The best time to repot your Tradescantia is at the start of the growing season. These plants go dormant in the winter and begin to grow again in April. Therefore, if you’re reading this in the spring, go ahead!
It’s not a good idea to repot your Tradescantia or any plant for that matter while it’s dormant. These plants may not be able to recuperate from the shock of the move while they are asleep, let alone expand to fill a larger pot. Thus, the likelihood of acquiring root rot rises.
Light
The varied colors on the leaves of all Tradescantias, including Wandering Jew Plants, must get sufficient of light to be vibrant; if conditions are too dark, they will fade.
The problem of “too much light” is luckily primarily restricted to sites that are overly exposed during the summer. On the other hand, if too much light is delivered, the ultimate result is leaf scorching. You only truly run the danger of this if you let your plants spend the summer outside because this is fairly difficult to offer indoors anyhow.
They must be planted where they receive plenty of light while being shielded from very hot sun.
Watering
The Wandering Jew will survive droughts and the occasional bit of water logging, as you would expect from any hard to kill houseplant.
However, try to avoid this irresponsible watering method whenever you can because a beautiful plant needs to be watered properly. The advice given here is straightforward: during the warmer months, water your Tradescantia plants liberally and frequently to try to maintain moist soil for the majority of the time. Reduce immediately in the winter because growth will slacken or cease entirely and hence, there won’t be as much need for water.
Humidity
You don’t need to worry too much about humidity because the leaves are nearly succulent-like. However, if you start to notice the leaves starting to wilt or brown leaf tips beginning to develop, it will be worthwhile to mist the plant. Tradescantia can also be grown in an indoor bottle garden.
Feeding
How often and how much to feed Wandering Jew Plants is a subject of intense debate. Some will advise frequent, heavy feeding, possibly as much as every other watering, while others would advise feeding very occasionally, at most once or twice a year, to prevent the variegated leaves from becoming green. In actuality, this plant can survive with practically anything you give it—or don’t give it.
Temperature
Give your plant typical temperatures for speedy growth; a place that’s cooler, at around 10 C (50 F), is also acceptable. In reality, prolonged exposure to frost or extremely cold temperatures is the only thing that should be avoided. Frost will inflict significant harm, and cold temperatures will discolor the leaves.
Repotting
Although it’s recommended to repot this plant once a year to allow the roots a bit more room to expand, it will still thrive if left in the same soil for years. This is useful if you want to grow it in a hanging basket because they can be challenging to work with and tricky to upsize.
When you do repot, though, regular potting soil is a fantastic option; just be sure to stay away from mixes that contain a lot of manure and avoid using plain dirt from your yard.
Propagation
Only the Spider Plant is simpler to use and more dependable when it comes to Wandering Jews. Both Spider Plants and the Wandering Jew have a success rate of around 98 percent, so it is still relatively simple to grow more plants.
No sophisticated heat mat, containers, or techniques are required. No rooting hormone is required; all you need to do is insert the cutting a few millimeters into new potting soil, hydrate it thoroughly, and you’re ready to go. We assure you that once you know what you’re doing, it’s very simple. A breakdown of each stage is provided below.
Because mature plants’ stems are highly brittle, a careless bump or deliberate snip on an existing plant will result in a stem cutting of the wandering jew plant that is almost ready to use.
If you want to replicate a bushy appearance, you don’t need to wait for the freshly cut end to dry out; you can simply press it into some soil (even in the same pot where it was growing previously). However, simply replanting the giant stem could be considered wasteful because a broken stem, like the one in the picture, can easily be divided into three separate plants.
In the image above, three strong stems have blue rings drawn around them. Ideally, for quicker results, you’ll want a cutting that is several inches long and has several leaves already in place. Snip them off, making sure each is an inch long and has at least one leaf.
Trim off any leaves that are on the lower portion of the cuttings since they will soon rot if they come in contact with the soil, which could lead to the failure of the entire cutting. Remove the lower leaves instead, and throw away any extra material.
The results of the aforementioned instructions are shown below in three cuttings that were made from the original large one and are now prepared for planting.
Simply place the stem ends into a container filled with potting soil or compost after moistening it. In order to encourage root growth, the cuttings must have adequate soil contact and be sufficiently sturdy and fastened in place.
Pro Tip: Because propagation is so simple, it’s usually more efficient to take multiple cuttings and place them all in one pot. Cuttings take time to grow bushy and fill a pot on their own.
Although typical cuttings root with a very high likelihood regardless of whether you add a rooting hormone, don’t bother.
Cuttings grow considerably more successfully if they are placed away from one another and closer to the container’s boundaries as opposed to directly in the middle. By doing this, you can prevent rotting and encourage root growth because the outside corners of the pot are typically warmer than the center.
Once the plant is in situ, keep it warm and the soil moist (but not damp or soggy). In just a few weeks, fresh growth ought to emerge. You can just push in fresh cuttings as needed to make it bushier if you opted to grow numerous cuttings in a single pot and you later detect any gaps.
If you’d prefer, you can grow each cutting separately in its own pot, but by grouping several together as in the picture above, this pot will be totally covered in new growth in only a few months. All of these cuttings will have cohesively knitted together to create the appearance of one whole plant when there are actually multiple ones. If you choose to use one stem cutting per pot, this process could take up to a year.
Speed of Growth
When temperatures are warm, Wandering Jew Plants grow quickly. If adequate light levels are available and its watering demands are met, it may grow as much as an inch each week throughout the growth seasons.
If you’re not growing this in a hanging basket or you want to produce a nice, compact-looking plant, you must constantly prune to maintain it in order. Don’t forget that the clipped stems can be used to propagate new plants.
Height / Spread
This plant will never grow taller than 6 inches (15 cm), however each stem has the potential to grow to a height of 6 feet (1.8 meters). Of course, if you want a spread that will trail down from a hanging basket positioned high up, this style of arrangement can be what you’re looking for. However, by often pinching out the growing tips, the stems can always be kept shorter.
Flowers
Another indoor plant, the Wandering Jew Plant, is planted more for its leaves than for its blooms, which can nonetheless give a charming touch when they bloom. These plants can produce tiny pink or purple blooms at any time of the year, although late spring and early summer are when they are most likely to bloom.
Although inch plants aren’t often planted for their blooms, they occasionally bloom inside.
Are Tradescantia Plants Poisonous?
Tradescantia is generally only very moderately harmful to both people and animals. While the sap in the leaves and stems poses little risk when consumed, it can hurt skin if it comes into contact with it, especially in people with sensitive skin or allergies. If you rapidly wash your hands after handling, you shouldn’t experience any problems.
Anything else?
Convinced that you must have done something wrong because your plant is looking worn out, lanky, and unsightly, you Google “Wandering Jew care instructions” to see if you can find a solution. Since this “appearance” is unavoidable, as any seasoned owner of this plant will tell you, the answer you find will be essentially the same everywhere.
The vines expand swiftly and widely. The elder leaves eventually turn yellow and fall off, giving them the appearance you think you’ve produced through improper care, even though this isn’t frequently the case. What has essentially happened is that the plant has spread out from the pot it was growing in.
Start over by taking cuttings, and the following time, prune more often to encourage everything to stay close together, compact, and organized.
Are deep pots necessary for Tradescantia?
The soil is where tradescantia care advice must begin. These plants require constant, even moisture that never becomes soggy. Use well-draining potting soil and choose more frequent watering to accomplish this. (More to come on irrigation!)
As was said earlier, these plants only cling to a small amount of dirt in their natural habitat. This determines the size of the pot you select for your houseplant. Overwatering and root rot are caused by selecting a container that is too big for your plant. Although these plants have rapid growth, their root systems only need a small amount of soil to support them. To accommodate the plant’s present root ball, choose a pot that is 1/2 inch larger. By doing this, you can guarantee that the plant’s root system will swiftly absorb moisture and keep it from growing in soggy soil.
Last but not least, use a pot with a drainage hole when caring for Tradescantia.
Making the choice of a clay or terracotta pot is also advantageous because the clay draws moisture from the soil. In contrast, ceramic or plastic containers keep moisture in the soil, which could result in soggy roots.
How soon may I repotted Tradescantia nanouk?
Repotting your plant about once a year is a good idea because this species is so tenacious. Fresh potting soil should be added to a container that is one size larger than the preceding pot. It will grow fuller and bushier if you pinch new growth or prune your Tradescantia Nanouk. Because this plant despises having wet roots, be sure to select a new container with drainage holes.
How do I get a bushier Tradescantia?
Tradescantia, which get their name from their tendency to grow in a vine, require regular trimming to keep their attractive, bushy appearance. A quarter of the plant should be pinched back, according to Gardening Know How “Promote branching and amplify fullness.
A particular reminder: After about a year or so, Tradescantia usually start to become dry and lanky, regardless of how carefully you take care of them. However, because they are so simple to grow, they can be kept indefinitely “planting cuttings will get things beginning.
Why is my Tradescantia growing so long?
Zebrina tradescantia, your normally thick and bushy wandering jew, has become leggy, which is upsetting. Your plant will appear sparse, spindly, and ugly as a result of this. Let’s determine the cause of your wandering Jew’s length and how to remedy it.
The growth of a Wandering Jew is frequently leggy because of a lack of light. To address the lanky growth, pruning and sufficient illumination should be used. Your leggy-inch plant can survive by being repotted with new growing material and the proper container size. Pinch back your plant occasionally to maintain it bushy.
What kind of soil is necessary for Tradescantia?
75 species make to the genus Tradescantia, also known as Indian Paint, Wandering Jew, or Spiderwort. These unique plants add a unique element to the landscape and are very simple to grow and maintain.
So how did such a beautiful plant come to have such an odd common name? Although nobody can be certain. According to others, the plant was given its name because of the way its blossoms hang down like spiders. Others contend that it has medicinal qualities because it was originally used to cure spider bites. In any case, it is a valuable addition to the garden.
The three-petaled blossoms can be red, pink, white, or purple in addition to their typical blue to purple hue. The many blooms will continue to bloom for up to four or six weeks in the summer, however they only stay open for one day, flowering in the morning and closing at night. Depending on the species, the plant’s foliage consists of arching, grass-like leaves that reach a height of one to two feet (30 to 60 cm).
Tradescantias are excellent for use in borders, edging, woodland gardens, and even containers because they grow in clusters. If yard space is at a premium, you could even grow it indoors.
Growing Conditions
Tradescantias are straightforward to grow and are remarkably hardy. They usually flourish on soil that is wet, well-drained, and acidic (pH 5 to 6). Although they thrive in partial shade, these plants may also thrive in bright sunlight as long as the soil is maintained hydrated.
Propagation
Tradescantias can be propagated from seed, division, cuttings, or acquired plants. When planting them in the spring, space them 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) apart and 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) deep. Summer or fall stem cuttings will readily root in the ground. Outside, seeds can be lightly covered and sowed in the fall or early spring.
Tradescantia seeds should be started indoors around eight weeks before being moved outside. Germination should take place somewhere between 10 days and 6 weeks. A week following the final spring frost, seedlings that have been hardened off can be put outdoors.
Tradescantia as an Indoor Plant
Tradescantias can be grown indoors under the right conditions. Give the plant either a soilless mix or potting compost based on loam, and keep it in filtered strong light. In order to promote bushier growth, you should also pinch out the growing tips.
If possible, let it spend the warm spring and summer days outside. When it is actively growing, water sparingly and fertilize every four weeks with a balanced liquid fertilizer. In the winter, use little water.
Grower’s Tips
Water these plants frequently, especially if you’re keeping them in containers, as they prefer to be kept very moist. Cutting the plants back once flowering is over can frequently encourage a second bloom and assist avoid re-seeding. About 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) from the ground, cut the stems back.
Tradescantias grow quickly, therefore it is a good idea to divide the plants every three years in the spring.