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Tradescantia Care Guide

Tradescantia Care Guide

With its stripy, silvery green and purple leaves, the Tradescantia Zebrina is a fabulous two-tone plant you’re sure to fall in love with. It’s easy to grow and also trails beautifully when it’s placed on a shelf or tall sideboard.

Did you know? The name “Tradescantia” is in honour of John Tradescant, who was King Charles I of England’s gardener. Similarly, “Zebrina” means “zebra” in Portuguese.

Water

Aim to water your plant once every 7-10 days, allowing the top few cms of soil to dry out first

Prune

Give your plant the occasional trim to keep the leaves fresh and encourage new growth

Position

Position it in a warm, bright, sunny spot to keep those leaves purple

Things To Do

Tradescantia

Despite their delicate appearance, Tradescantia plants are surprisingly easy to grow, but require a little TLC to thrive. They like to be kept a little damp, so be sure to water your plant every 7-10 days, allowing only the top few cms of the soil to dry out. To check, dip your thumb into the top of the soil, if it is dry at the top, you’re good to go. You can reduce how often you water your plant during the winter, just keep checking the soil.

Tradescantia

Place your plant in a bright to medium-lit spot, to maintain the vibrant colours of the leaves.

Tradescantias enjoy lots of humidity, making them the perfect plants for kitchens and bathrooms.

The Tradescantia Zebrina can also be mildly toxic if ingested, so keep it away from small children and curious pets.

Tradescantias can grow quite quickly so they may need repotting more often than a slower-growing plant.

Things Not To Do

Tradescantia

Tradescantia plants hail from warm, tropical regions, so they don’t like being placed near draughts or kept in chilly rooms. They don’t like to be very dry and neglected. If they lose too much water and their potting mix is left to completely dry out, their leaves may start to yellow and turn brown.

Although your inch plant AKA Tradescantia loves moisture, it won’t be happy if it’s sitting in water in the ceramic. Be careful not to over-water your plant and be sure to pour any excess water away.

To maintain its beautiful purple colour, make sure it gets good light. A sunny window sill is perfect. If your plant doesn’t have access to enough light, the leaves will fade, becoming dull over time.

Moe about Tradescantia

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