Tradescantia zebrina (Wandering Jew) is a trailing evergreen perennial grows up to 6-9 in. tall (15-22 cm) and will spread indefinitely. With attractive, lance-shaped, green to purple leaves with two wide, silvery longitudinal stripes, while the lower leaf surface is solid magenta. Tiny boat-shaped rosy-purple flowers held in small terminal clusters appear sporadically throughout the year on plants grown in their native habitat, rarely on plants grown indoors.
How to Grow and Care
Light: Give Tradescantia zebrina plants bright light at all times for close growth and brilliant leaf colour. Plants can normally be grown at a short distance from a sunny window without too much loss of colour, but growth will probably become straggly and colours will tend to fade as this distance lengthens.
Tradescantia zebrina plants can be taken outside in summer. Keep them out of the direct sun light.
Soil: Tradescantia zebrina prefers rich organic soil and thrives on mulch.When Tradescantia zebrina is grown as a groundcover, new branches cover the bare stems and fill in the planting space.
Hardiness:
Hardiness USDA zone 8a to 11b: from 10 °F (−12.2 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
Watering: Water actively growing plants moderately, allowing the top couple of centimetres (1 inch) of the potting mixture to dry out between waterings. When plants are resting, give them just enough water to make the mixture barely moist throughout and allow the top half to dry out between waterings. Tradescantia zebrina that have been grown slightly on the dry side show the best colour.
Feeding: Give actively growing plants standard liquid fertiliser about once every two weeks.
Potting and repotting: Use a soil based potting mixture. Move Tradescantia zebrina into pots one size larger when their roots fill the pot. Plant several rooted cuttings together to create a bushy effect – as many as 12 to 15 in a single hanging basket.
Propagation: Because older leaves dry up leaving bare stems, it is advisable to produce new plants quite frequently. Tip cutting of Tradescantia zebrina, about 8cm (3 inch) long taken in spring or early summer will root easily in an equal-parts rooting mixture of peat moss and sand.
Keep the cuttings in bright filtered light, giving just enough water to make the mixture barely moist, and roots will develop in three or four weeks; plant four to six rooted cuttings together in an 8cm (3 inch) pot of standard potting mixture and treat them as mature plants.
Alternatively, root tip cuttings in water. Place the cuttings in small – preferable opaque – glasses of water and keep them in bright filtered light. They will develop roots 2-5cm (0.8-2 inch) long in two to three weeks and they can then be moved into standard potting mixture and treat them as mature plants.
– Learn more at: WANDERING JEW PLANTS – HOW TO GROW AND CARE
- Scientific Name: Tradescantia zebrina Bosse
- Common Names: Inch Plant, Silver Inch Plant, Wandering Jew
- Synonyms:Tradescantia zebrina subsp. zebrina, Tradescantia pendula, Zebrina pendula, Commelina zebrina, Cyanotis zebrina
- Family: Commelinaceae
- Subfamily: Commelinoideae
- Tribe: Tradescantieae
- Subtribe: Tradescantiinae
- Genus: Tradescantia
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| source pic:pinterest.com |
How to Grow and Care
Light: Give Tradescantia zebrina plants bright light at all times for close growth and brilliant leaf colour. Plants can normally be grown at a short distance from a sunny window without too much loss of colour, but growth will probably become straggly and colours will tend to fade as this distance lengthens.
Tradescantia zebrina plants can be taken outside in summer. Keep them out of the direct sun light.
Soil: Tradescantia zebrina prefers rich organic soil and thrives on mulch.When Tradescantia zebrina is grown as a groundcover, new branches cover the bare stems and fill in the planting space.
Hardiness:
Hardiness USDA zone 8a to 11b: from 10 °F (−12.2 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
Watering: Water actively growing plants moderately, allowing the top couple of centimetres (1 inch) of the potting mixture to dry out between waterings. When plants are resting, give them just enough water to make the mixture barely moist throughout and allow the top half to dry out between waterings. Tradescantia zebrina that have been grown slightly on the dry side show the best colour.
Feeding: Give actively growing plants standard liquid fertiliser about once every two weeks.
Potting and repotting: Use a soil based potting mixture. Move Tradescantia zebrina into pots one size larger when their roots fill the pot. Plant several rooted cuttings together to create a bushy effect – as many as 12 to 15 in a single hanging basket.
Propagation: Because older leaves dry up leaving bare stems, it is advisable to produce new plants quite frequently. Tip cutting of Tradescantia zebrina, about 8cm (3 inch) long taken in spring or early summer will root easily in an equal-parts rooting mixture of peat moss and sand.
Keep the cuttings in bright filtered light, giving just enough water to make the mixture barely moist, and roots will develop in three or four weeks; plant four to six rooted cuttings together in an 8cm (3 inch) pot of standard potting mixture and treat them as mature plants.
Alternatively, root tip cuttings in water. Place the cuttings in small – preferable opaque – glasses of water and keep them in bright filtered light. They will develop roots 2-5cm (0.8-2 inch) long in two to three weeks and they can then be moved into standard potting mixture and treat them as mature plants.
– Learn more at: WANDERING JEW PLANTS – HOW TO GROW AND CARE
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| source pic:pinterest.com |
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| source pic:pinterest.com |
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| source pic:pinterest.com |
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