which can lead to fungal growth.
For flowering, you want a fertilizer with a higher phosphorus content.
A bone meal supplement can help add phosphorus and strengthen root systems.
Pruning and Maintenance
Remove spent flowers and stems as they fade.
Moisten a soft cloth and wipe any accumulated dust from the plant’s leaves about once a week.
Pollination
Hummingbirds pollinate heliconia plants in the wild.
Indoors, these plants can be pollinated by hand, but replicating the process isn’t easy.
check that it’s planted in a pot with several drainage holes.
Larger pots can cause the plant to focus more on growing upward and making more foliage.
These plants can quickly develop root rot in overly wet soil.
An even mixture of orchid bark and peat moss or coconut coir makes an ideal potting soil.
Though fast-growing, these plants don’t mind being slightly pot-bound and might grow better in a tighter pot.
Plants will clump over time, so divide adult plants to increase your collection and keep them manageable.
It’s essential toslowly acclimatethis indoor plant to a brighter outdoor environment.
After that, gradually introduce your heliconia to dappled shade.
Considerations
Ensure that outdoor temperatures remain above 60F when keeping plants outside.
Heliconiacan likely survive a light frost for a few hours, but you risk killing the plant.
When to Bring Heliconia Back Inside
Keep an eye on night temperatures in the fall.
When they’re in the 60s, start acclimating your plant to its winter environment over a few weeks.
Carefully inspect your plant for insects before bringing it indoors.
Use water from the hose to spray off any bugs on leaves and stems.
Deal with any insect problem before bringing it inside.
Heliconia takes at least two years to bloom.
Heliconias develop blue-black fruits at the end of the growing season.
These fruits are not edible by humans, but birds eat them and spread the internal seeds.
Pick the ripe fruits, allow the flesh to dry away, clean the seeds, and plant them.
Propagate heliconia by dividing and replanting rhizomes during repotting.
Division can lead to better growth and faster flowering than planting from seed.
When growing from seed,scarifythe seeds to speed up the germination process.
Plant them in trays with seed starter mix in a bright location but out of direct sunlight.
Keep the starter mix moist.
