How to care for the newly bought purple-backed arrowroot

1. Lighting

The purple-backed arrowroot does not require much light. It can be kept in a bright living room. It does not need direct sunlight, and can be maintained in diffuse light. If the purple-backed arrowroot is placed in a place exposed to strong light, the leaves will easily be sunburned, and the edges of the sunburned leaves will turn yellow and burnt.

2. Temperature

The most suitable growth temperature for purple-backed arrowroot is 20-30℃. It is relatively heat-resistant and slightly cold-resistant. If the temperature exceeds 35℃ in summer, you need to find ways to cool it down, such as placing it in a cool and ventilated environment. Keeping the temperature above 5℃ in winter will allow it to safely overwinter.

3. Watering

Purple-backed arrowroot requires a lot of water during its growth period. When you find that the soil surface is dry and turns white, you should water it in time. Water it until water flows out from the bottom of the pot each time. In late autumn, as the temperature gets lower, you should reduce watering and increase the intervals between watering.

4. Humidity

Purple-backed arrowroot likes moisture. Compared with soil moisture, the plant prefers a high-humidity environment. Under well-ventilated conditions, you can frequently spray water on the leaves and surrounding areas of the plant to increase humidity and prevent the leaves of the arrowroot from scorching and drying out due to dry air.

5. Pests and diseases

Purple-backed arrowroot is prone to leaf spot and leaf blight in high humidity and poor ventilation conditions, which can be controlled with carbendazim and mancozeb. In unventilated conditions, purple-backed arrowroot is also prone to attract scale insects, which can be controlled with scale insecticide.