Acalypha Wilkesiana Curly Q

Almost Eden has these and I was wondering if anyone here grows them with any success indoors. I just ordered one, so I hope I did the right thing! They say its slower growing than some other Wilkesianas. I also ordered a peach Crown of Thorns and a piggyback! Anyone have a Curly Q?

Randi

I'm an Acalypha fanatic.
Not sure if I've ever owned that one (hard to say without the botanical name) but I don't doubt I've had one or two similar to it, since the name is rather 'descriptive'!

They are actually pretty easy indoors *if* you can provide them with a sunny exposure. They simply won't live without it.

I had mine in my south window....received some direct sun most of the day (granted, this is *indoors in Wisconsin*, so it may thrive with less sun for you.

They really are 'water hogs' if growing in enough light, and if allowed to dry out a time or two will lose leaves (they usually regrow) but are also prone to spider mites if allowed to dry out too often.

So, as long as you keep an eye out for adequate light and spider mites....they're really a great plant.
The colors really change for the better when given even more light (meaning, in my case, when I put them outdoors in the summer.)

I have an Acalypha ... don't have a clue which it is. I have to water it every day. When I first got it the leaves had a lot more colors ... lots of pink. Being in the full sun has changed the color. Wish I had a before picture, but here it is now:

Thank you for the culture tips, Nan! I'll be sure not to let it dry out. And plenty of sun is no problem here - we have 350+ sunny days a year! And it'll be in a west window. I'm really excited about getting it now that you say its pretty easy indoors!

Plantladylin, your Acalypha is just beautiful. It sort of looks like "Limelight," but I could very well be wrong. I'm just learning about them on the web. Fascinating plants, and I think more people should look into them, since there are many, many types for all tastes!

Randi

I agree Randi ... they are so Beautiful! Down here in Florida a lot of folks grow one variety of the Acalypha's as a hedge. It's the only one I had ever seen .... brownish/burgundy leaves. I never really thought much about them one way or another until I saw this one at Home Depot's garden center! And, it had a lot of pink in the leaves ... really pretty! I still like it now even though it's no longer pink. I need to look through the ones in Plant Files. Mine still has a couple of pink colored leaves noticeable, underneath at the bottom ... but most of it is the green/yellowish color.

I think it should be called Chameleon plant if they change color with different light intensity!

I hope to find a different one next spring when the garden centers start restocking!

Randi...I decided to look that one up.

That is one of them that I grew a few years ago, (though mine had a different name?) and it's a good one!
Does really well indoors, and retains a lot of the 'coppery' color in a windowsill.
Still.... watch out for the spider mites, because they're hard to 'get at' with those curly leaves.

Good choice, IMHO!!

I'll be sure to rinse its leaves every day. I already do that with my tacca, so might as well do one more! I absolutely hate spider mites - that's the only pest I've had trouble with, but it sure is hard to get rid of. I think this whole family of plants is just fascinating. Its being shipped Monday, the 22nd, so I'll have it next week. I'll let you guys know how it looks when it arrives. Thanks for the help!

Randi

I'm excited for you, LOL!!

I'm interested to hear how your Tacca is doing, too!
Where did you end up purchasing one?

I'm still thinking about getting one, but will wait until next spring/summer

Nan, the tacca is doing fine! I keep expecting her to up and die, but she looks just as good as when she arrived, and that's been over two weeks ago, so I'm almost afraid to hope. . . . I got my tacca from a lady who sells on ebay. I had gotten a few morning glories from her, and just happened to ask her if she had a tacca, and she did! So I waited until it was old enough to be shipped, and a few weeks later I had my plant! Her ebay name is Tasteeclectic. I highly recommend her - keep an eye on her ebay plants! Her name is Leng Leng. She is a very sweet person who really cares about her customers.

Randi

Glad to hear it's doing well!
You've got me wanting one now, but I do think I'll wait until next year....at least I have that much restraint:)

Thanks for the info on the seller (she has an 'interesting' ID!) - I'll definitely check out her auctions.