The tradescantia plants are always popular with our customers and you can see why, we usually stock the nanouk and they are so gorgeous with their pinky purple striped leaves! These plants are relatively easy care with the right conditions so I would definitely recommend them for beginners.
Read on to hear my best tips for new tradescantia owners.
Light:
For the nicest, most compact growth, you need to make sure your transcantia is receiving plenty light. Often you will see plants that have grown leggy and there are large gaps between the leaf growth - this is a sure fire sign that the plant has not been receiving enough light. Bright, indirect light is perfect, can tolerate a bit of direct sunlight but not for a full day.
Water:
I prefer to bottom water tradescantia beacuse the foliage can be quite dense which makes it tricky to get into the soil, they also prefer not to ahve water sat on their leaves for long periods of time.
I bottom water when the soil is almost fully dry - this means sitting the pot in a saucer/bowl/sink with the water covering roughly the bottom third of the pot, and leaving it for around half an hour to allow the soil to soak up the water.
One of my favourite ways to gauge whether or not it is time to water a plant is to get used to the weight of the pot, you will soon be able to tell how dry the soil is simply by lifting up the pot. When the pot begins to feel pretty light - this is when I would water.
Humidity:
These plants enjoy higher humidity but I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you want to increase humidity I would recommend using a saucer/tray with pebbles and water in it underneath the plant, regularly misting, or investing in a humidifier.
Food:
During the growing season (spring/summer) you can give your tradescantia a feed to help it grow healthy. I would do this roughly every second watering or once a month.
Propagation:
Tradescantia are super easy to propagate which is always fun, you simply take cuttings - pull the bottom leaves off and stick the stems in water - they should root after a few weeks and you can pot them into soil. Make sure you reguarly change the water.
