Cast Iron Plant Care Guide
Family: Asparagaceae
Genus: Aspidistra
Botanical Name: Aspidistra elatior
Difficulty: Great for the brown thumb plant mom
Light
Cast iron plants can handle lighting conditions as low as full shade! Direct sunlight will bleach their dark green foliage, so keep them in any other kind of light.
Water
They do like a little bit of moisture in the soil. You should water younger plants more often than mature plants. Let the top half inch of soil dry before lightly watering younger plants. For more mature plants, you can wait for the top inch or two of soil to dry before watering them deeply.
Climate
They prefer temperatures between 60-70°F and are not very tolerant of colder temps. As long as temperatures don’t drop below 50°F, you should be okay!
Soil
These guys don’t ask for much when it comes to soil. Just plant them in a standard well-draining potting mix and they’ll be content.
Pests and Diseases
Cast iron plants aren’t usually affected by pests, but those kept as houseplants are slightly more susceptible to them because of the surrounding plants. Then, they can attract scale and spider mites.
Tips
Keep the soil slightly moist at all times for a happy plant.
They can grow in clay soils.
Signs your plant is unhappy
Browning Tips: under or over watering (check the soil to know)
Leaves Turning Brown: too much sunlight or near drafty areas
How to propagate
They are best propagated by division, which is easiest to do when repotting. You should choose a piece of rhizome (underground stem) that has a couple leaves of its own, and carefully separate it from the mother plant. Place it into a pot of slightly damp potting mix, keep it somewhere that receives bright, indirect light, and keep the soil slightly damp until it starts to have growth of its own!
Fun Facts
They can grow underneath a deck!
It’s nickname comes from its durability.
Hardiness Zones
Before you move your plant outside, be sure to check the hardiness zone to save yourself some grief and the loss of a beloved plant.
The hardiness zones for cast iron plants are: 6-11
If you live in Tennessee, here’s a hardiness map to help you decide if your plant can survive outside!
