Tradescantia: Types, Care and Easy Propagation

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Tradescantia is one of the easiest and most rewarding houseplants. Its stems quickly cascade, its leaves can be green, striped, silvery purple or pink, and a new plant grows from a cutting placed in a glass of water. Here are the popular types, the care basics and how to bring back a tradescantia that has become leggy and bare.

Popular tradescantia types

Tradescantia is a genus of herbaceous plants in the spiderwort family (Commelinaceae) from the Americas. The most common indoor types are:

• Small-leaf spiderwort (T. fluminensis) — small green leaves; variegated forms have white or cream stripes.
• Zebrina (T. zebrina) — silvery stripes on green-purple leaves with purple undersides.
• Nanouk — chunky leaves striped pink, white and green.
• Purple heart (T. pallida 'Purpurea') — long purple leaves and pink flowers.
• Oyster plant (T. spathacea) — an upright rosette, green above and purple below.
• White velvet (T. sillamontana) — fuzzy leaves, drought-tolerant.

Light and position

Tradescantia likes bright indirect light, which keeps variegated and purple types colourful; in shade they turn green, stems stretch and the plant loses shape. Gentle morning or evening sun is fine in summer, but midday sun scorches the leaves. It looks best in a hanging basket or on a shelf — see trailing houseplants. Keep it at 18–25 °C, not below 12 °C in winter.

View full-size photoTradescantia varieties show a range of leaf colors.

Watering and feeding

Water generously in summer as soon as the top layer of soil dries; in winter let a third of the pot dry out. Waterlogging rots stems at the base. Purple heart and white velvet cope with drought better than thin-leaved types. Feed every 2 weeks from spring to autumn with a foliage-plant fertiliser — too much nitrogen turns variegated leaves green.

Propagation from cuttings: the easy way

1. Cut 8–12 cm shoot tips.
2. Strip the leaves from the lowest 2–3 nodes.
3. Stand the cuttings in a glass of water or push them straight into moist compost.
4. Roots appear within 5–10 days.

For a bushy plant, put 5–7 rooted cuttings in one pot. Oyster plant is propagated from side rosettes; white velvet from cuttings, kept on the dry side.

How to fix a leggy tradescantia

Over time the stems go bare at the base — natural for a fast grower. Pinch out the tips regularly to encourage branching. If the plant has lost its looks, take cuttings, root them and replant them densely in the same pot with fresh compost. Many growers refresh tradescantia this way every 1–2 years.

View full-size photoPlant several cuttings together for a bushy tradescantia.

Common problems

• Leaves turning green, stripes fading — too little light or too much nitrogen.
• Dry brown tips — dry air or underwatering.
• Stems blackening and softening at soil level — overwatering and cold.
• Sticky residue, curled leaves — aphids or spider mites.

More in houseplant problems and symptoms.

Garden spiderwort

Besides indoor types, there is garden spiderwort — Tradescantia virginiana and its hybrids (Andersoniana Group). It is a hardy perennial 40–60 cm tall with narrow leaves and three-petalled blue, purple, pink or white flowers from June to August. It likes moist soil and part shade and is propagated by division in spring.

Is tradescantia safe

Tradescantia is not highly poisonous, but its sap can irritate the skin of people and pets — especially purple heart and oyster plant. Wear gloves when pruning and hang it where the cat cannot chew it. For more compact shelf plants, see small houseplants; browse potted plants.

FAQ

Why is my tradescantia losing its stripes?

Usually too little light or too much nitrogen. Move it closer to a window and remove all-green shoots.

How fast do tradescantia cuttings root?

In water, roots appear in 5–10 days, making it one of the easiest plants to propagate.

View full-size photoGarden tradescantia blooms from June to August.

Can tradescantia grow in shade?

Green forms tolerate light shade, but variegated and purple types need bright indirect light.

Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.

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