I wonder can anyone tell me which Tradescantia this is?,I was given three unrooted cuttings by a friend,all she knows is,it gets tiny white flowers on it,its quite small leaved.Does anyone know how easy they are to get to root?,I have just put them in compost and put a clear plastic bag over them,is that the best way to root them?.Thank you.
Which one you have I dont know, but I do know the Zebrina pendula is very easy to root,I just put them in the moist soil but I dont cover them.
Christine
Thank you Christine,maybe I should take the plastic bag off then,I put it on thinking it would keep the moisture in till they got some roots.Hope it roots easy like the one you have.Thanks again for you reply.
The plant might be Tradescantia fluminensis. Need to see a focused photo of the plant, and the undersides of the leaves.
To my knowledge all Tradescantia are VERY easy to root. Just stick them in soil or water.. Roots galore in no time!!!
I have cut a hanging basket back and taken all the cuttings, placed them in water- about a week later I pot them up and have a great looking, full, new plant!!
Thank you for your replies,I have taken another photo of the undersides of the leaves Metrosideros,hope this is a better shot,I needn't have worried about the rooting,as they already have roots,I only planted them on the 30th July,so its only taken 5 days.
Thank you daisylovn for your help with the rooting suggestion using water,I wondered if that was a possibility,I will try that next time,thanks again for your help.
It would be great if I could find out which variety it is Metrosideros,thanks again.
Thanks for the photo.
Tradescantia fluminensis looks right.
Thank you Metrosideros for your reply,I will label it now,my friend will be interested to finally know the variety too.Thanks again for your help in naming this plant.
You're very welcome, Evie!
The plant looks like the type species for Tradescantia fluminensis
and not a garden variety.
It looks like T. fluminensis to me also, which can be a noxious weed here in the southern U.S.
http://www.floridata.com/ref/t/trad_flu.cfm
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54391/
Thanks Plantladylin,that makes interesting reading,I am growing it indoors for now,but my intentions where to put it in a hanging basket outside next summer.I can understand how it is a problem in warmer climes though,I was astonished at how quick it rooted.Thanks again for the links,and your reply.
You are very welcome!
Lin. You are the best !! Just thought I would HiJack this thread to say so. : )
Hi again everyone,I have a problem with my Tradescantia,I got such a helpful response last time,I hoped someone could give me some more advice please,whats happened is,the leaves of the plant seem to be losing some of the greenness,it was really dark green,but now its sort of faded,I have it in a north facing window and it gets some very early sun,I'm wondering if it gets enough,or is there something else I'm not doing right ?.I hope the photo is ok,Any ideas would be gratefully accepted.Thanks.
I don't think it's a light problem. To me it looks like a bit of sun damage, but sometimes yellowing foliage can also be caused by over watering or lack of fertilizer.
Nothing to do with the yellowing/fading of the foliage, but have you tipped it out of it's container to check the root system? If the roots are filling that little pot, it might need a larger container.
Wow,thanks plantladylin,for your fast reply,no I haven't looked at the roots,I will do that,I've had it in this pot for about a month,I haven't fed it yet either,do you think I should?.But it could be sun damage as you say,it does get early morning sun,and there is no shade at the window,like a blind or anything,so that could be it,I will move it away from the glass and see if that makes a difference.Thank you again for your help,much appreciated.
I have one. It likes part sun not direct. I water it and let it dry some before watering again. I fertilize it once a month. Yellowing is usually too much water, or not enough. Don't let it sit in water after watering let sit for half an hour then empty out the saucer. Don't let it completely dry out either, they tend to like water when it's warm, when it's cooler you can water less.
Hi tishrh,thank you for your reply,the plant has deteriorated even more since the last photo,I can't imagine what I've done wrong,the colour seems to have faded and the leaves are really dull looking,I did have it in the window,but I've now moved it away,the weather has been unusually hot,and I'm wondering if its got to hot being up against the glass,I've also repotted it,hoping that some fresh compost might help.
Thanks for the info,on when to feed,and how much water,I have been watering it with rain water,hope thats ok.
Is it a bright window? Or direct sun window? They like some shade but do like some sun just not direct. Rain water is fine. They will wilt if it gets hot out. Look at the roots make sure it's not rotting.
Do you let it dry out before watering? What kind of soil you using?
Hi tishrh,I started with it in a north facing window,it was lovely and dark green,but then we had a bit of a heat wave,and where it was placed,I think it caught the early morning sun,it seemed to start to deteriorate around this time,It is in multipurpose compost,but since I've repotted it,I've put Perlite into the compost,to aerate it a bit,I do let it dry out a little,but not completely,the roots seem fine.The backs of the leaves are a rich burgundy colour,but the green is faded and dull looking,it is getting some new growth on it,I was thinking I should cut the damage off,what do you think?.It isn't in a window now,it a little further away,I thought I would let it recover a bit,before putting it back.Thank you for your help.Evie
if the leaves are brown or black etc... yes i would cut it off but if it's just dull then no I wouldn't. Try putting it in a different spot. I know all my wandering jews will get dull leaves itf I am not watering it enough or it isn't getting enough light but it should be indirect light.
Thanks tishrh for your reply,the new leaves appearing look much better,so I think it should be ok,I have moved it,away from the direct sun.Thank you for your help.
