A fast-growing member of the spiderwort family with dark purple leaves and long purple stems is the purple heart plant (Tradescantia pallida), also known as purple secretia or purple queen. Although the plants also produce tiny pink and purple flowers, it’s the leaves that really stand out.
Plants with purple hearts have several uses. It works well as a trailing border around rock gardens and other enclosed garden settings, as well as a ground cover to provide a pop of foliage and bloom color to your landscaping. It will also flourish in a hanging basket indoors or outdoors or in a planter on the patio.
The native Mexican plant known as the purple heart was previously classified under the genus Setcreasea pallida, but a botanist at the Royal Botanic Garden Kew changed its classification to Tradescantia in 1975. The plant is still frequently referred to by its previous names, S. pallida or S. purpurea.
How frequently should a purple heart plant be watered?
Purple heart is fairly drought-tolerant once planted, but if it receives regular summer water, it will appear cleaner and more lush. From spring till fall, water it once a week with an inch of water. To keep the roots healthy, let the soil surface dry out in between waterings. Increase watering to twice weekly during periods of high heat or drought if the soil is drying out sooner than usual. In the winter, cut back on watering to once every two weeks, and avoid providing any during rainy weather. Purple hearts growing in pots should also be watered if the top layer of soil becomes dry. Fill the pot with water until the extra drains out of the drainage holes. For this plant, always use containers with drainage holes.
How much sunlight is required by purple heart plants?
Once they are established, tradescantia pallida require minimal maintenance. But if you experience one of these more typical problems, my advice can help you heal them.
Leaves Are Turning Green
Lack of sunshine is the most frequent reason for green leaves on your purple queen plant.
The rich purple color needs to be maintained in the daylight or 8+ hours of bright light indoors each day.
Yellow Leaves
The most common cause of yellowing purple heart leaves is overwatering. When the top few inches of soil are completely dry, give them a drink.
Yellow leaves can also result from extreme light deprivation, a lack of water, or poor nutrition.
Leggy Purple Queen Plant
Long stemmed, leggy growth might be an indication of age or a lack of sunshine. Make sure it receives 8+ hours per day of direct sunlight or bright indoor lighting.
If not, start pruning lanky stems and pinching back fresh tips for spring growth that is more compact.
Brown Leaves
Brown leaves are another typical sign of aging, though they could also be caused by a lack of moisture or low humidity.
Regularly check the soil to make sure it isn’t too dry, and if necessary use a humidifier or pebble tray indoors.
If the centre of the plant is becoming brown, aging is probably to blame. To revitalize it, give it a severe pruning.
TEMPERATURE
The USDA hardiness zones 7 to 10 are suitable for Tradescantia pallida, according to the University of Wisconsin.
People that keep their Purple Hearts outdoors must contend with the threat of unexpected frosts, and they typically move their plants indoors during the winter.
Keep in mind that allowing the temperature to go below 59°F (15°C) may slow the plant’s growth and could even be harmful if it is left exposed for an extended period of time.
the Purple Heart Plant’s striking purple leaves. The leaf blade is purple on both the adaxial and abaxial sides.
HUMIDITY
If the air in your home is unusually dry, you might want to think about buying a humidifier.
Another option is to hang your Purple Heart in the kitchen or bathroom.
What kind of plant is purple heart?
Sunlight is necessary for the foliage to turn a beautiful purple color. The succulent purple heart is it? Purple heart is regarded as a succulent because of its large, fleshy leaves that hold water.
What do you feed a plant with purple hearts?
While the plants are actively growing, fertilize purple heart once a month. Follow the instructions on the label when applying a general-purpose dry or liquid fertilizer. Always follow fertilizer application with some water. Feeding should be reduced throughout the winter, then increased in the spring when new growth starts to show.
The maximum size of purple heart plants
Pink blooms are produced by the trailing perennial “Purple Heart” in the summer. It has violet-purple leaves and purple stems. This plant is primarily grown for its foliage, which can grow to a length of 7 inches. For the greatest color, place the plant in direct sunlight with a dry, confined root zone. It works well in hanging baskets, containers, and as a groundcover. It expands to a 16-inch width and 8–12-inch height.
Care
Provide a sunny location with wet soil. Pinch to promote bushiness, and after flowering, prune flower stalks. When there is active growth, water sparingly and fertilize every month.
Propagation
Cut stem tips that are 2 to 3 inches long, place in soil mixture or water, and pot up.
Are plants with purple hearts poisonous?
Purple Heart, also known as Tradescantia pallida, is a wonderful and vibrant houseplant. It comes from Eastern Mexico and can be grown as a trailing plant or as a ground cover. It is ideal for hanging baskets and can trail for up to 2 feet. The leaves are slender and pointed, measuring 2 to 5 inches long. The bottoms of the leaves are a deep purple color, and the tops vary in color from green to purple. Along the leaves, they have tiny translucent hairs as well.
Low light is acceptable, but it may cause the leaves to become more green. thrives in indirect light that is medium to bright and has some morning sun.
Before watering, allow the top inch of soil to dry off. To prevent root rot, water till it emerges from the drainage hole gently and evenly.
Home humidity ranges from average to high. When the air is too dry, the tips become brown.
Additional Care: The thin stems and leaves are easily snapped. Keep it in a hanging basket or any other secure location. Trim if it’s becoming too lanky or to encourage bushier growth. Steer clear of drafts.
My purple heart is becoming green—why is that?
Indications There is not enough light reaching your plant. The leaves were once purple before changing to green. Growth appears to be slower. The stems and leaves might be slimmer.
Where should a purple heart plant be cut?
Clean scissors should be used to trim a 2- to 4-inch section from the growing tip of your purple heart plant. Anytime during the growth season, cut in the morning or evening to escape the heat of the day. Stems bearing flowers or flower buds should be avoided. A node, which is a little bulge at the junction of a leaf and a stem, should be cut through the stem 1/4 to 1/2 inch below. Purple heart vines are straightforward to spot since they frequently zigzag from node to node. From here, the roots will spread out.
Can purple queen be grown indoors?
You might wish to add Purple Heart Plant to your collection if you’ve never grown it. It belongs to the same family as the purple-and-silver-green striped Inch Plant and is as simple to grow. The scientific name for T. pallida is Setcreasea purpurea.
Get to Know Purple Heart Plant
This indoor plant is stunning all year round because to its clusters of lance-shaped, deep purple leaves. Purple Heart Pot For a striking table accent, plant in a tiny attractive vase. Alternately, hang it from a basket and let the protruding, long stems hang over the edge.
This plant should be handled with care because its fleshy stems are delicate and susceptible to breaking off. Placing Purple Heart Plant where you won’t bump into it is a smart idea.
Small, three-petaled, pink flowers should blossom throughout the summer. They develop in the leaf axils and stand out strikingly against the dark foliage.
Your plant can remain indoors all year long. However, if you take it outside for the summer, make sure it is protected from the sun’s rays during the hottest time of day. To ensure that the soil doesn’t dry out, inspect it every few days as well.
Growing Tradescantia pallida Indoors
Allow the sun to enter. For healthy foliage color, grow your plant in bright light year-round. Even though it needs less light to thrive, the leaves will still be more green than purple. Give it some direct sunlight, but cover it in the summer from the intense midday sun to prevent leaf blistering.
Squeeze your plant. Keeping Tradescantia pallida compact by pinching off new stem tips will encourage branching. Keep those cuttings since you can easily grow more plants from them. Do not be afraid to cut stems back to a length of around 6 in (15 cm) if your plant starts to droop and develop long gaps between leaves.
When you notice roots poking through the drainage holes in the spring, repotter. To give it a little more area to grow, move up to a pot that is only 1 or 2 inches (2.5 – 5 cm) larger. To avoid damp soil, which causes root rot, use a pot with drainage holes. A stylish planter without drainage holes is what you want to utilize. Use it as a cachepot by placing a simple nursery pot inside of it. Cachepots have pebbles in the bottom to keep them above the drainage water.
Why is the pinking of my purple-heart plant?
You omit to describe your watering technique, whether the plant is rootbound, or when you last pruned it. The older leaves typically dry out and turn pink. It’s best to cut it back from time to time to ‘refresh’ it. When cultivated in pots, careful watering is also essential.