How to care for Tradescantia to keep it beautiful

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A life hacker will teach you where to put, how to water, prune and replant the plant.

Where to put Tradescantia

Choose a location for the plant with bright, diffused light. For example, western or eastern window sills. If the windows face south, shade or put a little further away from them. On the north side, the plant will be dark.

Species with green leaves will develop normally under light shade, but may fade slightly and the stems will stretch out over time. For variegated, more light is needed, otherwise they will lose their bright color.

White-flowered Tradescantia / 2ememain.be

In winter, when the daylight hours are short, the stems can stretch out without additional lighting, regardless of the location of the pot. This can be corrected by spring pruning, after which the plant will quickly regain its neat shape.

Tradescantia is not demanding to the temperature and feels good in normal room conditions.

From late spring to autumn, take the plant out to the balcony. In the fresh air, it will show itself in all its glory. Choose a place so that the flower does not stand under the scorching midday sun.

No special wintering conditions are needed. Just leave the Tradescantia on the windowsill and keep away from drafts.

How to water Tradescantia

Use filtered or settled water at room temperature.

From spring to mid-fall, water the plant abundantly from above into the pot every two to three days. Make sure that the ground dries only on the surface, and not completely. Remove excess water from the sump after watering.

If hibernating in normal room temperature conditions, follow the same schedule. If the room is 15–16 ° C, water about once every five days. From abundant moisture when cool, the roots can rot.

You can spray Tradescantia a couple of times a week, although this is not necessary. The plant will normally adapt to normal room humidity.

Have a shower every two to three weeks. Cover the soil in the pot with a bag and rinse the leaves with water at room temperature or a couple of degrees higher. This procedure will clean the leaves and stems from dust.

Only tradescantia with heavily pubescent leaves, for example, representatives of the sillamontana species, do not need spraying and shower.

How to fertilize Tradescantia

From spring to early autumn, feed Tradescantia with fertilizers for decorative foliage plants. Do this every two weeks.

Only add top dressing to wet soil or water for irrigation.

Follow the dosage recommendations that are indicated on the package with the product.

How to trim a tradescantia

To keep the plant neat, cut off its lashes. This can be done in spring, summer and even at the beginning of autumn, while Tradescantia is actively growing.

Prune with scissors, a sharp knife, or just gently break off fairly fragile stems.

Cut off shoots root easily in water. The liquid should contain no more than a third of the plant. After a week and a half, roots will appear. After that, Tradescantia can be planted in a pot of soil.

The process can be rooted directly in the ground. To do this, place one or more cuttings in a pot so that only the very end of the stem is in the ground. Until the Tradescantia starts growing, water a little every couple of days. After - as usual.

Cuttings can also be used to rejuvenate Tradescantia. If it stretches too far, and the stems become bare and lose their decorative effect, just grow the flower from the petiole again.

How to transplant Tradescantia

This should be done every year or two. Best in spring.

Use regular all-purpose primer. At the bottom, place a layer of drainage in a centimeter and a half.

Choose pots that are not too deep, but wide. This shape is optimal for the root system of the plant. Tradescantia also looks spectacular in hanging pots.

The diameter of the new container should be a couple of centimeters larger than the old one. When transplanting, transfer the plant along with the earthy clod, shaking it off a little. Fill the empty space in the pot with fresh soil.

How to properly care for Tradescantia

1. Place the plant pot in a bright, diffused light, but not under the scorching midday rays.
2. From late spring to autumn, take it out to the balcony.
3. Water regularly to keep the potted soil from drying out.
4. Shower the plant to remove dust from the leaves.
5. Feed with fertilizer in the spring and summer.
6. Prune to form a nice, neat plant.
7. Transplant every year or two into a new pot or rejuvenate the Tradescantia.

Read also?

• How to care for anthurium
• 10 flowers to plant on your balcony
• How to care for geraniums
• What to do if a mealybug appears on flowers
• How to care for a sundew