Goldfish Plant Care Guide
Botanical Name: Nemanthus gregarious
Family: Gesneriaceae
Genus: Nematanthus Schrad.
Difficulty: Mid-range difficulty
You’ve seen the string of dolphins with their cute dolphin shaped leaves, now we’re introducing you to the Goldfish Plant! At first it’s hard to tell where they get their name from, but once you give this plant the conditions it needs to thrive, it will produce little orange flowers that resemble gold fish! Let’s talk about how to do that!
Light
Your Goldfish Plant is going to do best with a lot of light. While it may be tempting to set your plant somewhere for it to get direct sunlight, hold off on that! They love consistent, bright indirect light. Consistency matters because you want it to grow nice and balanced. Remember, poor lighting encourages unhealthy growth.
Water
A Gold Fish Plant’s watering needs vary from growing season to dormant season. You should keep the soil consistently damp during the growing season to keep them happy. During the dormant season, you should let the top two inches of soil dry before watering.
Climate
Average household temperatures (65°-75°F) are perfect for your Goldfish Plant. To make them even happier, set them up with a humidifier to give them a nice consistent boost of humidity.
Soil
Goldfish plants love a rich potting soil that will provide excellent drainage to help prevent-root rot (and inviting other critters to a more damp environment). If you’re having a hard time finding a soil or don’t want to go to the effort to figure out what works for your plant, get African Violet soil! It has all the nutrients and drainage your Goldfish Plant needs!
Pests & Diseases
Botrytis (gray mold): over watering/ water getting on the leaves
Root Rot can be a problem if you’re an over-eager waterer.
Tips
Water your Goldfish Plant with warm water.
Repot every 2-3 years.
Rotate them to encourage all-around healthy growth.
Signs your plant is unhappy
Brown Spots: water was way too cold
Brown, mushy leaves and stems: root rot
Yellow leaves: under watering
How to propagate
If you’re thinking about trimming your Goldfish Plant to keep it nice and bushy rather than letting it trail, keep those cuttings! You can use them to grow another plant! All you have to do is cut 2-3 inches down from the top of a stem that is not flowering. After preparing a pot with damp potting mix, make a little hole with your finger, and place the stem in the soil far enough for it to support itself. Leave it in a bright, warm, and humid area and wait for it to show new growth!
Fun Facts
There are 25 colorful varieties of Goldfish Plant, and each one produces different colored blooms!
They are cousins to African Violets.
They love to be nice and cozy in their pots, so let them get a little pot-bound before repotting.
They’re native to the Caribbean Islands!
Hardiness Zones
While it may be tempting to leave your plant outside, always check what USDA Hardiness zone your area is in before doing so! It only takes a minute to find out information that may save your plant from an unfortunate demise.
Hardiness zones for Goldfish Plants are 10-11.
If you live in Tennessee, here is a hardiness map!
