Free Tradescantia Plant

Are you a plant lover and are looking for a plant that would add beauty to your home environment? It would be best to go for tradescantia plant. This plant has a great value in adding an extra touch of beauty to your home environment. The tradescantia plant has a big family. There are around 75 different species of this plant. You will love having this plant around your home environment. It is herbaceous plant and perennial in nature. You will find this plant commonly being named as spiderwort. This perennial plant will grow up to 1ft tall and has great use as an ornamental plant.

The first impression you will have upon simply viewing this plant is how beautiful, elegant and unique this plant is! It is rich with beauty and glory. The leaves are slightly pink, blue, gold, purple or silver. This is what makes this plant outstanding. It is the foliage that adds major beauty to the leaves.

Native to and spread of tradescantia : You will find this plant commonly growing in the soil of southern Canada, West Indies and Argentina.

Although the above mentioned countries are where the plant has been first originated, today, you will find this plant growing almost around the world and is the favorite to all the plant lovers. This plant is commonly grown in Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, Mexico, Alabama, Canada and America.

Today, this plant has been spreading slowly around the world but as we look at the history of this plant, we will get to figure out that this plant has been introduced in the European world in the 17th century and this was the time when the plants use as an ornamental plant was first recognized.

You will commonly find this plant growing in refreshing number in the temperate regions as well as in the tropical soil. You will find the plant growing in the deciduous soil but it is less common compared to the tropical habitat. This plant grows fairly well in the open spaces and you will come across this plant in the woods, roadsides, scrubs and meadows.

Height : Tradescantia has a way of spreading or scrambling more than growing tall as the other indoor plants. This plant can grow up to 1.99 feet tall.

Flowers : Tradescantia can give rise to some wonderful piece of flowers. These flowers come in different colors and are eye catching in nature. They come in blue, purple, white, pink and some shades of mixed color. If you observe the flowers well, you will come to notice that these flowers open up during the morning time and will soon end up closing as the night time falls. These flowers are commonly called as spider-lily, oyster-plant or cradle-lily.

Leaves : One of the special features of tradescantia is that this plant can give rise to wonderful foliage. One of the reasons why gardeners choose to have this plant is because of its leaves. The leaves come in different shapes based on the kind of specie it is from. Most commonly, the leaves are thin, long and blade like in structure. Some of the leaves are purple in color and well striped. Some come in pinkish purple and other foliages in green striped with white.

Growing and care : The major reason of choosing to grow tradescantia is for ornamental reason. It will turn into a wonderful bloom and has a unique kind of leaves. It is possible to grow this plant in a container such as the pot or you can use this plant as a border for your garden.

It is fairly easy to grow tradescantia plant. This plant will grow easily when favorable conditions are met for the plants right growth. You can let this plant grow on a plan landscape, inside a basket, a pot or a hanging basket. Almost all the plant lovers prefer having this plant around their home environment.

Light : The way and development of your tradescantia plant greatly depend on the way you take care of this plant on a daily basis. Know the right condition of light needed by this plant is very important. This beautiful plant is not fussy about the type of light condition it receives. It will grow into a full bloom plant upon being provided with a bright to moderate light. It is suggested that you let it grow in an environment where it can thrive well in an indirect light. Direct exposure to sunlight for a long period of time will cause the leaves to dry up or even leading change in the color of the leaves turning yellow and brown. At times you will notice the plant the flowers getting discolored or the leaves stretching in an odd way, this is particularly because of lack of light. Water : Water is one of the most important needs for all types of plants. This plant will be in need of more water during the growing season. Make sure that you do not over water, let the soil dry up before you water. Over watering can lead to root rot.

Temperature : Tradescantia grows really well in the tropical temperature meaning the plant will thrive well in an average temperature between 10C to 28C.

Soil : The kind of soil condition you let your plant grow is very important. When it comes to growing tradescantia plant, you need to be aware of the kind of soil needed by this plant. This plant will grow perfectly well and fit in a well-drained and fertilized soil. The plant enjoys growing in a soil that is rich in humus and compost manure. It will grow to its full potential when you let this plant grow in the right kind of soil.

Fertilization : Your tradescantia plant prefers growing in a well fertilized soil. You will use controlled-release fertilizer. It is good to use liquid fertilizer. The best time to fertilize your plant is during the active growing months. It is during this time that fertilize will react well with the plant. You will reduce fertilizing during the winter months.

Propagation : Propagating a plant is the easiest way to reproduce the plant we love. Different plant will propagate through different methods. For a tradescantia, this plant will grow from the stem cutting method. It will grow beautifully whenever you let the plant this way. The stem cutting when it touches the right kind of soil, will grow into mature plant. It will sprout out well. You can even use the division method of propagation and seeding method of propagation.

If you are opting for the seeding method of propagation let the seeds grow in a cold frame during the spring months and when they are large enough you can let them grow inside a green house over the winter months. Let the plant grow in a pot which will be its permanent growing space during the spring and summer months.

As you propagate your tradescantia, you will have to know that this plant needs a moist and compost manual soil to grow. Also make sure that the plant is growing in a fresh soil.

It is also possible to let the plant root out in the water. Once the rooting is fully in progress, you can replace the plant in a fresh soil.

Repotting : Tradescantia plant prefers being repotted during the onset of spring months. You will determine whether to repot or let it grow in the same pot based on looking at the plant. If the plant is outgrowing excessively then you can choose to repot this plant on a fresh new soil.

Uses : There are quite a number of uses on having tradescantia as an indoor plant. The major use of this plant is indoor beauty. This plant will turn into a wonderful bloom along with the outgrow of uniquely colored foliage.

You can use this plant in a lot of ways to decorate your home environment. You can use it as an outdoor border plant or let it grow in your free room environment to decorate your home.

You will love the presence of this plant. You can either let this plant grow in a pot or on the open ground. It is possible to use this plant as a hanging plant as it can spread pretty well more than growing tall.

The leaves of Tradescantia virginiana are edible. It will tastes good when added with meat or when eaten as a vegetable soup. The young stem can be used in making salads while its flowers can be used as a garnish in food.

The leaves of the spiderwort plants are used for medicinal purpose too. It helps in the treatment of kidney, women health problems and stomach aches, insect bites and stings.

Caution : It is good to be careful when handling this beautiful piece of plant that appears beautiful to the eyes. It can turn out harmful to your pets life. If your pet happens to play with this plant, it will suffer from rashes and itchy skin.

There are various species of tradescantia and one of the specie known as the T.virginiana has really good medicinal uses. It has long been used as a medicinal plant in treating dangerous disease such as cancer and stomachache.