How to Grow and Care for Spiderwort (Tradescantia)

Tradescantia spp.

Beautifully variegated or in soothing shades of solid green, spiderworts are easy-care houseplants that will provide masses of vines to beautify your indoor space.

These fast growers allow you to add a lot of vegetation to your home quickly, without too much fuss. They are certainly proving to be excellent for me.

Many years ago I had something of an indoor jungle – my home was filled with houseplants. I loved being surrounded by all that lush greenery.

But then I moved overseas, and every houseplant I owned needed to be rehomed.

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Many years later, having returned from my life abroad, I’ve finally decided to start cultivating an indoor jungle again.

And spiderworts are an integral part of this project and I started with two tiny pots of T. zebrina.

Thanks to some easy propagation and quick growth, those two pots have been transformed into four large houseplants, plus two additional small specimens I just started from cuttings.

In this guide I’ll fill you in on the best way to keep them looking gorgeous, and meanwhile, our inch plants can keep busy filling our homes with new foliage.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

Spiderwort is a common name that refers to many species in the genus Tradescantia.

This genus is part of the Commelinaceae family, also called the spiderwort or dayflower family – so named because many species in this family have flowers that only last a single day.

The Tradescantia genus is made up of 75 species, many of which have a “wandering” or vining growth habit.

These species originate in the Americas, spanning a distance as far north as Canada and as far south as Argentina.

Those that are grown as houseplants generally originate in tropical areas of Central and South America.

In their native habitat and in areas where they have naturalized, spiderworts grow in moist soil in woodlands, rainforests, and riparian areas.

These tender evergreen perennials have a spreading growth habit, forming thick mats of vegetation, and they are able to root into the soil from their vines, particularly at leaf nodes.

When grown as houseplants, that spreading growth habit translates into long, trailing vines.

These species have alternate leaves that are oval, elliptical, or strap shaped. Some types are variegated, while others are solid green or solid purple in color.

The leaves are fleshy, feeling almost like the foliage of succulents.

The foliage and stems are covered with small hairs, some species more than others. Much like the hairs found on tomato stems, these hairs are able to grow into roots as the plants spread.

Or you can do as the Aussies do and call yours “wandering Trad.”

Another common name, “inch plant,” refers to the spacing between leaves. And to me at least, these seem to grow an inch per day – another possible inspiration for this name!

Tradescantia can be grown outdoors as annuals or as perennials in USDA Hardiness Zones 7b to 12a, depending on the species.

However, before you decide to take advantage of any species of spiderwort for its ground covering properties, be forewarned that these plants can be quite invasive.

Spiderworts look marvelous when their long vines can cascade over the rims of their pots and trail down, so hanging baskets and plant stands are both excellent options for showcasing your plants.

If you prefer, you can prune the plant and give it a more bushy or upright shape – more on that later in this artcle.

How to Grow

Growing and caring for spiderwort is easy.

These are general tips that work for most types of Tradescantia, but always be sure to check specific growing information for your chosen species as there may be slight differences in requirements.

Light

Spiderworts are fairly flexible and will adapt to light conditions ranging from full sun to medium light.

Ideally, select a location in your home with bright, indirect sunlight.

I have personally grown T. zebrina in both full sun on the south side of my home and in indirect medium light on the northeast side of my home.

You can read more about what type of lamps to use for your plants in our dedicated article on grow lights for indoor gardening.

And if you place your spiderwort outdoors during the summer, find a location where it receives some shade during the hottest part of the day, since some species will scorch under too much direct sun.

Temperature and Humidity

Tradescantia houseplants are tender perennials, and they do well when kept at around 70°F or at least somewhere in the range of 50 to 80°F.

Since spiderworts originate in wet, tropical zones, they appreciate a bit of extra humidity.

While certainly not as fussy about humidity as prayer plants or orchids, daily misting is a good idea, particularly if you live in an arid climate like I do, or if your indoor air is particularly dry during winter.

Spritz them in the morning rather than at night, to minimize the risk of fungal infection.

Soil

They do best in peaty, well-draining soil with a pH of 6.0-8.0, so regular houseplant potting soil will work fine.

Tank’s Houseplant Potting Mix

I particularly like Tank’s Houseplant potting mix, which contains coconut coir instead of peat moss and is available at Arbico Organics.

Water

Spiderworts have moderate moisture needs, but they are fairly tolerant.

The best rule of thumb is to let the top one to two inches of soil dry out in between waterings.

Water the surface of the soil instead of holding your watering can directly over the plant.

Reduce watering somewhat during the winter months since they don’t need quite as much water during the cooler weather.

Fertilizer

When growing outdoors, spiderwort plants have access to a rich diversity of nutrients and minerals in the soil which is constantly being refreshed.

That doesn’t happen for houseplants, so it helps to provide some fertilizer, particularly during the active growing season of spring and summer.

I like to fertilize my houseplants with worm compost tea, an organic option.

If you have a worm compost bin of your own, you can use some of the castings to make a fertilizer “tea” for your spiderworth.

Earthworm Compost Tea Organic Fertilizer

Or if you haven’t yet added vermicomposting to your skill set, you can purchase ready-made earthworm “tea” packets from the Earthworm Technologies Store, available via Amazon.

Species and Cultivars

Now that you have the basics of good spiderwort care down, are you ready to explore your options? Here are a couple of top picks.

Purple Heart

‘Purple Heart’ is a cultivated variety of T. pallida, a species native to Mexico.

This variety has solid purple foliage and delicate pink flowers. Its elliptical leaves are long, with purple undersides, and the plant also has purple stems.

Also known as T. pallida ‘Purpurea,’ it is sometimes taxonomically classified as Setcreasea purpurea. It also goes by the common names “purple queen” or “purple spiderwort.”

When grown in shady conditions, its foliage takes on a green color. To ensure that deep purple hue this plant is known for, place it in a location where it will receive full sun.

This species can survive outdoors year-round as a perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 7b to 11a.

‘Purple Heart’

You can find ‘Purple Heart’ available in three-inch pots from Smoke Camp Crafts Store via Amazon.

Silvery Inch Plant

Next up, silvery inch plant is one of the common names for the species T. zebrina.

This species sports green and purple leaves with silver stripes on the leaf uppers, and maroon undersides.

The silver stripes on the foliage are iridescent, shimmering when the light hits them.

Silvery Inch Plant

You’ll find silvery inch plant in two-and-a-half-inch pots from Hirt’s Gardens via Walmart.

Maintenance

For a fuller-looking specimen, pinching or cutting back vines will help to encourage bushier growth. Where you make your pinch or cut, the stem may branch.

Shorter stems will also be able to grow upwards rather than trailing down, giving a more upright appearance.

If your plant starts to look a bit scraggly, feel free to cut your spiderwort back fairly drastically, leaving only a few inches of stem intact.

If you want your inch plant to have long, trailing vines, there’s a trick to help with this as well:

Repotting

Your Tradescantia will not need to be repotted very often. When the soil starts drying out too quickly between waterings, you may want to repot or simply replace the potting medium.

If you see roots emerging through drainage holes or from the soil surface – this is a good sign that it’s time to repot.

Choose a pot that is only one to two inches larger than the current container, and make sure it has drainage holes.

Once you have your soil and new pot at the ready, remove the plant from its old pot. If it looks a bit root bound, gently loosen up the outer layer of roots.

Propagation

The easiest and most accessible way to propagate wandering dudes is via cuttings.

From Cuttings

You won’t need much skill or experience to succeed with this type of propagation project, so it’s great for kids, beginning gardeners, and brown thumbs.

You can either take cuttings and let them root in a glass of water, or simply place your new, unrooted cuttings directly into a pot of prepared houseplant soil.

If you’d like step-by-step instructions, check out our guide to spiderwort propagation.

Pests and Disease

Wandering dudes aren’t particularly prone to either diseases or pest infestations.

That’s one of the reasons these plants can so easily become invasive when grown outdoors.

Here are some of the most common diseases and pests to affect these houseplants:

Pests

Even the most resilient of houseplants can succumb to an insect infestation.

Aphids

Aphids are tiny sap-sucking insects that tend to set up camp on the undersides of foliage. They suck nutrients out of plants, which sometimes results in curled or wilted leaves.

Neem oil can be used as a nontoxic insecticide. Simply apply the product according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Learn more about how to manage aphids here.

Mealybugs

Mealybugs are another group of nutrient suckers. They are white and fuzzy, and may give your inch plant the appearance of having bits of cotton stuck on it, particularly on the stems.

Mealybugs can be wiped away with a damp paper towel, or they can be killed with an application of neem oil.

Find more tips on identifying and controlling mealybugs here.

Scale

To an untrained eye, scale may be hard to spot – they look like tiny brown bumps and can be mistaken for bits of dirt.

Under a brown shell, there’s an insect attached to your plant, greedily feeding.

Scale can appear on either leaves or stems and can cause foliage to turn yellow. You can pick off the pests by hand or treat the plant with neem oil.

Monterey Neem Oil

You can find Monterey neem oil available at Arbico Organics.

Find more information on controlling scale insects here.

Disease

If your spiderwort is looking sickly, you should check for root rot, which is caused by soggy soil.

Oversaturated soil prevents the roots from absorbing oxygen. Oxygen starved roots can rot, preventing the foliage from receiving the water it needs.

To remedy a case of root rot, remove the plant from its soil, trim back any rotting roots, repot, and make sure to either adjust watering or provide better drainage.

An Indoor Jungle, Inch by Inch

If you have let spiderwort into your heart, you should now be prepared to also let it into your home, and to keep it happy there.

What do you love the most about this plant – how easy it is to care for, how fast it puts out new foliage, or how supremely simple it is to propagate? Let me know below in the comments section below!

If filling your home with houseplants and creating your own indoor jungle sounds like a marvelous idea, here are a few other articles to read next:

• 23 Colorful Houseplants to Warm Up Your Home This Winter
• Houseplant Primer: A Guide to Basic Care and Durable Plants
• How to Grow and Care for Spider Plants