by Dawn Hawkins

Created on: April 21, 2009

The Painted Fingernail plant is a part of the Bromeliad family. It is a tropical type of plant whose leaves resemble the shape of fingers. The tips are red and therefore appear to look just like painted fingernails. These are great houseplants as they adapt well to home environments that are generally hard on other types of plants.

Type of Pot

You can use a plastic or clay pot to keep your plant in. Once the plant begins to get much larger, a clay pot is probably preferable only because it will be more stable than a plastic pot. If you choose to plant it in a plastic pot, you should keep in mind that these hold water better than clay pots. Therefore, you will want to water the plant less often in this case.

You do not need a large pot for this plant. The roots are relatively small so it doesn't need as much room for growth as other plants do. Each Spring, you can move the plant to a pot that is one size larger. This should be a good guide rather than trying to guess when the plant needs to be repotted.

Soil

This plant grows best when it is grown in tree-fern bark, cork-oak bark or on a tree-fern slab. You

can also use pieces of wood for this plant. Planting the Painted Fingernail in traditional soil will not promote the proper growth of the plant.

You will need to stabilize the plant in the type of materials that you will be using. Mount the plant by wrapping the base, including roots in sphagnum moss. Tie the base to a support by twisting plastic coated wire around the moss and other supporting materials. Wrap the wire so that it is tight but easily untwisted when needed. To keep the moss from completely drying out, spray it often with water. Once the roots have grown over the sphagnum moss and around the mount, you may remove the wire.

Watering

To keep this plant in tip-top form, you should water it at least twice a week. This should be done throughout the year. Be sure to water the roots and it's supporting materials well. You can use a spray of water or you can submerge the plant in water for a few seconds. Depending on the environment in your home, you may need to adjust how much you water the plant. If your home is low humidity, you should water the plant more often.

Lighting

This plant is very adaptable to any type of light. It will survive in a low light atmosphere. It is suggested that you find a spot that has good lighting though. This will allow the plant to live to it's full potential. If the plant gets a yellowish or pale green color, the light level may

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