How To Grow Shrimp Plants – Growing Information And Shrimp Plant Care
About Shrimp Plants The Mexican shrimp plant, or Justicia brandegeeana, is a native of Guatemala, Honduras, and as its name implies, Mexico. It is an evergreen shrub that rarely grows more than 3 or 4 (1 m) high and about as wide and thrives in the understory, a partially shaded area of tropical forests. The plants grow in many stemmed clumps and in USDA plant hardiness zones 8-11 growing shrimp plants in gardens has become so prevalent, it has now naturalized in many areas. This is largely due to the ease of shrimp plant propagation. The stems, which tend to become leggy with age and the sparse oval, green leaves, sometimes speckled with white, are not particularly attractive, but the bracts, which hold tiny and insignificant white flowers, are definitely eye catching. Each stem is tipped by a spike of light pink to rusty red bracts that arch into a form that looks remarkably like shrimp. There are cultivars of yellow and lime green as well. If you live in zone 8-11, growing shrimp plants can be a welcome addition to your landscape. They are easy to grow and will thrive in the warm temperatures of the south. Once established, they will even survive the occasional hard frost, dying back to the ground and sprouting again when warm weather returns.
Growing Information and Shrimp Plant Care While these beauties aren’t fussy, there are a few things you should know about how to care for a shrimp plant to get the most from your shrub. It does best in loamy or sandy soil that is well drained. It doesn’t do well with wet feet. Well rooted plants are fairly drought tolerant, but like most tropicals, it thrives in high humidity. While they will grow in full sun to partial shade, growing shrimp plants where they receive morning sun is ideal. They need the sun to bring out the brightest colors and, yet, too much sun will cause the colors to fade too soon. Shrimp plant care should also include frequent trimming to encourage fuller growth and more bloom. Once the first bracts appear, a shrimp plant will bloom for months and then will rest for a short time before blooming again. The best time to trim and prune is when blooming begins to slow.
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