So, you’re hoping to grow an indoor plant that is both beautiful and edible. Look no further than the Jamaican callaloo plant.
Beautiful in its own right, this amaranth plant is also a traditional dish from multiple countries; and as a bonus, it sprouts pretty purple flowers.
So much can be done with this plant, and you can absolutely grow it indoors as decoration or for regular munching, or both!
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A Callaloo Plant Is Good for Homes and Offices
We talk a lot on this site about how this or that other plant can be great for purifying the air, but a plant that actually provides nutrition? The callaloo definitely wins in this department.
The callaloo is native to the Caribbean islands, particularly Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad-Tobago. It can also be found naturally in parts of Asia. A tropical plant, the callaloo loves full sun, is self-sufficient, and, once well-rooted, will grow fast and grow back quicky when cut.
Essentially, you can pot this plant next to a large window, grow it for beauty, cut it for food, then grow it again for beauty. It looks like a cross between tomato leaves and spinach leaves and will produce vibrant greens. The flowers that blossom from the stems resemble lavender branches and produce amaranth seeds, which are delicious in and of themselves.
The bottom line is you cannot go wrong with a callaloo plant for your home or office if you’ve got a bright sunny spot for it.
Are Callaloo Plants Good for the Feng Shui Flow of a Room?
Because it is food producing, rich in vitamins and nutrients like vitamins A, B, and C, and is rich in iron, calcium, and fiber, the callaloo offers excellent feng shui energy for any room. It brings abundance, fertility, and positive energy vibes you cannot help but enjoy as you foster this easy-to-care-for plant that is pretty hard to kill.
It can also represent growth, as the callaloo matures rapidly, within just 45 days from planting seeds to full ripeness. Finally, if you are a believer in reincarnation, the callaloo stands for the cycles of life as it grows, is cut, and then is reborn.
To learn more about establishing feng shui and flow in your home or office, check out the master class article on how to use feng shui.
Are Callaloo Plants Easy to Grow and Maintain?
As long as you provide the right environment and just a little bit of care, you can grow and maintain a callaloo plant with minimal effort.
How Do Callaloo Plants Grow?
From seed to ripe leaves ready to eat and flowers sprouting edible amaranth seeds, the callaloo will take fewer than two months to mature in a nice big pot next to a sunny window.
What Kind of Soil Does a Callaloo Plant Need?
The callaloo prefers a well-drained soil with a pH of roughly 6.0 to 7.0, though it can tolerate a range much lower and a bit higher. You can plant seeds or sprouts directly in classic vegetable gardening soil.
How Much Light Does a Callaloo Plant Need?
Remember the amaranth is tropical, leafy vegetable like spinach, so it likes lots of bright, direct sunlight. Place it near a large, western-facing window where it can get hot afternoon sun.
How Much Water Does a Callaloo Plant Need?
You do not have to water the callaloo plant much, maybe once a week. It is a drought-tolerant plant, so wait until the soil is completely dry before watering it through again. If you can feel any moisture in the soil at all, do not water it.
For more information on this topic, check out this article on watering mistakes you’re making that are killing your plants for more tips.
Other Conditions that Are Important to a Callaloo Plant
When you do choose to cut the callaloo leaves or flowers for food, use scissors to cut the leaves all the way down to the soil, leaving plenty of space for the new leaves to grow.
Callaloo Plant Decorating Ideas
A callaloo plant will look great in an indoor herb garden, in raised beds near a sunny window, or even mixed among other tropical foliage. It will provide humidity and fresh air, creating a greenhouse effect in whichever room you place it, so be mindful to keep it in a space that has plenty of warmth as well as air circulation.
The callaloo’s vibrant greens and stark purples will contrast nicely with a bright, white pot or even in a large clay planter, giving an air of the islands.
Do Fake Callaloo Plants Look Real?
While it certainly can’t hurt to look, you will likely be hard pressed to find an artificial callaloo plant as these plants are most often grown for their food and not purely for their decor.
The benefit you have of investing in a callaloo is that you will get both.
Also, these plants are hard to kill and inexpensive to buy as seeds or sprouts, so you don’t have to worry that you will lose a lot of money if you do end up losing one or two callaloo plants on your way to success. The callaloo is a more forgiving plant to experiment with as you exercise your food gardening green thumb than an ornamental plant.
Still, if you are determined you want an artificial callaloo plant, you might be able to find one somewhere, and you really can’t go wrong with artificial plants of any type these days. If you’re still skeptical, check out my piece on whether artificial plants and flowers are tacky.
In any event, a callaloo is a great investment for your home or office, and you will surely enjoy the native dishes made from the cooked leaves.
How about you? Have you had experience growing a callaloo plant indoors? Let me know in the comments.
