Medinilla

Medinilla Magnifica also known as Rose grape or the Philippine orchid are very unusual houseplant, treasured for their beautiful cascading long lasting flowers reminiscent of wisteria and grapes. They are found in the tropical rain forests in the Philippines in the trees.

Like orchids these plants are epiphytes, meaning they grow on other plants without stealing their water or nutrients or causing any harm, but they are not actually an orchid, rather a flowering evergreen shrub.

These Rose Grape do well indoors in a bright warm room with high humidity. For best results place your Rose Grape to one side of a bright window or skylight and not too close to a heating source or a draught. Indirect bright light is best, but they can tolerate early morning or late evening sunshine on the flowers and foliage, so next to an east or northwest facing window should work well.

The leaves scorch quite easily as do the blooms, so it is important that they do not get direct sunlight touching them in the hottest part of the day. They can be quite sensitive to temperature, ideally you are aiming for 17- 25 degrees Celsius through the summer and in winter from 16 – 21 degrees Celsius, the slightly cooler temperatures through winter help to bring on the blooms.

Rose grapes are not overly thirsty plants, but you should water your Rose Grape as soon as the top inch to inch and a half of soil has dried out, they do not like to sit in water so ensure to allow all the excess water to drain away before you place it back into the outer pot cover. Rather than watering on a routine, be sure to check the soil regularly and only water once it has dried through the top enough, as their water need will change quite dramatically from season to season it will be a better way to water your plant.

Because these plants grow in a tropical rainforest they do require high humidity (From 69%+), Most homes can be quite dry, so you may consider one of the few different options to raise the humidity levels for it. You can put the plant on a pebble tray and regular top up the water keeping the water below the pebble line, to ensure the plant is not sitting in water. Or you can get reasonable priced portable plant humidifier, alternatively, if you have enough space a kitchen or bathroom that would work well as humidity is nearly always higher in these rooms.

To keep your plant looking good, remove any spent flowers after they have faded cutting the flower stalk right back to where it had grown from then move to a slightly cooler spot for several weeks to encourage new growth.

Feed your Rose grape with a plant fertiliser for flowering plants that can be diluted and put in with water to refrain from burning the roots, an orchid feed is suitable but use one that you dilute in water, not one of the slow-release drips left in the soil. Feed the plant every time you water through spring summer and autumn, and every other water through the winter.

Problem solving:

Shrivelled leaves, slight yellowing or crisp foliage and flower drop is usually due to lack of water so give your plant a good water and allow the excess water to drain away from the root ball after watering.

If your plant has a weak or has a rotten base, no new growth, yellowing lower leaves, then you plant has been overwatered. Helping the plant to dry out quickly by removing the planting pot for the pot cover, place the plant In a warmer airy position where any excess water can drain, and allow longer between watering, ensure to remove any badly damaged sections.

Sudden movement to an environment that the plant is not enjoying can also cause leaf drop, if you are losing leaves and have not had the plant very long, or moved it recently consider moving your plant to a more Medinilla friendly location as mentioned above, if you unsure please do give us a call.

Finally, a build-up of Chlorine can cause yellowing leaves, if this occurs, swap over to rainwater or cooled boiled water and your plant should soon recover.