Plant Care Cast Iron Plant

Cast Iron Plant

4.8 out of 5 (44 experiences)

Cast Iron Plant has a Survivor plant personality Survivor
Cast Iron Plant has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves

About Cast Iron Plant

Cast Iron Plant is a super popular houseplant 🌿 that is isn’t challenging to grow and needs regular watering to thrive. They do best in abundant sunlight ☀ and should be less than 3 feet from a window.

Plant parents describe this plant as being a survivor and having large, lush leaves with a whopping 2072 being grown with Greg around the world. Check out the reviews below for more details!🌟

Cast Iron Plant likes soil that is well draining. Your plant shouldn't need added fertilizers if you repot each time it doubles in size.

Taxonomy

Aspidistra elatior
Aspidistra
Asparagaceae
Asparagales

Also known as

Barroom Plant

How to care for Cast Iron Plant

💦 Water

How often to water your Cast Iron Plant

Water needs for Cast Iron Plant
0.5 cups
every 9

Cast Iron Plant needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.

Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Calculate water needs of Cast Iron Plant

Water 0.5 cups every
9

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
☀️ Light

Finding light for Cast Iron Plant in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Cast Iron Plant: 3ft from a window
3ft or less from
a window

Cast Iron Plant may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.

Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.

Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Cast Iron Plant in your home 🏡.

🪴 Nutrients

How to fertilize Cast Iron Plant

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Cast Iron Plant: repot after 2X growth

Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.

By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.

To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Cast Iron Plant after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

Browse #CastIronPlant
💡 FAQs
⭐ Difficulty Level

Cast Iron Plant is generally easy to care for, though some plant parents report facing challenges with growing it. Check out the reviews down below to read more about their experiences!

Benefits of Growing Cast Iron Plant →

Common Cast Iron Plant Problems →


💦 Water Needs

Cast Iron Plant prefers for the soil to dry out between waterings and should be watered regularly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.


☀️ Sunlight Needs

Cast Iron Plant may have difficulty thriving and will drop leaves 🍃 without ample sunlight. Place it less than 3 feet from a window to maximize the potential for growth. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.

Cast Iron Plant Direct Sunlight Needs & Tolerance →


🐶 🐈 👶 Toxicity

Cast Iron Plant is not known to cause harm to humans or pets. Regardless, if you, a family member, a cat, or dog has ingested any plant material, please consult a doctor or a veterinarian.

Cast Iron Plant Toxicity to Cats →

Cast Iron Plant Toxicity to Dogs →


💨 Humidity

Cast Iron Plant doesn’t require additional humidity. Plants absorb most water through their root system rather than their leaves, so the best way to provide humidity for your plants is through watering the soil.

Cast Iron Plant Humidity Needs →


🪴 Soil

Cast Iron Plant does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick!

Best Soil Mix for Cast Iron Plant →

When and How to Successfully Repot Cast Iron Plant →


💩 Fertilizer

Cast Iron Plant grows very slowly and doesn’t require added fertilizer. Replacing your plant’s potting soil once a year should provide them with more than enough nutrition. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!

How Much and When to Fertilize Cast Iron Plant →


🌎 Native Region

Cast Iron Plant is native to Southeast Asia.


🌸 Flowers

Cast Iron Plant does not flower.

Cast Iron Plant Flowers →


⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern

Cast Iron Plant is a clumping plant, meaning new growth will emerge from the soil around the parent plant.

How and When to Prune Cast Iron Plant →


🌦️ Growing Outdoors

USDA Hardiness Zone
Cast Iron Plant can be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 7a-11b. Find your local hardiness zone here.

Cast Iron Plant Temperature Tolerance →


🌱 Propagation

Cast Iron Plant can be propagated by division into new individual plants.

  • Check to see if there is more than one plant. In some cases they may still be beneath the soil surface. If you feel confident, you may remove the soil to check for baby plantlets below!
  • If there are multiple plants growing, unpot the plant and gently tug the plants apart, being careful not to disturb too many of the roots. They may be connected by large root segments which you may need to break to free the plantlet.
  • Pot up the new plant in well-draining soil
  • Repot the parent plant back into its original pot

How to Propagate Cast Iron Plant →


🍂 Yellow Leaves

Yellow leaves aren’t always a reason to panic, and can be a normal part of a plant’s life cycle. Unless brand new leaves are turning yellow or all the leaves change color at once, it’s likely just your plant shedding old leaves.

Overwatering and root rot are the most likely cause of problems in Cast Iron Plant, since they are sensitive to wet soil. The leaves may also appear to be curling or drooping. Less often, yellow leaves are caused by underwatering, nutrient deficiencies, or pests.

Replace soggy soil with fresh, dry soil and download Greg to make sure your plant never gets overwatered again!


🧐 Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting a sad-looking houseplant, start by checking for signs of distress in its leaves, such as yellowing, browning, or drooping, which can indicate overwatering or nutrient deficiencies.

Inspect the soil moisture; too dry or too wet soil can cause problems.

Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of light, as too much or too little can stress it.

Finally, consider environmental factors like temperature and humidity, and adjust care routines accordingly to revive your plant.


Care Summary for Cast Iron Plant

Cast Iron Plant

Cast Iron Plant


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 9 days

Placement

< 3ft from a window

Nutrients

Repot after 2x growth

Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.

What other plant parents say

Cast Iron Plant has a Survivor plant personality Survivor 31
Cast Iron Plant has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves 22
Cast Iron Plant has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 12
Cast Iron Plant has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 4
Cast Iron Plant has a Easy to propagate plant personality Easy to propagate 3
Cast Iron Plant has a Blooms easily plant personality Blooms easily 2
@PotentTupeia avatar
@@PotentTupeia
leaf-1 2 Plants
xp 52 XP
globe Eastbourne, England
02/27/2022

Cast iron plants don’t generally like a lot of water, they don’t like it when there soil is damp like peace plants also peace plants are toxic to some household pets.

Survivor Survivor
@cierracarty avatar
@@cierracarty
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 452 XP
globe Philadelphia, PA
10/07/2021

Grows extremely fast!

Survivor Survivor
Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@miaaa avatar
@@miaaa
leaf-1 54 Plants
xp 3,713 XP
08/09/2021

Just got this plant and it's already pushing out new leaves. Very low maintenance but also so rewarding to see all the new growth

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
@NishLaursen avatar
@@NishLaursen
leaf-1 36 Plants
xp 803 XP
globe Arvada, CO
07/01/2021

Easy plant to care for. Definitely a survivor

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
@RebeccaP6 avatar
@@RebeccaP6
leaf-1 13 Plants
xp 157 XP
globe Leeds, England
06/24/2021

Good for dog, large so makes a statement

Survivor Survivor
@karislone avatar
@@karislone
leaf-1 2 Plants
xp 98 XP
06/18/2021

This plant is very low maintenance and is so beautiful.

@Chicabam avatar
@@Chicabam
leaf-1 40 Plants
xp 501 XP
globe St. Louis, MO
06/06/2021

Very resilient. I got mine online and it was lost in the mail for like a week but when I got it, it still looked great! Gets pretty big too!

Survivor Survivor
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Mo avatar
@Mo
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 122 XP
06/03/2021

Cast iron says everything about this plant. You may neglect it and it will continue to thrive.

Easy to care for, can be exposed to bright indirect light or be maintained in a shaded area.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Mia avatar
@Mia
leaf-1 3 Plants
xp 54 XP
globe Batavia, IL
05/23/2021

Stems break so easily mine can’t stand it’s self up anymore. Probably my fault but it’s not fun

Browns easily Browns easily
@Agatha avatar
@@Agatha
leaf-1 37 Plants
xp 1,147 XP
05/20/2021

So tough and hard to damage I suspect it might be fake! Just kidding, but no really this plant has the slowest metabolism. The leaves hardly move with the light, the plant hardly grows.
It’s a great looking plant, it adds beautiful foliage to any room. Just not at all exciting for the growth enthusiasts.

Survivor Survivor
Michelle avatar
@Michelle
leaf-1 8 Plants
xp 237 XP
05/15/2021

Cast Iron plant is a great plant to add to your home. Efficient light and water schedule will allow to grow to full capacity.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
@Corinnesworld avatar
@@Corinnesworld
leaf-1 8 Plants
xp 409 XP
globe Hamilton Township, NJ
05/14/2021

I live in a very shady area and this plant has been such a thriver. I got this plant knowing it’s safe for cats and grows in the shade it hasn’t disappointed.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Fast grower Fast grower
@sarahsalith avatar
@@sarahsalith
leaf-1 381 Plants
xp 226,167 XP
globe Memphis, TN
04/13/2021

*This plant sits on the floor of my dining room, about 4' away from a east-facing window.*

Do you want an amazing plant but you're afraid you'll kill it? Do you know someone who is longing to turn their home or office into a magnificent jungle, but they are doubting their abilities?

Look no further: THIS IS THE PLANT TO GET. It was relatively inexpensive for its size and it forgives and forgives. It is okay in low-light situations. An before Greg, I might have forgotten to water this big, ole plant and it forgave me. I have three rough-and-tumble boys who like to go exploring in the jungle and it forgives them.

I have no idea how it happened, but at one brief time in its history, IT BLOOMED, but I haven't seen that again. I bet once my household settles down, it'll be ready to bloom again!

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
@Cmmnsnse avatar
@@Cmmnsnse
leaf-1 21 Plants
xp 639 XP
globe Pinellas Park, FL
04/09/2021

King Von might be skinny, but there’s no shortage of confidence as he sprawls out in all directions.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@NikRavens1 avatar
@@NikRavens1
leaf-1 87 Plants
xp 2,501 XP
globe Lara, Victoria
04/02/2021

Tough little bugger but really beautiful at the same time. Love it.

Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
@DrDrey avatar
@@DrDrey
leaf-1 38 Plants
xp 2,617 XP
03/20/2021

An underrated large houseplant. Brings lush jungle appeal, is pet safe, and requires little light and attention. Only downside is that it’s quite slow growing, but that can be a benefit if you buy one the size you already want it to be.

@Philbobaggins avatar
@@Philbobaggins
leaf-1 0 Plants
xp 129 XP
globe Dallas, TX
03/13/2021

Very hearty! Bought online and was delayed in transit a week and didn’t die.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
@TheBigMan avatar
@@TheBigMan
leaf-1 6 Plants
xp 82 XP
globe Ocala, FL
02/18/2021

i find this plant very easy to take care of. so far, i have had this plant for around a month and all i’m seeing is growth :)

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