Variegated plants make an eye-catching statement in any home but require special care as they can revert occasionally due to sudden temperature changes or fluctuating lighting levels.
If your plant begins to revert, it returns to its natural green state. Any branches that turn all green should be pruned away and kept in an indirect but bright environment for best results.
Origin
Garden centers often sell variegated plants produced through plant breeders’ efforts to identify and propagate mutations. Mutations may appear anywhere on a plant’s leaves and stem in various forms – from white areas with broad white borders to subtler spots or spots, all the way through to plants that lack any green pigment at all (also called albino plants), making them highly striking yet more challenging to take care of than their fully green counterparts.
Variegated plants are notoriously pricey and challenging to come by in stores, often costing well above what would usually be expected from stores. Finding one is even more complicated when not part of a cultivar (a type of plant developed genetically with desired characteristics). Variegated plants can be obtained in a couple of ways: sowing seeds from parent plants that result in variegated seedlings; tissue culture produces variegated plants from their cells directly, and these are ready for sale at higher costs than usual.
Alternate methods exist for creating variegated plants, such as using chemical mutagens or light exposure. Unfortunately, none of these approaches is as reliable or beneficial to the environment as sowing seeds or using tissue culture techniques. Furthermore, such methods may even be illegal and even potentially hazardous.
Variegation can also be caused by viruses that infiltrate plants and cause them to lack chlorophyll, essential for photosynthesis, Without enough chlorophyll available, sugar production and growth decline. This is often an issue among Monstera deliciosa and haworthia species plants.
Variegated leaves
Variegated plants make an eye-catching statement in any home and are easier to care for than regular houseplants, yet require specific conditions to remain colorful. Too much light, extreme temperatures, or improper fertilization could result in their losing their variegation – this would lead to their losing vigor as new leaves grow back green – something which would no doubt disappoint anyone who appreciates the look of variegated leaves.
Variation in plant leaves is caused by a shortage of chlorophyll in specific cells. Chlorophyll gives plants their characteristic green hue and is integral to photosynthesis; variegated plants possessing less chlorophyll cells require additional sunlight to meet their nutritional requirements, hence why providing ample indirect light exposure is recommended for these varieties of plants.
Chemical mutagens or radiation exposure can create variegated plants, but this method may not be practical or safe at home. To get one quickly and safely, visit a nursery or garden center and purchase one there instead.
To maintain the health of a variegated plant, remove any foliage with just one color and encourage it to produce more variegation by cutting away single-colored vegetation. Just be wary not to draw too many leaves at once – doing so would deny feedback that tells it how many green leaves it needs and could even have detrimental results when photosynthesis needs green leaves to function efficiently.
Variegated flowers
Variegated flowers add an eye-catching accent to any garden. Their striking appearance is caused by the lack of chloroplasts in specific cells of a plant’s cells that support photosynthesis and give leaves their green hue. When these chloroplasts mutate into white or silver splotches or patterns on leaves, variation can also occur in other colors outside green, such as yellow to orange hues and anthocyanins (red to purple hues).
One of the easiest and cheapest ways to cultivate variegated plants is through propagation from seeds, which requires no special equipment or expertise. However, not all types of variegated plants are suitable for propagation – some might revert to green once grown, while others remain stable enough to stay variegated.
Variegated plants should be grown in bright indirect sunlight for maximum success to maintain their stunning white and green stripes. Since these varieties do not contain chlorophyll, they are more vulnerable to sunburn than green varieties; thus, direct sunlight must be kept at bay, particularly during the hotter summer months.
Many people love having variegated plants in their homes yet are unsure how best to care for them. A variegated houseplant should be treated as any other houseplant; placing it in an area with adequate sunlight but protected from overexposure should suffice. Also important is maintaining proper humidity levels in the room using either spray bottle misting or humidifiers.
Variegated stems
Variegation is a highly prevalent trait of plants. It may appear either uniform (commonly referred to as pattern-gene) or random, appearing either on stems or leaves, or both at once, resulting in what’s known as chimeras. No matter its form, reproducing variegation on an industrial scale is difficult; most variegated plants seen at garden centers or nurseries were propagated via cuttings from their parent plant.
For optimal variegated plant care, it must receive appropriate treatment. This involves ensuring it receives sufficient light, regularly watering it, and protecting it from sudden temperature shifts, as this could shock its delicate coloration and lead to its demise.
Multiple variegated houseplants require indirect sunlight. The Aluminum Plant gets its name from its silvery leaves, which resemble aluminum. This plant can grow up to six feet tall indoors; therefore, it should be placed in an area that receives light but doesn’t experience direct sun.
Calathea White Fusion plants boast beautiful leaves adorned with white marks and light shades of pink, purple, and green hues that provide easy care. Houseplants may even benefit from growing this beautiful houseplant! However, it should be remembered that its colorful hues require chlorophyll for proper functioning and may fade over time without trimming and maintenance.
Finally, avoid overwatering your plant, as this could cause root rot. Water it when the soil dries out regularly; low-nitrogen fertilizer should also be used as too much nitrogen can encourage thick leaves that obscure its beautiful markings.
Variegated roots
Variegated plants make an eye-catching statement in any home or garden, adding vibrant splashes of color and texture. Easy to care for, variegated monstera, philodendron, or Syngonium can quickly lose their variegation if left without proper attention; for best results, use balanced liquid fertilizer in regular doses along with protecting it from rapid temperature changes that might shock it out of its variegation and fade its colors over time. To maintain it for as long as possible, feed regularly with balanced liquid fertilizer and protect it against rapid temperature changes that might shock it from vibrancy and sheen over time.
Variegation may appear in various ways, from giant white sections to dots and specklings on leaves. Patterning may be uniform or random and even seem like a gradient from green to white in its effect – these forms of variegation are known as chimeral variegation.
A practical method for propagating variegated plants is taking cuttings from an already variegated specimen. This approach ensures that new plants have identical variegation to their mother plant. Cuttings must then be planted into soil supporting root development before being kept under bright, indirect sunlight for proper rooting.
Over time, variegated plants may revert to all-green growth due to stress from heat, cold, or low light levels. This reversion is an adaptive strategy as the plant has more chlorophyll and can photosynthesize faster.
Why do some plants turn all-green? One reason may be that reverted stems have more chlorophyll, increasing photosynthesis more efficiently. To avoid this, trim branches whose leaves turn green as soon as they appear and focus your plant’s energy on the parts with variation.
