Pink Panther is a fast-growing, evergreen perennial plant native to Brazil. Austrian botanist Charles Frederick Philip von Martinus discovered Episcia cupreata in the 1820s. This variety offers fuzzy green foliage with a trailing habit of 6-8" tall and 12-24" wide. Pink flowers can bloom in spring and summer, depending on the cultural conditions. This plant flourishes in bright indirect light or full shade, bringing texture and color to houseplant collections. It also excels as a groundcover or in hanging baskets outdoors in zones 10-12.
Pink Panther Selling Tips
Sell Pink Panther to customers looking for a unique houseplant or fast-growing groundcover in warm regions. This plant offers many benefits, including attractive foliage and flowers, a trailing habit, and fast growth. This plant performs well in natural or artificial light. Create a visually appealing display in a home by growing this plant alongside Fittonia, Peperomia, Pilea, Chlorophytum, and Calathea.
Coach Your Customer
1. Grow this plant in a hanging basket, as a groundcover, or as a houseplant. In containers, use a soil mix of peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite or a soil well-suited to African Violets. For groundcover use, space plants 12-24" apart in well-draining soil in a shady location. Indoors, place this plant in a spot that receives bright indirect or low light, avoiding drafts from vents or windows.
2. Provide temperatures between 70-80 degrees.
3. Water when the top of the soil is just dry, keeping the plant evenly moist. Provide humidity with a pebble tray and use room temperature water, as the roots are sensitive to cold.
General Growing Tips For Your Rooted Cutting Liner
For best results with Pink Panther, grow one rooted plug per 4-inch container. Use well-drained soil composed of peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite at a 2-1-1 ratio with a pH of 5.5-7.0 and low feed of a 5-10-5 fertilizer. Provide bright indirect light, temperatures between 70-80 degrees, and 50% humidity. Watch for aphids, mealybugs, root rot, and fungal leaf spot. Water when the top of the soil is dry with room temperature water. Keep this plant away from drafts and provide good air circulation.
Flowering
Pink flowers can bloom in spring and summer.
Pinching
This plant doesn't require pinching.
Spacing
Provide good airflow and space containers so air and sunlight can reach the soil level of each plant.
Height Control
This plant doesn't require PGRs.
Pests
Scout for aphids and mealybugs as part of your commercial greenhouse's Integrated Pest Mangament program.
Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects that cause damage by sucking sap from plant tissue. They reproduce quickly and are particularly attracted to young growth. Curling and yellowed leaves, stunted growth, and stickiness on leaves are signs of an infestation. These insects also spread diseases and reproduce rapidly. Use biological controls or horticultural oils to discourage and kill aphids.
Mealybugs are small, white, soft-bodied insects that feed on plant sap. They are covered in powdery wax, which gives them a cottony appearance. They reproduce and spread rapidly. Inspect plants regularly for signs of an infestation, including white, cottony masses on foliage. Always check new plants before bringing them into the greenhouse. Remove any highly infested plants from the greenhouse for quarantine or disposal. Introduce beneficial insects like ladybugs, lacewings, and parasitic wasps as biological controls for mealybug populations and apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oils to disrupt lifecycles and feeding. Maintaining a sanitary greenhouse and eliminating debris can deter pest infestations.
Disease
Watch for signs of root rot and fungal leaf spot. Always take preventative measures against disease in your greenhouse. Use sanitary tools, media, and containers; water at the base of each plant and allow the soil to dry slightly before watering again; provide good circulation and space plants appropriately.
Root Rot occurs in poorly drained or overly wet soil, which becomes the host for several types of fungi. It causes stunted growth, wilting, and root system decay. Prevention is the best treatment, and you will avoid most root rot problems by using clean, well-draining media, appropriate containers, and good watering practices for finishing seedling plugs. Inspect plants for signs of disease regularly. Repot infected plants in well-draining soil, adjust your watering schedule, provide better airflow, and use a fungicide if needed.
Fungal Leaf Spot is a fungus-borne disease that causes water-soaked yellow or brown lesions on foliage, leading to defoliation and death. Fungal infection spreads via insects, splashing water, and contaminated equipment. Humid conditions create an inviting environment. Practice sanitation and good hygiene, water at the base of each plant, and space plants for adequate circulation and light penetration. At the first signs of infection, remove the affected leaves and treat the remaining plants with a copper-based fungicide like hydroxide, sulfate, oxychloride, or octanoate. Use fungicides carefully according to the label's instructions, and be aware that applying copper-based fungicides at high rates or during hot, dry weather can lead to phytotoxicity.
Planting Pink Panther Liners
We recommend planting one rooted plug per 4-inch container. Use well-drained soil suited to African Violets and completely bury the ellepot centered in the container.
Rooted Cuttings
Cuttings vary in size between different plant families. These rooted starter plants will arrive ready to be transplanted in to your final container. If they are to be used in a landscape application, you will need to establish them in a 4 inch pot or an 1801 before planting outside.
Episcia Pink Panther Quick Reference Guide
| 4 Inch crop time | 20 Weeks |
|---|
| Habit | Trailing |
|---|
| Height | 6-8 Inches |
|---|
| Light | Bright Indirect/Filtered, Full Shade, Partial Shade |
|---|
| Minimum Temp | 70 |
|---|
| Perennial Zone | 10-12 |
|---|
| Water Needs | Moderate |
|---|
| Patented Plant | No |
|---|
