Purple Heart Plant Care: Tradescantia Pallida

As the name implies, the purple heart plants have striking, deep royal purple foliage that gives rise to beautiful violet-pink blooms.

The lance-shaped leaves are anchored by stems with a deep royal blue appearance- certainly giving a pleasant touch to just about any garden.

Purple Heart was formerly known as Setcreasea pallida in 1911. However, the botanical classification was later changed to genus Tradescantia by D.R. Hunt of the Royal Botanic Garden Kew in 1975. 

purple heart care card

Purple Heart Plant Care

purple heart plant

Curious about how you can better take care of Tradescantia pallida? Sit back for a while and let Plantly guide you through the steps for its proper cultivation and needs. Enjoy!

Purple Heart Plants Soil

Adequate soil moisture, a porous structure, and a pH between 6-8 are ideal for optimum growth. Most commercial potting mixes allow the plant to grow favorably, but including perlite, peat moss, and some compost goes a long way.

Generally, a soil structure with good drainage is a must-have when growing purple hearts.

The Right Amount of Light

plant lighting requirement

Allowing purple heart plant to grow under full sun ensure vibrant purple leaves and stem. As outdoor plants, they are suitable for growing conditions receiving ample light.

Nevertheless, it would help if you ensured that the direct sunlight isn’t too much that it causes foliage burn. We certainly don’t want that!

When grown as a house plant, you can place the purple heart in a spot receiving as much light, but this hardy perennial can also tolerate partial shade. Consider using a hanging basket for it to bask in the light.

Watering Purple Heart Plant

The purple heart, also known as purple queen, is a well-considered drought-tolerant species. So, you’ve guessed right, they do not like overwatering! When overwatered, it can lead to root rot.

Wait until the top layer of the soil dries at an inch, but do not allow them to sit unwatered for longer. However, when tending to younger plants, remember they need more watering.

This also applies during the blooming season. Another interesting thing is that they can grow outdoors as ground cover needing minimal watering.

The Ideal Temperature

This tough plant can thrive in a wide range of temperatures, but it would be best to have them settled in a normal temperature ranging from 60 to 70 °F during the day, and 50 to 55 °F at night. Exposure to extreme heat must be avoided especially if the purple heart plants will be placed in outdoor gardens.

Known as a hardy perennial, purple heart tradescantia flaunts their adorable foliage in a garden year-round even if they are grown indoors, either in a small decorative container or hanging baskets.

Maintaining a Good Level of Humidity

Purple hearts can benefit from an average humidity of 40 to 50 % as indoor plants, as dry air makes the leaves appear limp and affects new growth.

Yet consider it a relief that a humid environment is easily maintained with a humidifier or by simply placing them on the spot with bright light and a fair level of air moisture – such as in the bathroom or kitchen. Phew!

plant humidifier

Water Soluble Fertilizer

Tradescantia pallida generally don’t require the use of fertilizer. But if you want to give them extra TLC, water-soluble or liquid fertilizer is a go-to as it promotes healthier plants. The growing season is a critical period for a purple heart plant, and one can never go wrong in supplementing it with enough nutrients so it can thrive and increase well.

Propating Purple Heart Plant

Cuttings quickly propagate this creeping perennial. Having an aggressive root system, one can easily place the cuttings in any moist potting mix, and it would eventually develop roots. Wood chips incorporated in the soil are an excellent propagation medium.

  1. Cut a three to a six-inch piece of cutting from a healthy plant. The cutting needs to have at least one node present.

  2. Remove the lower leaves and leave the top stem tips leaves in place.

  3. Dip the cut end into a rooting hormone, place it in a soilless potting medium, and water until moist.

  4. Place your plant cutting in bright light but not direct sun, and water regularly when the top surface is dry.

  5. In a few weeks, you will notice roots developing, and you can transplant them to a larger container, or they can be grown outdoors.

Cuttings may also be placed in water until roots growing are observed, and a rooting hormone can hasten this. The plant is also propagated from seed, which usually takes time and is often unavailable.

The Most Suitable Growth Zone

These plants are pretty hardy in temperate regions. While frost may hamper the top growth, the plants can easily resprout from the roots, usually in the early spring. 

This plant from the spiderwort family, especially those in the north, may become a bit winter hardy and thus survive in USDA hardiness zones between 7 to 10.

usda hardiness zone

When’s the Best Time for Potting and Pruning?

In time, this plant’s trailing stems need some trimming to maintain their compact growth. Regular trimming allows new growth as they tend to form dense groundcovers. Use sharp scissors to cut plants beginning from the top half of their overgrowth.

So, for most plant species, you can remove the tips to form new stem tips and grow them as wall plantings.

purple heart pruning

Purple hearts do not need frequent repotting, given their relatively fair size. This, among other characteristics, makes them great indoor plants.

Purple Heart Plant Varieties and Similar Plants

Genus tradescantia offers a wide variation of foliage patterns and flowers. You’ll be amazed to see how these other plants have their own unique share of the spectacle attributed to their species.

Here are some of the most common varieties to marvel at:

T. zebrina ‘Burgundy’

Tradescantia zebrina 'Burgundy' @hq Tradescantia zebrina ‘Burgundy’ @hq

Able to show off different kinds of colors in different lighting and growth stages, this variety certainly deserves our attention with its pronounced stripes and Fuschia undersides. This incredibly attractive plant prefers bright indirect light and a little dryness in between watering.

T. fluminensis ‘Lavender’

Tradescantia fluminensis ‘Lavender’

Reverted green stems with white to purple variegated leaves are a known characteristic of this plant. When grown indoors, be sure to provide bright filtered light. Unlike most tradescantia species, these plants prefer not to dry out in between watering.

Avoid prolonging a dry soil condition, and the plant will surely thank you with its fresh vibrant foliage.

T. albiflora albovitatta 

Tradescantia albiflora albovitatta

This easy-to-grow plant has large blue-green leaves with distinct white stripes and edges. Easy to pot with sufficient drainage holes, it thrives from full sun to partial shade. Grows at about 6-8 inches tall, they can be used as ground cover and may spread up to 2 feet.

Purple Heart Plant Diseases & Pests

Purple hearts are quite hardy in nature, but some insects may threaten them such as scales, aphids, and mealybugs. Vibrant and healthy foliage may also attract some borers and chewing insects like caterpillars, but they can be easily controlled either by hand or by using natural insect repellents.

You may also want to pay attention to the surroundings of your purple hearts, as some symptoms may be relative to their growing condition. For example, brown leaf tips may be caused by dry air.

Frequently Asked Questions

Purple hearts are not only aesthetically pleasing but are also said to be effective in removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air. Such attribute certainly makes them beneficial houseplants.

The tradescantia pallida having light to deep royal purple colors not only gives off an elegant vibe but also invites seemingly calm energy. The plant is said to amplify inner strength, incite devotion, elicit creativity, and peace.

Purple hearts are not deadly poisonous but if ingested may still cause some complications. Contact must be avoided as the sap contains a substance that is mildly toxic to cats and dogs. Keep the plant out of reach of children and pets.

The purple heart plant is considered a succulent as it has thick leaves that retain water.

The leading cause of the leaves turning green is insufficient sunlight, which requires the sun to form the striking purple foliage.

We recommend you pinch the tips of new stems to form a compact growth and ensure gloves, as the sap can cause an allergic reaction.

Whether you want to buy, sell or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!

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