Planting and Growing

• Choose a sunny location for your kangaroo plant. If you live in an extremely hot and humid area, consider growing your kangaroo plant indoors. If you are growing your kangaroo plants from seeds, spread the seeds about 1/2 inch apart and 1/2 inch deep in a pot with drainage holes. Use an all-purpose potting mix to start your seeds and work some organic compost into the soil to promote quick growth and adequate drainage.
  
  Waterlogged soil will damage your kangaroo plant and can cause root rot. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy. It takes about four weeks for the seeds to sprout. After your sprouts are about an inch tall, transplant individual seedlings to their own pots. Do not touch the roots while transplanting to avoid damaging the delicate structure. Once your sprouts are a few inches tall you can transplant them into the ground. Do not try to transplant too soon. Kangaroo plants are sensitive, so make sure the sprouts are growing steadily and healthy before moving them into your garden. If you sprouted your kangaroo plant indoors, harden it off before transplanting by placing it outside in full sun for gradually increasing amounts of time each day until it is ready to handle a full day in the sun.
  
  

Care

• Keep your kangaroo plant in well-drained, moist soil in full sun in the spring and summer. If you decide to fertilize, use a balanced liquid fertilizer while watering once a month during the blooming season. In the winter, keep the soil around your kangaroo plant almost dry, watering only infrequently. Remove any snails and slugs from your plants or garden to keep your flowers healthy and vibrant. Keep dead leaves and blooms trimmed and away from other plants and soil to prevent disease. Kangaroo plants can develop a fungus that leads to ink disease, causing large black patches on the leaves. Ink disease is difficult to treat, but you can prevent fungus spores from spreading by cutting off and burning affected leaves. If your kangaroo plants exhibit a particularly bad fungus problem, you can apply a copper oxychloride fungicide to help stop the disease.