Written from the home-garden experience of Shami, who has grown plants for 8+ years in Malappuram, Kerala. All photos are our own.
The first time I planted episcia in a pot, I wasn't ready for how fast it would move. After some weeks, the whole area around that pot, and even the walls, was covered with its green leaves, with small red flowers scattered through them like a green carpet with red dots. It was beautiful to see.
Episcia (also called flame violet) is a good choice for people who don't have much sunny space. It's colourful, it grows fast, it spreads, and it doesn't need much care. You can grow it in a normal pot, a hanging pot, a vertical garden, or on walls. I grow it in pots and on the walls. Botanically it belongs to the African violet family, Gesneriaceae, and it comes from tropical Central and South America. There are many varieties, and breeders have produced numerous cultivars.
A warning about frogs and snakes
This is the main problem I've had with it. The underside of the plant stays cool and warm at the same time, and frogs, and sometimes snakes, can come and shelter inside it. I've had that experience myself. If you don't have the space, or if you're worried about this, grow it in a hanging pot or a vertical garden instead. And wherever you grow it, look before you reach in when you trim it or clear it.
The leaves are the main attraction
The leaves come in many shades, and the shades are considered separate varieties. In many of them, the outer part of the leaf is dark and the centre is a lighter shade. In a green variety, the outside is dark green and it turns light green toward the centre. The purple ones work the same way, with a very thick purple on the outside and a light purple in the centre.
Most varieties have red flowers. Rare varieties have yellow or white flowers. The flowers are small, and honestly they're lovely to see.
Light
Episcia likes bright light, but in the form of partial sun and partial shade, which means morning and evening sunlight. Direct sun can burn the leaves and fade their colour.
In a vertical garden, the top layer gets the most sunlight. So on the top layer of ours, I put a plant that needs very good sun, and from the second layer down, I plant episcia, so it gets enough light without being scorched.
Potting mix and pots
Whatever pot you use, the mix needs to let water flow through it easily.
- Normal pot on the ground: put dry leaves in as the first layer, then a mix of soil and cow dung powder, and plant. Choose a pot that isn't very tall, with a flat top, because that's what makes the plant look good, and the roots don't go deep.
- Hanging pots and vertical gardens: use a weightless mix of some soil, some cow dung powder, and more cocopeat. With the extra cocopeat, you need to be a little careful when watering.
- Hybrid varieties: plant them in only soil and coconut husk. They need no fertilizers, and that has given me the best results.
Setting up a vertical garden
If you plant different varieties close to each other, they'll all mix together. Always put the same variety together, and leave some gaps between the vertical pots.
Feeding
It doesn't need many fertilizers. When I make the potting mix, I sometimes add compost or cow dung powder. To get very good, thick, bushy leaves, you can use diluted fermented peanut cake water, or fermented cow dung water, or both. Dilute 1 cup of it with 7 to 8 cups of water before pouring it on the plant, and make it thin, not thick. Don't give any fertilizer in the rainy season. Use it in summer instead (here, roughly March to May).
Looking after the hybrids
Many of my hybrid varieties died on me. Once I mixed SAAF fungicide in 1 litre of water (dose as directed on the product label) and poured it on the hybrids I had left. They did well after that, and none of my hybrids has died since.
Making new plants
From the mother plant's pot, you'll see some runners coming out over the edge, with leaves on them. I cut these and plant them in a new pot. This is how I propagate, because I've had better results this way than by cutting from inside the parent plant.
- When you cut, make sure the leaves aren't very tiny. Choose a runner with medium-sized leaves.
- Just place it in the new pot and press it in slightly. You don't need to dig a hole.
Pests
I haven't seen or had any pest attack on this plant. Sometimes there's a small insect, and I pick it up and kill it, but it's very rare.