Inch Plant

Other common names: Silver Inch Plant, 吊竹梅

The inch plant is a creeping, herbaceous shrub that can grow up to 15cm tall. It has hairy leaves with silver and purple stripes on its upper side, while the underside is uniformly purple. Its stems are green and have purple shoots.

A perennial plant, the inch plant is a great for indoor plant that is suitable for hanging planters and containers. It can also be used as a living mulch for shady areas.

Sun and soil needs:

This plant thrives in 4-6 hours of indirect sunlight, and can tolerate up to 4 hours of direct sun. Plants do best in pots with loamy soil at least 10cm deep, or in true ground. These plants are vulnerable to root rot, so ensure that your pots drain well, and that your soil has plenty of organic matter to let the roots breathe.

Growing:

Too much light will dull the variegation on its leaves while too little light will cause the purple hues to fade. Inch plants tend to get fertiliser burn, and should be fertilised only once every 3-4 months with a dilute balanced fertiliser or a slow-release fertiliser. Inch plants can become leggy and will need regular pruning to keep it bushy.

As with all potted plants, regular repotting once a year will prevent it from becoming root bound.

Propagation:

Inch plants can be propagated by stem cuttings.

Common problems & solutions:

This plant is relatively resistant to pests and disease if kept healthy.

Aphids, mealy bugs, and spider mites often infest the plant if it has underlying problems like repeated wilting from heat stress. Mechanical pest control methods like pruning the infested parts are the best methods for managing these pests in the short term, but resolving the underlying problem will prevent them in the long term.