Potted Heliconia Scarlet Torch In My Mini Garden

I planted my Heliconia Scarlet Torch in a medium-sized pot. From my experience the other Heliconia plants I planted on the ground tend to spread and move away from their original place. Once they started to spread, it will be difficult to control them or dig them up. So to be able to control it from spreading, I planted this Heliconia Scarlet Torch in a pot, just in case it is the spreading type.

Most species of Heliconia have very beautiful striking flowers, usually of bright red, orange, yellow, pink and green colours. Heliconia makes good landscape plants. Heliconia is a tropical plant. This plant is something like the banana plant and its leaves are like banana leaves, both are green in colour.

Heliconia are also called Lobster Claws or Parrot's Beak. There are many species of Heliconia. The species I once planted in my garden were Heliconia psittacorum (Parrot's Beak), and Heliconia Rostrate (Hanging Lobster Claws). I planted them on the ground and I had difficulty controlling them from spreading all over my garden. Finally I dug up all of them, removing all the rhizomes from the ground and I gave some away to friends and I discarded the rest of them.

At present, I have only the Heliconia Psittacorum Crosses (Scarlet Torch) in my garden. To play safe, I planted this in a medium sized pot to control it from spreading out.

Heliconia Scarlet Torch grows from root-like rhizomes, just like the ginger plant. It grows well in warm climate. It needs at least a few hours of sunlight to grow well.

Heliconia Scarlet Torch, even though grown in a pot can grow tall, as tall as about 1.5 meter to 2 meters. It grows well in well-drained soil, needs plenty of water but bad drainage can cause root rot.

Heliconia Scarlet Torch needs regular fertilizing. It is quite resistant to disease and pest. It is easy to grow and it grows fast too.

Each stem will leaves will produce a single flower once. After that it can be cut off at the base to encourage new shoots to grow and bear flowers. New shoots will grow out from the base in the soil.

To grow in pot, make sure that the pot is big and heavy since Heliconia grows very tall and bushy. If the pot is not heavy enough, it will tip over or topple when there is strong wind.

Heliconia Scarlet Torch can be propagated from rhizomes. Some Heliconia has big rhizomes, some has smaller rhizomes.

First dig up the soil to expose the rhizomes. Cut out the rhizome with new visible shoot to separate from main plant. Plant the rhizome in a pot just below the soil level, with the new shoot above the soil level. Then water the plant thoroughly and after that, keep the soil moist until there is sign of new growth. Allow the plant to stabilize before transporting to the ground or to bigger pot.

Some Heliconia has hanging flowers like the Heliconia Rostrata Lobster Claws and some like the Heliconia Scarlet Torch has upright flowers.

I will proclaim the name of the LORD.

Oh, praise the greatness of our God!

He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just,

A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.

(Deuteronomy 32:3-4, New International Version-NIV)