Columnea ‘Krakatau’ – Goldfish Plant

See this explosion of green foliage and bright red flowers at its best in a hanging pot or from a high shelf. Its chains of closely-packed mid-green leaves will quite happily trail, filling your home with colour and greenery. It's the bright, red-orange flowers that give it its name; their almost tubular shape is reminiscent of darting goldfish, and they're just as colourful, if a little more motionless... Keep this plant happy with above-average humidity and not too harsh light and it will reward you with colour fit to burst.

Scientific Name
Columnea ‘Krakatau’ (Columna's plant, cultivar: Krakatau / Krakatoa)

Synonyms: Columnea hybrida 'Krakatau'

This Cultivar is probably a hybrid of two or more species of Columnea, likely bred in cultivation.

Common Name
Krakatau Goldfish Plant, Trailing Columnea, Goldfish Plant

Origin
This Genus grows natively across tropical areas in south and central America, including Brazil, Mexico, Peru and just about everywhere in between.

Light
Harsh summer sun can be damaging to your Goldfish Plant, and can cause flower loss (not ideal). It needs its light to be bright, but not direct; in a north facing window, under a skylight or set back from a brighter window should work well. Some morning sun would be appreciated as the days get shorter towards the end of autumn, though!

Water
Let the top third of the soil dry between waters - this plant won't want to be dry for too long. Lukewarm water works best, and if you're using tap water make sure to leave it to sit for around 24 hours before watering.

Humidity
Average room humidity is perfect for this plant; make sure the air circulation is decent and it's not right next to a radiator and you'll be good to go.

Soil
Make sure your soil drains well, while retaining some water; elements like coir, perlite and bark are good choices for this. Repot every three years or so as the plant grows; your Columnea can suffer from transplant shock so do make sure it's totally ready to move before repotting, as it's better to be slightly pot bound than repot too soon.

Food
Feed every two weeks in spring and summer; if you have a specific Gesneriad fertiliser this will be perfect, but a houseplant feed also works well. Reduce to once a month over autumn and winter.

Temperature
Ideally, keep your plant between 15-25°C, and make sure it doesn't get colder than 10°C over winter, especially if it's sudden or over long periods. A winter dip in temperature will help it have a good dormancy period, but this should only be by around 5°C compared to summer or to about 15°C.

Pet-safe
Yes, this plant is not known to be poisonous, but it shouldn't be encouraged as a snack.

Sprouts Top Tips
A winter dormancy period will be helpful for keeping this plant healthy and encouraging flowers the following year. Reduce temperature, fertilising, and water, and give it a splash of morning sun to help it through the darker side of the year.