How to Grow and Care for Purple Heart (Tradescantia zebrina)

Summary Soil: For purple heart (Tradescantia zebrina), you can use a mix of 20% river sand, 40% garden soil and 40% leaf mold. Light: It fears direct strong light during the growing period and needs to be kept in semi-shade. Temperature: The suitable temperature for growth is 18-30°C; it fears cold and frost, and in winter when the temperature falls below 0°C it will suffer frost damage. Fertilizing: During cultivation, apply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer in small amounts but more frequently. Pruning: Cut back overly vigorous branches and leaves to encourage new buds to sprout from the base of the stems.

I. How to Grow Purple Heart (Tradescantia zebrina)

1. Soil

Purple heart is not very demanding about soil, but it grows more robustly in fertile, loose soil, so it is best to use a mix of 20% river sand, 40% garden soil and 40% leaf mold for cultivation.

2. Light

Purple heart fears direct strong light during the growing period, so it needs to be placed in semi-shade for cultivation, or the plant should be given 70% shade; when grown indoors, place it in a bright spot as much as possible.

3. Temperature

The suitable temperature for purple heart growth is 18-30°C; it fears cold and frost, and in winter the temperature should be kept above 10°C. When the temperature falls below 4°C, the plant enters a dormant state, and when it falls below 0°C, it is prone to frost damage and death.

4. Fertilizing

Purple heart has a high demand for fertilizer and water, but it should not be fertilized at random; during this period you can apply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, and fertilization should be done in small amounts but more frequently.

5. Pruning

When purple heart has been grown for a relatively long time, the leaves at the base will drop off, which affects its ornamental value. During this period, you can prune the overly long branches and leaves to encourage new buds to sprout from the base of the stems and produce new branches and leaves.

II. Precautions for Purple Heart (Tradescantia zebrina)

1. In spring and autumn, purple heart needs to be placed indoors near a south-facing window for care. If light is insufficient for a long time, the stems and leaves will become leggy, the internodes will lengthen, and the plant will bloom little or not at all.

2. Purple heart has a relatively high demand for air humidity. If the air is dry, the leaves will dry up, so during the growing period you need to spray the stems and leaves frequently to help maintain air humidity.

3. To encourage full, lush branches and leaves on purple heart, you can pinch off the tips when the stems and leaves have grown to about 20-30cm, which helps promote branching; otherwise the branches will grow thin and long, affecting its ornamental value.

4. In winter, the indoor temperature for purple heart should be kept above 5°C. During this period the plant is dormant and the amount of watering should be reduced; too much watering will cause root rot and yellow leaves.

5. When growing purple heart, give it appropriate light to avoid leggy stems and leaves. In summer it can be kept in a spot with diffused light, and the plant should not be given heavy watering before it has produced new stems.

III. How to Propagate Purple Heart (Tradescantia zebrina)

1. Purple heart is generally propagated by cuttings. During this period you can take several nodes of healthy stems and insert them into moist sand. The suitable temperature for rooting of the cuttings is 18-25°C. If the temperature is below 18°C, the cuttings will grow slowly, but if the temperature is above 25°C, the cut ends of the cuttings are prone to rotting from infection by pathogens.

2. After cutting, the air humidity should be kept at 75-85%, with misting 1-3 times a day. Do not mist excessively, otherwise the cuttings will easily rot from pathogen infection, so avoid over-care.