Temple Bells care

Light

The Goldilocks zone. Not the south-facing windowsill (too hot, too direct), not the back of the room (too dim, growth stalls). Thrives in bright, filtered light from an east- or west-facing window. Avoid direct midday sun, which scorches the velvety leaves; a few metres back from a south window also works. Insufficient light delays flowering. If you can't decide, a free phone lux-meter app aimed at the leaf at noon should read between 800 and 1,500 lux.

Watering

Watering temple bells: every 3–4 days during active growth; cease entirely during winter dormancy. The number that matters isn't the day of the week — it's how dry the top 2-3 cm of the pot feels. A finger in the soil tells you more than a watering app. After every watering, tip the saucer. Keep the top centimetre of mix barely moist during the growing season; allow it to dry slightly but never completely between waterings. Use room-temperature, soft water and avoid wetting the leaves. Taper off as foliage yellows in autumn and withhold water entirely through the dormant period.

Soil and pot

Temple Bells grows best in peat-based, well-aerated mix. Use equal parts peat or coir, perlite, and humus with a small addition of horticultural lime to keep pH near 6.0. Good aeration is critical — compact or waterlogged soil quickly causes rhizome rot. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Temple Bells sits happiest at around 60–80% humidity and 18–25°C (growing); 10–12°C (dormancy) (64–77°F (growing); 50–54°F (dormancy)). High humidity is non-negotiable. Stand pots on trays of damp pebbles or use a room humidifier. Never mist directly — water droplets on the hairy foliage cause unsightly brown spots and fungal rot. If you keep the room above 18–25°C (growing); 10–12°C (dormancy) year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed temple bells sparingly. Apply a high-potassium liquid fertiliser at half strength every two weeks from the first signs of new growth in spring through to the end of flowering in autumn. Cease completely during winter dormancy. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on temple bells in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Leaf spotting — Brown or yellow spots appear when cold or hard water contacts the hairy leaves. Always water at the base with tepid, soft water.
• Rhizome rot — Overwatering or cold, waterlogged soil during or after dormancy causes scaly rhizomes to rot. Ensure excellent drainage and reduce watering sharply as foliage dies back.
• Spider mites — Low humidity encourages spider mites, which cause stippled, silvery foliage. Raise humidity above 60%, and treat with neem oil or insecticidal soap if infested.

Propagation

Divide scaly rhizomes in spring, planting sections 1–2 cm deep in moist perlite-peat mix. Stem-tip cuttings taken in spring root readily in a propagation mix under humid cover. Seeds can be sown on the surface of moist peat at 25°C with bottom heat. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Temple Bells is mildly toxic to pets. Smithiantha is not individually listed in the ASPCA toxic or non-toxic plant database. The Gesneriaceae family as a whole has no widely reported toxic principle, and many relatives (Episcia, Nematanthus, Streptocarpus) are confirmed non-toxic by ASPCA. However, as individual species data is absent, exercise caution with curious pets and keep out of reach of cats and dogs as a precaution. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Temple Bells deep-dive guides

Every aspect of temple bells care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Common temple bells problems & fixes
• Temple Bells watering schedule
• Temple Bells light requirements
• Best soil mix for temple bells
• Temple Bells fertilizing guide
• When to repot temple bells
• How to propagate temple bells
• How to prune temple bells
• What's eating my temple bells?
• Temple Bells growth rate & size
• Temple Bells cold hardiness
• Temple Bells temperature & humidity
• Is temple bells toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is temple bells toxic to cats?
• Is temple bells toxic to dogs?

Featured in these plant shortlists

Temple Bells qualifies for 4 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• Best low-light houseplants — Houseplants that need no direct sun and cope with a north-facing room or a spot well back from a window.
• Best plants for a north-facing window — Houseplants for a north-facing window: bright, even, indirect light and no scorching direct sun. Each pick verified against its documented light needs.
• Best humidity-loving houseplants — Houseplants that thrive in a bathroom, kitchen, or by a humidifier — selected by documented humidity preference.
• Best bathroom plants — Humidity-loving houseplants that also cope with lower light — suited to the steamy, often-dim conditions of a typical bathroom.
• Browse all 29 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Temple Bells is also commonly called Temple Bells or Cinnabarina Temple Bells.

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