Why Is My Tradescantia Turning Brown

Your plant’s leaves are losing their color and pattern, giving them a washed-out appearance.

Solution

You might be exceeding your plant’s tolerance for direct sunlight. Try moving it away from the sun’s direct rays or to a location that only receives a little direct sunlight in the mornings and evenings.

Why are brown patches appearing on my Tradescantia?

Usually, this is a sign that your plant is getting too much light. The worst-case scenario is that the leaves could start to burn or turn completely bleach.

The leaves of the plant become brown when there is not enough humidity or moisture. Additionally, when they get older, they frequently pass away in the middle. When this happens, trimming the vines will help the plant recover.

I need to resurrect in Tradescantia.

Cut the plant severely back. Cut down living tendrils to live leaves and remove any brown branches from the plant’s base. The plant should then grow two tendrils from these cuttings, increasing its size. When there is a lot of impending new growth, late winter or early spring are the optimum times to do this.

My Tradescantia Zebrina is brown—why?

Growing wandering jew plants outside is really simple, especially in humid conditions. However, indoor cultivation is a another different matter.

The majority of your indoor wandering jew plant care issues will be brought on by insufficient moisture, light, or humidity.

Weak, Leggy Growth

This is brought on by a lack of light and happens frequently throughout the winter. To make sure your wandering jew is getting enough daylight, check its placement or add a grow light.

Leaves Look Dull & Faded

A pest infestation, too much light, or insufficient light can all result in dull, faded leaves.

Keep them in a spot with partial to complete shade outdoors, and provide strong, indirect light for them indoors.

Brown Leaves

Lack of moisture or humidity causes the leaves to turn brown. Always ensure that the soil is evenly moist, and if the air is dry, mist the plants frequently.

Additionally, when they get older, they often start dying toward the end. When this occurs, you can trim back the vines and dead foliage to revitalize the plant.

Yellow Leaves

Overwatering is nearly often the cause of yellowing leaves. Make sure the soil is dry and not moist or soggy.

Let it dry out if it’s too moist before watering it once more. To ensure accuracy, use a moisture gauge.

How often should Tradescantia be watered?

Even a novice plant parent can easily take care of their Tradescantia Nanouk. Follow our instructions on how to take care of your Tradescantia Nanouk, from the need for sunlight to typical issues and their fixes.

Sunlight

Giving your Tradescantia Nanouk bright, indirect sunlight or full sun is the first thing we recommend doing to take care of it because doing so promotes more bloom output.

The color of your Tradescantia Nanouk’s leaves may be fading because to inadequate sunlight, which is a common problem.

Solution: Set up your Tradescantia Nanouk in a steamy shower or close to a sunny window. Your Tradescantia Nanouk will grow leggy if it doesn’t receive enough light. Additionally, the leaves will be slightly smaller, with more green and less variegation.

Water

Watering your Tradescantia Nanouk when the top inch of soil is dry comes next on our list of things to do to take care of it. Usually, once every week is plenty. Additionally, it relies on the kind of lighting your plant is exposed to. The soil must be moist, however excessive moisture should be avoided as this might cause root rot.

Frequently Occurring Issue: Too much water may be the cause of your Tradescantia Nanouk’s drab and sickly appearance.

Giving the plant too much water is one of the most frequent errors made by novices or new plant parents. Only water your Tradescantia Nanouk once every week. Keep the soil damp but not drenched.

Use distilled water or a water filter system instead of tap water because some houseplants can be sensitive to salts in it. If this isn’t possible, overnight storage of the water in an open container is advised.

Humidity & Temperature

Put your Tradescantia Nanouk in a room with a little bit more humidity to add to our list of things to take care of it because it thrives in a humid climate. If you wish to enhance the humidity, we advise misting it frequently, putting it close to a humidifier, or using a pebble tray.

The ideal temperature range for Tradescantia Nanouk is between 75°F and 55°F during the day and at night.

Food

We also recommend feeding your Tradescantia Nanouk once or twice a month using fertilizer for houseplants that has been diluted to half the recommended concentration. Overfertilization should be avoided because it can cause dark leaf tips. Before adding fertilizer, make sure the soil is moist.

To prevent fertilizer burn or plant burn, it’s crucial to apply the fertilizer according to the recommended timing and amount.

Pests & Other Problems

The biggest issue with Tradescantia Nanouk is overwatering, which can result in fungus gnat problems as well as fungal infections and root rot. Always check to see if the ground is wet. If so, wait until the soil is totally dry before watering it once more.

We also advise cutting off any decaying or damaged stems and leaves. The opposite is also true; if you let your Tradescantia Nanouk become too dry, it can draw spider mites. Increasing humidity and keeping a proper watering schedule are recommended.

Give your Tradescantia Nanouk a thorough shower with fresh water if it has a spider mite infestation. After that, spritz it with a 50/50 isopropyl alcohol and water solution. To eradicate all spider mites and their eggs, repeat the misting multiple times.

The maintenance of your Tradescantia Nanouk is now complete. Consider adding a Tradescantia Nanouk to your collection if you’re seeking for a new plant. It’s a hardy, attractive plant that looks fantastic in your living room or home office.

Expand your knowledge of plants. For additional information on various houseplants and advice on how to keep your plants alive and healthy, visit our blog on plant care.

Does Tradescantia enjoy moisture?

Bright indirect light is preferred by your Tradescantia above direct light. The leaves will fade from a lack of light.

When the soil is dry in the top 50 to 75 percent, water your Tradescantia. Pour water into the pot until it begins to drain through the drainage hole at the bottom, then drain any excess water into the saucer.

Your Tradescantia would thrive in your bathroom or kitchen because it prefers a little more humid climate. Feel free to often mist your plant. The leaves will begin to brown if the humidity is too low.

From spring through fall, fertilize once a month using a general-purpose indoor plant fertilizer that has been diluted to half strength. Make sure the soil is moist before adding any type of fertilizer.

Both people and pets are slightly poisoned from your tradescantia. Ingestion may irritate the stomach and mouth.

Long vines can be pruned back to promote branching and boost plant fullness. Simply “pinch” off the stem at the joint or the fragile new growth at the stem’s end to do this.

Why is my Tradescantia acting up?

Tradescantia enjoys moist ground. It’s time for another water when lifting the pot starts to feel easy. If the plant is in a sunny area, it is acceptable to water directly through the foliage, but for more assurance, irrigate from the bottom up. Put the pot on a saucer of water so that it is covered by 25% of the water to ensure complete absorption and deep hydration. Every time you come to hydrate the plant, wetting the foliage will cause excess moisture to sit, turning the leaves yellow and rotten. Crispy/curling leaves, a grey, washed-out appearance, yellowing leaves, and a lack of new growth are all signs of under-watering. These problems are frequently caused by either excessive heat or light forgetfulness. Keep a watch out for drying soil because dehydration is the top concern for crops. On the other side, signs of overwatering consist of rotting stems or lower leaves, little to no growth, and yellowing lower leaves. Never subject a Tradescantia to extended periods of wet soil or darkness as both greatly increase the likelihood of over-watering and eventual death. Finally, to reduce the chance of rotting foliage, if you water your specimen from the top (over its foliage into the soil), make sure to blow the excess moisture from the leaves’ cubbyholes.

Why are my Tradescantia’s leaves falling off?

Lack of light is most likely to blame for your Tradescantia Zebrina’s fading. Your plant prefers direct light that is bright. Its stripes will deteriorate if left in a low-light situation.

Look about your room and locate a sunny area if you think your plant is losing color as a result of its exposure to light. A sunny shelf or window sill are ideal places for the Zebrina to display its stunning trailing vines.

TLC is definitely in order right now. Check with your plant to see whether it requires a trim or if a nice bath would be beneficial before moving it to its new location.

Tradescantia does it go dormant?

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.

Why is my Tradescantia wilting?

Your Tradescantia Zebrina can live without a lot of water. Only irrigate when the top half of the soil is dry. Fill the pot with water until it pours easily out of the drainage hole at the bottom. To prevent root rot and eventual death of your Zebrina, make sure to remove any extra water that leaks into the saucer.

When you are concerned about your plant and want it to succeed, it is simple to overwater it. When you have the need to show your plant too much love, Plant Mom advises spraying it. It’s nearly difficult to over-mist a plant, and your plant will like the additional humidity.

Your Tradescantia Zebrina may become stressed and develop yellow leaves if the soil alternates between being bone dry and wet as a result of improper irrigation timing. Maintain a regular watering schedule and check the soil’s wetness before watering at all times.

Fading Leaves

It can be alarming to notice that the bold purple and silver stripes on your Zebrina are starting to fade, but this is probably due to a lack of light. Locate your Zebrina a brighter area, such as a shelf or window sill that doesn’t receive direct sunlight.

Overwatering is probably to blame for your Tradescantia Zebrina’s drooping yellow foliage. Your Tradescantia Zebrina can live without a lot of water. Water your plant only when the top 50% of the soil is dry to prevent this problem.

Curling Leaves

Zebrina enjoys bright light but struggles with direct sunshine. Your plant’s leaves will curl around the edges when exposed to direct sunlight. Moving to a dark spot is not the appropriate action in this situation. Change where your plant is located so that it is brighter and away from windows that receive direct sunlight.

How can I increase the pinkness of my Tradescantia Tricolor?

Additionally, the Tradescantia genus contains 75 different kinds of wildflowers. The 17th-century botanist John Tradescant is credited with giving the place its name.

The term “wandering” describes how it spreads quickly and roams all over your window sill. They are quite simple to grow indoors. The majority are indigenous to South America, where they form thick mats beneath forest trees.

I put my Fittonia albivenis mosaic plant next to my Tradescantia tricolor to bring out the gorgeous pink hues. The green leaves of this trailing plant have veins that are dark pink. They work well together.