Shingle Plant
Marcgravia Care Guide
Marcgravia is a genus of tropical shingling vines grown for their patterned, colourful juvenile leaves that press flat against whatever they climb. The single most important thing to know: they need consistently high humidity, so Marcgravia is a terrarium and grow-cabinet plant, not an open-shelf houseplant.
This guide covers light, watering, substrate, mounting and propagation for Marcgravia, plus the species we grow most often and the problems we see when they are moved out of an enclosed space.
Light Requirements for Marcgravia
The ideal light level for Marcgravia is bright, indirect light (in a terrarium or cabinet, a standard LED grow light held 25 to 40 cm above the plant is plenty). Marcgravia should be placed on a windowsill enclosure, a spot near an east-facing window, or a metre back from a brighter window as this will help to keep the colour without scorching the plant.
If the Marcgravia is left in too much direct sun, leaf bleaching may occur and the thin foliage may be dried out quicker than the leaves can keep up with. If it is left in too little light and the shingling habit loosens, causing leaves to sit further apart and lose the tight, overlapping look that makes the genus worth growing. If the newest leaves are noticeably smaller and paler, you should raise the light level before you change anything else.
How Often to Water Marcgravia
When watering Marcgravia try to keep the substrate evenly moist, never waterlogged and never bone dry. In a sealed terrarium that often means watering only every couple of weeks, because the enclosed air holds moisture. Mounted on a background, they dry faster and need checking every few days.
Try to use rainwater or filtered water where you can. Marcgravia is sensitive to the mineral build-up from hard tap water, which shows as crusty edges and browning tips over time.
Signs of underwatering
If Marcgravia are underewatered their leaves will typically go papery and curl at the margins, and shingled leaves will lift away from the surface.
Signs of overwatering
When they are overwatered Marcgravia will become soft, with translucent patches and stem rot at the base, usually where a plant is sitting wet in still air. These are humidity-loving plants, but their roots still want oxygen.
For products to help give your Marcgravia the best amount of water, visit us at GrowTropicals
What soil is best for Marcgravia?
Marcgravia climbs rather than roots deeply, so it is happiest on a moisture-retentive, airy medium rather than in a heavy pot of compost. We grow ours on damp sphagnum moss, or on a cork or tree-fern background dressed in moss, which lets the shingling habit develop properly. If you do pot one, use a chunky, free-draining aroid-style mix with plenty of bark and perlite so the roots never sit in sodden compost.
For a planted terrarium, pair Marcgravia with other humidity-lovers from our terrarium plants collection so the whole set-up wants the same conditions.
Mounting and Repotting Margravia
Most growers do not repot Marcgravia so much as train it. Pin a cutting against a mossed cork slab or terrarium background and let it attach. As it grows, guide the stem flat and keep the background damp so new leaves shingle tightly.
If yours is in a pot, only move it up a size when roots fill the current one, and keep the pot small. A large pot of wet substrate around a small root system is the quickest way to lose one of these.
Propagating Marcgravia
Marcgravia is straightforward to propagate from stem cuttings, which is how we build our stock.
- Take a cutting with two or three nodes, ideally including a growing tip.
- Lay it flat against damp sphagnum moss and pin it down so the nodes make contact.
- Keep it enclosed and humid, in a covered propagator or terrarium, with bright indirect light.
- Wait for roots to grip and a new leaf to push before you move or disturb it. This usually takes a few weeks.
Cuttings root far more reliably in an enclosed, humid space than in open air. In our experience this one sulks badly if you let a fresh cutting dry out even once.
Common problems when growing Marcgravia
Browning, crisping leaves
This is almost always a result of humidity dropping too low, or hard-water mineral build-up. To avoid this keep the enclosure closed and switch to rainwater.
Leaves lifting and spacing out
This is usually caused by a lack of light, or the background being dried out so the plant is unable to grip. To avoid this, raise the light and keep the surface damp.
Soft, rotting stems
Wet substrate combined with still, stagnant air. Improve airflow slightly and let the medium breathe between waterings.
Pests
Pests are less common in a clean terrarium, but watch for the usual suspects on new arrivals. Quarantine anything before it joins a planted set-up, and if you do spot an issue with pests, be sure to use our Pest Identification Quiz.
Ready to grow your collection? We’re big fans of Marcgravia, and we’ve got a few special varieties that deserve a spot on your plant shelf. Discover our Marcgravia collection today.