Shrimp, a tropical plant with impressive leaves
August 4, 2022 15 Comments
This shrimp may not be edible, but it is one of the most beautiful ornamental plants that bloom from spring to autumn, giving an exotic color to our garden, yard and balcony.
A famous plant from our grandmothers’ yards, where many of us remember it without then knowing its name.
Its name comes from its colorful metamorphosed leaves that look like a shrimp’s body, which cover the small flower that appears at the top.
Shrimp is a perennial plant native to the tropical regions of Central America and usually grows in the form of a bush with thin branching stems and dark green leaves.
Its colored bracts (transformed) leaves are what stand out with unique shades of yellow, red and tile like hanging shrimp containing white flowers.
These are essentially leaves that have changed shape and color. Bracts also occur in other ornamental plants such as anthurium, spathiphyllum and alexander.
The shrimp plant is an excellent choice for planting in a pot in the yard, terrace and balcony, in places where the sun is not intense and has some hours of shade during the day.
So let’s look in detail at the main species and varieties of the shrimp plant, as well as useful tips for its care so that we can enjoy its rich and exotic flowering in our garden and balcony for many years.
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1. What species and varieties of shrimp plant are there?
There are 2 main species found in the shrimp plant, which belong to the same plant family (Acanthaceae).
- Mexican shrimp plant : The most widespread type of shrimp plant native to Mexico and with the botanical name Justicia brundegeeana, which stands out with its drooping ceramic, pink and red bract leaves, while its regular leaves are oval in shape and long 3-7 cm. It usually reaches a growth of up to one meter and a width of 60-70 centimeters.
- Golden , yellow shrimp plant : A different species of shrimp native to Peru and with the botanical name Pachystachys lutea, which is characterized by bract leaves in a bright yellow color while its normal leaves are oblong and reach a length of 10 centimeters . It can grow up to two meters in a warm environment, however it is more sensitive to winter frost.
It is worth mentioning that in recent years, new impressive varieties of shrimp have been created that have orange, red, and even blue colored bracts.
The white flower of the shrimp plant emerges from the impressive bracted leaves
2. What conditions does the shrimp plant need to give us abundant flowering?
The shrimp prefers warm and semi-shady places to give us lively foliage and rich flowering.
We avoid planting the shrimp in sunny places, as the strong midday summer sun can burn its leaves and destroy its flowering.
It grows best in fertile soil that has very good drainage, i.e. remove the excess water after watering, otherwise there is a risk of root rot.
The shrimp plant thrives in tropical hygrothermal conditions. It is relatively resistant to winter cold and summer drought.
In areas with cold winters, we prefer to plant the Mexican shrimp, as the yellow shrimp is more sensitive to the cold.
3. How do we plant the shrimp in a pot?
To plant the shrimp in a pot on our balcony, in the yard and on our terrace, we choose a sheltered position that has a west or east orientation. We avoid northern exposure due to intense frost and southern exposure due to intense sunshine.
We choose a medium-sized flowerpot with a diameter of about 20-30 cm and a height of about 20-30 cm, which has holes in the base to remove the excess water.
We fill the pot with enriched general-purpose potting soil that has perlite and pumice and contains the necessary nutrients for good plant growth.
4. How often does the shrimp plant need watering?
The shrimp needs frequent watering during the spring and summer to have fast growth and abundant flowering.
For example, we water the shrimp about twice a week during the spring season and every 2 days during the summer season.
More generally, we water the shrimp when the soil in the pot dries out and limit watering during the fall and winter.
We must point out that the Mexican shrimp is much more resistant to drought than the yellow shrimp whose leaves immediately wither in conditions of lack of water.
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5. How often do we add fertilizer to the shrimp?
The shrimp needs frequent fertilizing with a liquid water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks from spring to fall to form many flowers over a long period of time.
During the winter season, we stop fertilizing the plant, as the plant shows limited activity.
6. What diseases and insects affect shrimp?
To protect the plants from the meligra and tetranych that attack the leaves of the shrimp, we can preventively spray the leaves with an improvised preparation that we make by dissolving 1 tablespoon of green soap in a liter of water.
In cases of severe infestation, we spray the shrimp with organic insecticides such as summer pulp and natural pyrethrin that we obtain from agricultural stores following the instructions on the label of the preparation.
7. What season and how do we prune the shrimp plant?
In early spring, after the winter frosts have passed, we prune the shrimp quite a bit, cutting the length of the shoots in half to maintain a more compact shape and to encourage new growth and flower formation.
During the summer season, we make sure to remove dried flowers from the shrimp to help the plant produce more blooms in the fall.
8. What are the ways of reproduction in shrimp?
Because the seed from the shrimp takes a long time to germinate and develop the new plant, in order to propagate it, we choose 2 basic ways: a) propagation by division of the rhizomes and b) propagation of plants by cuttings.
a) Propagation of shrimp by division of rhizomes: At the beginning of spring before the start of flowering and after we have pruned the plants, we divide its rhizomes together with the shoots usually into two smaller pieces and place them in new pots or transplant them to some point of garden.
b) Propagation of shrimp by cuttings : In the spring season, we cut parts of shoots about 10 cm long from shoots of the shrimp that do not have flowers and plant them in nursery pots that are kept for 6-7 weeks in a cool environment until they take root. We can then transplant them into a larger pot or directly into the ground.
9. And a secret about the shrimp plant
The shrimp, in addition to the exotic note it offers us, attracts birds and butterflies to our garden with the intense colors of the flowers that contribute to the creation of a beautiful natural environment.
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