How to grow purple spider plant (Tradescantia zebrina)? Care methods and precautions

  In traditional Chinese culture, “purple” is a symbol of royalty, as in the “Forbidden City” and “purple air coming from the east,” and purple further signifies nobility and elegance, just like the purple spider plant. Many gardening enthusiasts rather enjoy growing this potted plant; whether grown for its foliage or its flowers, it always brings brilliant splendor.

  The purple spider plant is mostly propagated by division to produce young plants, but division should be done at the right time; apart from winter, when temperatures are too low for division, this method can generally be used in other seasons. But how do you grow this plant? Today, the editor will share with you the care methods for potted purple spider plants.

  1. Soil mix

  Because the purple spider plant has extremely strong adaptability to soil conditions, it is relatively easy to keep alive in a pot. For the soil mix, it is recommended to use a fertile, loose, airy and well-draining potting soil; the recommended approach is to mix leaf mold, peat soil and sand in a certain ratio, or of course you can mix some well-rotted organic fertilizer into clean fine sand.

  2. Light

  Light is an essential condition for all things to thrive, and the purple spider plant is no exception. However, this plant prefers a semi-shaded growing environment, so it is best placed indoors near a windowsill or in another relatively bright spot for care and management. If kept outdoors, avoid exposure to blazing sun when summer temperatures are too high, and when winter temperatures are too low it should be moved indoors for warmth so it can safely overwinter.

  3. Temperature

  When the ambient temperature stays above 15°C, the purple spider plant can grow well, and this plant is also fairly tolerant of high temperatures; even in summer weather above 30°C, as long as it is shielded from scorching sun, it will not develop growth problems from the heat. But the purple spider plant has weak cold tolerance and usually needs temperatures kept above 4°C to safely overwinter. Therefore, when winter temperatures are too low, warmth-preserving measures should be taken promptly.

  4. Humidity

  The purple spider plant likes a high-humidity growing environment, so when the weather is hot and dry, watering measures should be taken promptly; you can increase air humidity by misting to ensure the plant can maintain normal growth. Of course, to make the leaves look brighter, we can also wash the leaves by spraying water on the plant.

  5. Watering

  The purple spider plant likes moisture, so the potting soil is required to stay moist most of the time. Because the plant's fleshy roots normally store a large amount of water, it also has strong drought tolerance like other plants with fleshy roots; even after several consecutive days of drought it will not wither and die from lack of water. Normally, just keep up regular watering; watering can be increased in summer, and when winter temperatures are low, watering should be controlled, otherwise the leaves are prone to turning yellow.

  6. Fertilizing

  During the growing season, it is recommended to apply a dilute liquid fertilizer once every 2 weeks, but because this plant's growth can be maintained without high nutrient demands, nitrogen fertilizer is generally not needed; even if nitrogen fertilizer is applied, the concentration must be well controlled, and the more dilute the better, otherwise it will affect the white or yellow markings on the leaves and reduce their ornamental value. When the ambient temperature is too low, fertilizer should be applied sparingly; in particular, when winter temperatures drop below 4°C the plant enters dormancy and fertilizing should be stopped immediately.

  7. Pruning

  To keep the plant highly ornamental, we generally recommend cutting off withered, old and yellow leaves in good time; each May you can also appropriately cut off some old leaves to encourage more new leaves to sprout. In addition, combined with the repotting done each March, you can also cut off thin, overlong old roots, rotted roots and overly tangled fibrous roots in good time. (Author: Xiaoshu 2017-09-03 22:14)