Hello - Growhappy,

Goldfish - you mean Nematanthus? (It can be confusing - in some stores you get Columnea with the same tag).

In my experience it likes to be rootbound - after it filled your 6 inch pot - now it is ready to bloom. They like lots of sun, BTW.

Keep growing them happy

Irina

Hello Irina,

Yes, it's Nematanthus for sure. When yours is ready to bloom, do the top most leaves change colors? Meaning, do they take on a reddish hue underneath?

GH

I think it depends on the variety and amount of sun.
My noname nematanthus with dark leaves does exactly what you describe when it is happy and ready to bloom. I didn't see it on N. Christmas Holly. Yeah - N. Nervosus seems to have reddish tips too - since it started blooming - it blooms all the time but not very abundantly.

I think they are very tough and provided enough sun, loose soil and not too much water - just grow happy, leaves are shiny and very attractive - just do not let them grow too long stems - they start getting bald - just snip the tips and stick them in a new pot - the more the better - and an attractive new plant is ready in no time.

Irina

The coloring up of the leaves is a good sign but doesn't have anything to do with the plant's blooming cycle. It indicates that the plant is getting good light, and cool temperatures. But, that is a good sign for flowering as well. Nematanthus are quite hardy, doing well outdoors in my cool sub-tropical winter climate. They even flower all winter, in temperatures that only briefly dip into the upper 30's, and warm into the 50's and low 60's during daylight. The seem to like regular watering, feedling and good humidity for flowering. In my dry summers, I can't seem to get them to flower well. It may be that they dry out too quickly and I don't water them enough. Or it may be a more direct consequence of low humidity triggering a non-flowering period. In their native habitat the low humidity season would be in winter, whereas here it is in summer. On the coast here, the summer temperatures are cool and humid, and nematanthus are even easier to grow there.

In the late 70's my best friend was hybridizing nematanthus and his hybrids are still being grown. He was aiming for a dense ever-blooming compact type plant. His hybrids have small flowers, close to the stem, and small shiny foliage. They include 'Christmas Holly', 'Black Gold', 'Freckles', 'Saturn'. The first two are the most commonly seen. Black Gold has dark bronzy foliage and light orange flowers. His hybrids were based primarily on gregarius and wettsteinii.

Personally I especially like the oddballs of the nematanthus group--those with big flowers on long dangling pedicels (up to 6" long). But these are big growers, with big leaves, spare branching, and needing of a goodly amount of space. Of these, the species, fluminensis, crassifolia and brasiliensis are the best. Fritchii is another--its flowers are a little smaller than these three but dangle on very long pedicels. The first has beautiful large dark glossy succulent leaves with a big maroon blotch on the backs. Its flowers are bright yellow on 1" pedicels. Grown with lots of pinching makes a choice specimen.

With nematanthus you must be patient. They may not flower for a year or two and then suddenly burst into heavy bloom for a very long season. Meanwhile, enjoy the foliage. I grow mine in sizes up to 8" baskets.

Jon

Jon...

You are living in the gesneriad paradise. Streptocarpus - outside, nematanthus - outside - you can afford to have them in a bucket size pot with 6 feet spread stems...

Green from envy

Irina