How to Grow and Care Persian Shield

Do you love growing indoor plants at home? Have you ever thought about how to grow and care Persian Shield? If your answer is yes, you are at the right place. Keep reading to know more about Persian Shield and how to grow it! 

Persian Shield is a magnificent plant with deep purple color leaves and warm weather foliage. It’s a wonderful indoor hedging plant. Some of the species have colorful contrasting leaf variants which enhance the beauty of your garden spaces. Many people choose the Persian Shield plant because of its ornamental value.

If you’re wondering to grow and care Persian Shield in your indoor places, this guide is for you. Here, we’re going to explain different varieties of Persian Shield, how to plant them and how to care for them to grow potentially. So, let’s take a deep dive into the post and grow your Persian shield with ease. Before that, let’s take an overview of the Persian shield. 

Also Read: How to Take Care of a Bonsai Tree

What Exactly Are Persian Shield?

Persian shield or Strobilanthes dyerianus is an evergreen shrub native to Burma and Myanmar. It’s a warm zone plant and blooms flowers during the winter or fall season. It has dark purple color leaves with deep green veins.

The leaves of the plant have serrated edges.  This plant belongs to the Acanthaceae family which is a strain of mint. The popular plant grows up to 4 feet tall and spread in 3 feet space. It can be grown in outdoor and indoor spaces and require a warm and humid environment for ideal growth. 

Another indoor plant that has great foliage is Calathea Medallion that you can easily grow reading our guide.

Persian Shield Varieties 

Persian plant has a large genre and constitutes more than 350 species that can be grown in your region. All these varieties have significant ornamental value and can be grown as indoor and outdoor plants. However, the most common varieties which you can choose to grow in your areas are as follows: 

1. Strobilanthes Alternata

The waffle plant, sometimes known as Hemigraphis alternative, is another name for this. It is a drooping plant having purple leaves that is often planted as an indoor or outdoor ground cover every year. Additionally, it is only hardy in zones 10 to 11. Considerable waffle plant varieties include “Belgian Waffle,”  “Snow White” and “Red Flame Ivy,”.

2. S. Maculates

This is a native species that is grown in the Himalayan region. This species has silver splotches leaves. S. maculates can also be grown as an indoor plant with proper care. 

3. S. Lactates 

This is a Brazilian species having white blotched leaves. The plant can be grown in your outdoor gardens and indoor spaces. 

These are some of the widely popular varieties of Persian Shield plants that can be grown. You can choose any of these according to the climate where you live. 

Do you know another indoor plant that has a huge variety? Well, it is Philodendron. Read our guide to grow Philodendron in your home easily.

What is the Right Time to Plant Persian Shield?

Once the final spring frost has passed, put your Persian shield new plant outside; otherwise, you can plant it indoors at any time as a houseplant. Persian shield plants may live all year round as indoor plants, but they favor hot, humid climates and fare best in USDA climate zones 8 to 11.

This shrub does well in partial sun and moist environments; excessive full sun or strong light in arid afternoons can make it wilt. If you decide to cultivate Persian shields in a colder region, you should cultivate these plants in outdoor pots during the summer months and move them indoors when the weather becomes too low.

How to Grow and Care Persian Shield?

This plant can be grown into a container as an indoor shrub and also as a border plant in your garden spaces. They can be easily propagated with stem cuttings and seeds. However, stem cuttings grow relatively faster than the seed method.

Also Read: How to Plant, Grow and Care Money Plant

Here are some of the steps to grow a Persian plant in your indoor spaces. 

1. Take Stem Cuttings 

Cut several leafy stems from an existing Persian shield plant. Now cut out a three-inch stem in half, being sure to make the cut under a node. Take your cuttings and trim the leaves first from lowest inch.

2. Set Cuttings For Rooting 

Insert your new cutting into a potting soil or water container that is at room temperature. To retain moisture, put a bag on the stem cutting and the pot. Start by removing the bag from the stem cutting for an hour each day to allow it to breathe and stop root rot. The cutting will stay moisturized if you mist it every day. In a few weeks, the roots should start to form.

3. Choose the Ideal Location 

Although Persian shields like warm climates, they cannot withstand prolonged exposure to the sun. Persian shields, however, won’t be the deep purple plants they may be if planted in complete shade.

To ensure that your plants receive the ideal balance of sunshine, your best strategy is to locate a spot that receives some shade. To better manage the growth conditions for your Persian shield, you may alternatively grow it in a container.

4. Start Planting the Rooted Cuttings 

You may plant these rooted cuttings in the garden or an earthen pot filled with potting mix once their roots have taken hold. To stand you’re cutting up in the ground; create a hole wide enough to bury the roots. Backfill the hole with soil, then immediately water the plant.

These are the steps that you need to take care of while growing the Persian Shield plant indoors. 

How to Transplant from Nursing Pot?

Once the roots developed and grown since you first planted, it is time to transplant Persian Shield to a bigger pot. For that, you need to do as written below. Have a look!

Choose a well-draining pitcher having a minimum depth of 12 inches for outside pot planting. With potting soil that is rich with organic matter, fill it 3/4 full. Work the soil to a depths of ten to twelve inches before transplanting it to the garden. Compost can be added as needed to produce biologically rich, well-draining soil. If required, carefully unpot the plants and untangle the roots.

Put the pot’s ingredients into the soil or another container so that they are at the same depth as they were inside the pot. Water your plant properly after removing the dirt from the roots and the stems.

If you want to deep dive into how to prepare the soil for planting in pots, you need to click on the link and be an expert. 

How to Care for Persian Shield?

During the growing phase, you have to take care of your plant properly to support its growth. Here are a few tips that help to grow this plant properly. 

1. Choose a Partial Shady Location 

If a Persian shield is continually exposed to bright sunlight directly, its shimmering purple leaves will deteriorate and/or wilt. To preserve your Persian shields’ foliage as brilliant and lush, keep them in some shade (or inside indirect light).

2. Prune Branches Regularly 

Do not forget to remove all the dead and decaying branches from the plant during growing seasons. Cutting twigs can also help to control the growth of plants. 

3. Add Fertilizers Regularly 

Your garden’s Persian shields can be benefited from sluggish fertilizers a few twice per year. You might need to fertilize your Persian shields more frequently if you’re growing them inside a container. Maintain a pH level in your soil that is slightly acidic, ideally around 5.5 and 7.5.

4. Moisten the Soil 

High humidity is ideal for Persian shields, so keep the soil moist. To maintain your plant moist and stop overwatering, add mulch close to the roots. Additionally, you may daily sprit your plant with mild water.

Also Read: How to Propagate Prayer Plant

5. Keep a Check on the Pests and Diseases 

The fact is these Persian shields are highly immune to the majority of pests, caterpillars, whiteflies, scale insects, and fungus gnats. These pests can nevertheless seriously harm your plant. For a safe way to get rid of these insects, use a natural pesticide like neem oil.

These are some of the Persian Shield plant care tips that will help you to grow a healthy plant. If you need to take care of other big leaf plants, have a read – how to take care of big leaf plants properly.

FAQs

Final Words – Grow and Care Persian Shield

In a nutshell, this is all about how to grow and care Persian Shield plants. While planting, be careful and follow all the tips and tricks mentioned above.  Add water in the right manner and keep the soil moist. Usually, this plant can easily resist insect manifestation. But make sure to spray neem oil to protect your plant from damage. Also, maintain the ideal shape of the plant by cutting extra and dead stems timely. It supports natural growth and lets you grow your plant healthier. 

That’s it for now. We hope that you will grow the Persian Shield plant very soon in your home. If you do so, let us know in the comments section below. Happy gardening!