Caramel Marble Plant – A Guide to Growing and Caring
Houseplants are now in high demand as people look to decorate their homes, not just for their air purifying abilities, but also for the beauty they add to indoor spaces. The Marble Caramel is one such plant that has become highly sought after for its beautiful appearance and relatively non-demanding care. This guide hopes to give you all the information you require for growing and caring for your Caramel Marble plant at home. Origin: The Caramel Marble’s original habitat can be traced back to the tender flowers and regions in Asia. Characteristics: This plant has the beautiful traits of the Pothos. Its leaves are elongated and heart-shaped at the tip, while its marbled appearance adds a lovely touch to any home and gets along well with almost any decor style.
What is the Caramel Marble Plant?
The Caramel Marble Plant (Rhaphidophora tetrasperma xM.hollr) is a variegated houseplant. Known for its visually distinct leaf appeal, a combination of caramel, cream and green colours can be found, which form a marble pattern on its leaves. This plant is often confused with other variegated species; however, its specific colouration and markings make it distinctive.
Origins and Background
The Caramel Marble is thought to be a cultivar, or hybrid, of a common, easy-to-grow houseplant within the Epipremnum or Scindapsus family (which are themselves hybrids). These cousins are also native to tropical regions of the world, where they tend to grow as vines in the understory of rainforests. Horticulturists have bred a variety of hybrids over the centuries to give us plants with desirable traits, such as the Caramel Marble’s variegation.
Characteristics of the Caramel Marble Plant
By knowing what makes the Caramel Marble plant-specific, you can celebrate its differences and focus on ways to care for it optimally.
Leaf Structure and Appearance
One of the most distinctive visual traits of the Caramel Marble plant are the leaves. Often broad, heart-shaped and waxy, they have a multi-coloured marbled pattern with streaks of caramel, cream and green, often very distinct from one another, depending on the development of the plant. No two plants are identical, even of the same species.
Growth Habit
Caramel Marble is also a vining plant, also known as a creeper, which means that left to its own devices, it will climb or trail, growing outward vertically or horizontally, depending on the elements it attaches to. Planted indoors, Caramel Marble can be trained to grow up a trellis or a moss pole, or allowed to trail from a basket hanging from the ceiling. Its habit means that it can be planted alongside the barest minimum of furniture or accessories for a minimalist modern aesthetic, or combined with layers of plants and other objects for a jungly maximalist interior.
Size and Growth Rate
Size: The size of this plant can be influenced by conditions and culture. If endowed with sufficient space, the Caramel Marble may grow a few feet or more long. Rate of growth: Moderate. If given suitable condition it may grow relatively rapidly. If given less favorable conditions this plant may take it’s time to infill a space with foliage, perhaps a year or more.
How to Care for a Caramel Marble Plant
Tending for a Caramel Marble is relatively easy – especially if you have experience looking after vining houseplants. But the variegation may mean slight alternative care to the solid green plants.
Light Requirements
One of the most important duties of plant parenthood with a Caramel Marble plant is providing adequate, but unthreatening lighting. Variegated plants thrive in bright, indirect light to keep the leaves looking their most colourful. If given too little light, most plant varieties will slowly revert back closer to an unvariegated colour as the rest of the leaf darkens to work harder to meet the plant’s needs. On the flip side, too much direct light will sunburn the leaves, leading to brown spots marring the surface like Werther’s coating.
Place your Caramel Marble plant near a filtered sunny window – behind sheer curtains, for example, or in a space with a lot of ambient air light but no direct sun exposure. If you lack natural light, a grow light will help keep your plant glossy and zesty.
Watering Needs
It prefers to be kept in moist soil, but waterlogging will cause the plants to suffer from root rot. Water the plant when it feels dry to the touch in the top inch of the pot. Water thoroughly, until it comes out of the bottom of the pot. It’s important that the whole root system becomes wet. Use well-draining soil, and a pot with holes for drainage.
During the growing season (spring through early fall) water more often, but during the winter (when the plant is slowing down) water less. Make sure to check on soil moisture from time to time. Adjust watering schedule to suit.
Humidity and Temperature
Since this plant is a tropical, it prefers a bit more humidity. Caramel Marbles should be watered when the humidity is between 50-70%. Depending where you live, this can be challenging in indoor environments, especially in winter when the air in the home tends to be drier. To boost humidity, use a humidifier, set plant on a humidity tray, or place in close grouping with other plants.
Ideally, the Caramel Marble likes it between 65°F to 85°F (18°C to 29°C). Avoid locations near cold or hot drafts, vents or radiators, as drastic temperature swings can shock the plant.
Soil and Fertilization
Give your Caramel Marble good drainage, and use rich soil In particular, your plant will enjoy good drainage (but not dryness) in a container filled with fairly rich soil. A general-purpose potting mix with perlite added to improve drainage should suffice, but some growers will use a mix designed for aroids. Unlike the potting mixes typically used for other house plants, which are intended to exhaust quickly and allow the plant’s roots to draw nutrients from the surrounding soil, mixes for aroids (which are epiphytes) contain adequate nutrients and provide adequate aeration through their structure and the gravel, perlite, orchid bark or other materials they contain.
If your Caramel Marble is growing well, fertilise it during the growing period with a water-soluble, balanced fertiliser diluted to half-strength, applied every four to six weeks. Avoid over-fertilisation, which will build up salts in the soil and damage your plant’s roots.
Pruning and Maintenance
Your Caramel Marble plant will need to be pruned. Generally, pruning should be done to keep your Caramel Marble looking neat, to encourage bushier growth, and to get rid of any dead or damaged leaves. To prune your Caramel Marble, use clean, sharp scissors to clip back any vines that are too long, or to remove any yellow leaves.
However, since you are going to be pruning the plant anyway, you can also increase the plant’s population by taking stem cuttings. This both pruned the plant and spurs new growth for the plant, plus allows you to multiply your population to give to friends or grow your collection.
Pests and Diseases
However, as with many other houseplants, the Caramel Marble can attract petite pests – such as spider mites, aphids and mealybugs – so check your plants regularly for any of the following signs of pests: webbing, sticky residue, or nymphs or small insects on the plant. If you do see signs of insects, treat your plant with an insecticidal soap, neem oil or other method to help control the invasion.
Root rot, due to overwatering, is the most common disease; good drainage and letting the top inch of soil dry out before watering again will prevent such an unfortunate situation.
Benefits of the Caramel Marble Plant
The Caramel Marble plant is an aesthetically pleasing indoor plant choice, and it is also very healthy and easy to maintain, which makes it perfect for any indoor gardener.
Aesthetic Appeal
With it’s special variegation, this Caramel Marble looks divine in any room. Its caramel cream and green colouration makes a stunning statement which will add a hint of elegance and interest to any living space. This plant could occupy your windowsill or shelf or hang in your living room from a hanging basket, however you decide to use it, this is on plant you will want to stir the envy of your nearest and dearest.
Air Purification
Photo via purchase. The Caramel Marble plant not only beautifies your living space, but also helps in air purification. Like most houseplants, it absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and provides oxygen in return. More importantly, it filters out some toxic gases, such as formaldehyde and benzene, from the air. These delightful plants are worth having in your home.
Low-Maintenance Beauty
Wrapped in vivid coloured leaves, the Caramel Marble has a very exotic appearance. However, it is actually quite easy to take care of this plant, making it the perfect plant for both beginners and experts. If you are able to give it enough light, water and humidity, then the Caramel Marble will thrive without you having to do too much work. It is a very easy plant to look after and a great addition to any indoor plant collection.