SEATTLE — Brighten up Mom's Day with colorful, lucky plant for Mother's Day.
Nothing will brighten up Mom's special day than to surprise her with a Hot Pepper Ti plant from Hawaii. The common name of this plant is the 'Good Luck' plant. In Hawaii Ti leaves are sacred to Lono, the Hawaiian god of fertility and Laka, the goddess of hula. The leaves have been used by the Kahuna priests in their religious ceremonies as a protection
to ward off evil spirits and bring in good. The Ti plant was believed by Hawaiians to possess mystical power and was planted to bring good luck, long life and lasting love.
I'm not sure if knowing all of that will make Mom's Day, but when she sees the spiky brilliantly colored leaves, a combination of electric red, pink and green, she won't be able to stop smiling. Best of all, the Hot Pepper Ti plant can be planted outdoors in summer and brought indoors as a gorgeous houseplant to bring exciting color into the home in winter. In summer, hot pepper is the perfect thriller centerpiece for a container design, but it also makes a standout specimen planted alone in its own pot. In winter with leaves so colorful the Hawaiians use them to make hula skirts, bringing the plant indoors can't help but brighten up the house.
Hot Pepper Ti plant is easy to grow. Planted outdoors they prefer and will color up best in full sun but remember to get it used to the sun slowly to prevent burning the foliage. Acclimate your Ti plant by putting it in only morning sun the first day and leaving it out in increasing amounts of afternoon sun every day for about a week. After that, the plant will thrive in a sunny location. Ti plants prefer being kept on the moist side but not soggy. Water well and then allow the soil to dry out.
Fertilize with a half-strength liquid fertilizer of organic higher nitrogen formulation (24-8-16 or 20-10-20 N-P-K formulation) every two months during the growing season between early spring and fall. Do not feed from September until mid-March.
If grown as a houseplant, repot into a 2-inch bigger pot about every two years if the roots are beginning to get crowded or growing through the drainage holes.
Don't forget to get Mom a beautiful pot to plant her Hot Pepper Ti plant into when she brings it in for the winter, and don't forget to say "Hau'oli la makuahine" when you give Mom your special Hawaiian Mother's Day present.
Aloha for now everyone!