Zebra Plant stems drying out

Hi

I took some cuttings from a zebra plant which died due to some bugs on it that I couldn't identify. I rooted them in water for a few weeks and then transferred to a pot. There were five cuttings and through lack of knowledge, I simply planted them evenly spaced about the pot.

This was a year ago and everything has gone fine until about a month ago when growth seems to have slowed dramatically. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a few leaves had dried up (maybe about twenty) but no big deal I thought - it's got plenty more.

What is a concern is that the stems nearest the soil (these would be the 'oldest' stems) have gone incredibly thin and look dried out. It seems almost impossible that these five, skinny stems are able to supply all the nutrients to support the rest of the plant. I don't know how long they have been in this state.

I wonder if this could be the cause of recent lack of growth. Its recently turned winter here, but the room mostly stays at a constant temperature, maybe dropping a couple of degrees at night. The window is West facing. It's watered regularly with Miracle Grow added. I would be most grateful if anyone can give me some advice on saving my plant, if it needs saving that is. Can these skinny stems be beefed up in any way? Is it the end? I so hope not.

Sorry, I missed off the most important 'photos of the dried out stems. They're much more obvious in these images.

Tradescantia zebrina. When they get spindly, you can cut them off & stick back in the pot, if you're going for a full-pot look. These succulent plants grow like a vine. If the roots rot, it will cut itself off, hoping to 'fall' into better conditions. Some of the stems in your 2nd pics are rotted. Cut off the healthy parts & stick them back in. Sometimes the edge of the pot crimps/injures them as well. Keeping the shallow roots too wet and/or pot sitting in a wet drain saucer will rot roots of a potted plant. Let plants dry well, a more shallow pot is great for T. zebrina when available.

Ditto: It is natural for these plants to grow as a ground cover, with roots growing at almost every leaf. The stems do not have a great ability to support long strands of leaves. They grow up a bit, perhaps half a dozen leaves, then flop over, hoping the stem will touch the soil so it can root.

Best thing to do is to keep rejuvenating your collection by taking cuttings periodically, just as you did before, and potting them up to replace the old plants. They can be planted quite densely in the container to make a full, lush, rounded 'bushy' sort of presentation.

Try some of these in the ground, too. They make a nice ground cover in a bright but shaded spot. Dappled light under trees is good. They may freeze, though, surviving some years and dying in the colder winters.

Thanks to both of you for your advice, I appreciate it.

I'm glad it's not all over as I've really enjoyed watching it grow so fast along my window cill, although with some persuasion to keep it in line, otherwise I think it may have taken over my living room entirely!

It sounds from your advice, that this is quite a tenacious plant, which is perfect for my beginners' skills.

Yes, it's fun to play with since it needs attention often. I play with it so much, it's 'accompanying' other plants in at least 30 diff pots. What's the most fun is that with diff amounts of light, the leaves will be totally diff colors. By now some of the plants brought indoors about a month ago are fading from having so much less sun. The nickname of this plant should have been chameleon plant all along I think.

Diana I've been doing just that under a large oak tree that has some exposed roots & too much of a 'hump' at the base to mow. As I pull grass out, I'm putting Tradescantias - by raiding pieces from potted plants. The sun is too sparse there for the grass to invade again if I keep an eye on it while the Trad establishes. The amount of growth just from spring to fall makes it worth doing some 'accent landscaping' with these even where cold enough to surely be killed by winter. Why should Coleus have all of the fun?