Medinilla Intermedia

Medinilla Intermedia Care

Medinilla Intermedia

What is the plant

Medinilla is a tropical broadleaf evergreen plant. If you’ve traveled through Southeast Asia, you may have marveled at this tropical beauty growing on tree branches, dangling its vivid 18-inch flower panicles down like clusters of otherworldly grapes. Flower gardeners who live in USDA growing zones 10 and 11 can grow Medinilla as a tender perennial outdoors, but others must grow this exotic flower as a houseplant or patio tropical.

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Humidity

Normal

Lighting

Part Sun

Temperature

min 10°C

Hardiness zone

10 - 11

Difficulty

Medium

Hibernation

Cold Period

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Medinilla plants need above-average moisture and they don’t like drying winds. Soil should be kept consistently moist but not soggy. Reduce watering slightly during the winter.
Pruning
Indoor potted Medinilla plants can be kept at a manageable size by pruning down the branches immediately after the plant flowers.
Fertilizer
The Medinilla is a light feeder, and excessive nitrogen will cause the plant to produce lush foliage at the expense of the blossoms. An occasional feeding with liquid compost will give the plants all the nutrients they need and help keep the soil in the optimal mildly acidic pH range.

Disease diagnosis

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Sunlight
All Medinillas grow best in dappled shade; direct sun will scorch the leaves or cause leaf drop. Consider the Medinilla's habitat: as it grows nestled in the lower branches of large trees in the jungle, it receives dappled sunlight; you should try to provide similar conditions.
Soil
Medinillas grow well in an orchid potting mix with some peat moss mixed in; they appreciate the slightly acidic soil conditions created by peat moss. Or you can use a diluted acidifying fertilizer to adjust the soil pH.
Temperature
This is a tropical plant that needs warm temperatures. This doesn’t mean Medinillas crave triple-digit temperatures: the ideal growing temperature is 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures below 50 degrees may cause the plant to yellow or drop its leaves. Winter temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees stimulate the natural winter dormancy of the plant and encourages bud formation in late winter.