About sixty species are united in the genus Tradescantia, which was named after the skilled Flemish gardener and naturalist John Tradescant. The homeland of the tradescantia is the marshy places of northern and tropical America. Like other representatives of the Kommelinov family, the tradescantia is unpretentious, but many varieties do not tolerate frost, which is why they are grown as indoor plants.
What does it look like to which family
Tradescantia is one of the most common indoor plants. Her flowers are small, modest. The fruits are small sash boxes, each of which contains several seeds.
Tradescantia is grown in greenhouses and in open ground
An ampelous plant is used for landscaping both brightly lit rooms and shaded rooms. The tradescantia room looks good on high supports and in hanging planters, it is decorated with arches and niches. Combining different types, you can create hanging gardens that give the room space a feeling of lightness and airiness.
Additional Information! Even Tsiolkovsky talked about the need to use plants in long flights to provide breathing and nutrition for people. In 1960, plant objects made their first space flight, and among them was a tradescant!
The chemical composition of the plant determines the ability to clean the air from harmful impurities and increase the humidity of the environment. Phytoncides secreted by tradescantia inhibit the development of fungi and bacteria.
Tradescantia has ampelous and medicinal properties, which has long been noticed by traditional medicine. Diluted fresh juice is used for sore throats with angina, and the nose is washed with broth. Tinctures are used to cleanse the intestines. In places of natural growth, the juice of the flower is used as a healing agent, lubricating cuts and bruises.
Tradescantia home care
All indoor views are unpretentious. They prefer diffused light, and variegated varieties are more demanding on lighting. They grow well in a wide temperature range: 12-25 ℃ above zero. In a warm room with dry air, it is advisable to spray the plants. In summer, all types can be taken out to the balcony or planted in open ground.
Tradescantia as a decorative culture
Transplanting and bush formation
They can grow in any soil, but the mixture of three parts of leaf soil and one part of humus, peat and perlite is most suitable for them. For variegated varieties, the amount of humus is reduced by half, replacing it with perlite.
Gain attention! Adult specimens are transplanted every two years, choosing a pot slightly larger than the previous one. Landing is best done in the spring.
It is recommended to rejuvenate the plant at the same time, cutting the elongated shoots. During the year, pinch the tops to form a compact bush. Faded inflorescences and damaged shoots are removed in a timely manner.
Feeding and watering
Fertilized twice a month with complex mineral fertilizer. Regular watering is required, without stagnation of moisture. In winter, they cut it. To preserve variegation, flowers with this feature are fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
Bloom
If the plant is well looked after, it can bloom at any time of the year, but in summer it is most plentiful. Small flowers of the tradescantia pink, formed in the axils of the leaves, give it a special appeal. There are varieties with flowers of white, pink, blue, purple. Cold wintering with rare watering stimulates flowering.
Blooming tradescantia
During flowering, specific care is not needed, unless it is necessary to exclude spraying so as not to damage the flowers. Flowering specimens are regularly fertilized.
Breeding
Tradescantia is well rooted and growing rapidly. To propagate the plant, use the following methods:
- The division of the bush is carried out during transplantation. The bush is neatly divided into two or three parts, depending on its power, and planted in separate containers. At the same time, several shoots are left in each part to form a lush plant.
- Cutting is the easiest and fastest way. Cuttings with 2-3 nodes are cut with a sharp knife. Plants take root quickly both in water and in soil. Planting several cuttings in a pot, they quickly get a decorative copy.
- Seed propagation is the most time-consuming option. In spring, the seeds are sown in a mixture of peat and sand, moistened and covered with a film. To get a full bush, you have to wait a few months.
Important information! With seed propagation, a splitting of varietal characters is observed in the tradescantia. Not all seedlings will look the same as the mother plant.
Growing problems
A viable tradescantia home is rarely ill and is attacked by pests. If a plant is planted in the garden in the summer, there may be problems with aphids and spider mites. Juicy leaves like to enjoy slugs. In the fall, before you bring a perennial plant into the house, it must be treated with insectoacaricides, for example, phytoerm.
Dry edges and leaf tips indicate excessive dryness of the air. In this case, you need to moisten the air with a spray gun and pour wet pebbles into the pan.
Pale coloration may result from either excessive or inadequate lighting. The optimal location of the tradescant in the room is determined empirically by trying various options.
On a note! Tradescantia is considered an indicator of energy well-being in the home. Where there is poor energy, the plant turns yellow and loses foliage for no apparent reason. Tradescanti cleanse the house of the negative energy of thoughts and words of ill-wishers.
Popular views
Due to the fact that the rest period is not pronounced at tradescantia, they retain decorativeness all year round, for which flower growers are especially appreciated. The following species are most common in indoor crop production:
- Tradescantia white-flowered (white) is suitable even for the most shaded rooms. This species has long grassy shoots with alternately arranged small leaves. The leaf plates are oval, with a sharp tip, soft and shiny. There are varieties with bright green, white-green and three-colored leaves. It blooms quite rarely, with small white flowers. Used as an ampel plant.
White-flowered tradescantia
- Virginia tradescantia has erect stems and dark green narrow leaves 2-3 cm long. There are specimens with flowers of blue, pink, white and purple. Often used as a garden view.
- The gentle tradescantia of Blossfeld is distinguished by large peduncles and juicy, expressed by pubescent elliptic leaves up to seven centimeters long. The upper side of the leaf is olive-green, the lower - with a purple tint. The flowers are pink. Slow-growing species, recommended for group flower arrangements.
- Tradescantia violet (netcreasia) is a plant with lodging creeping stems and oblong, pointed leaves of green-purple color. The reverse side of the sheet has a more pronounced purple color. Leaves are downy. Pink flowers contrast brightly with dark foliage. This species needs good lighting, otherwise the shoots are stretched and the color dims.
- A riverine or myrtolithic tradescantia grows well in semi-shaded places. Beautiful creeping purple stems are covered with many leaves, bright green above and purple below. White flowers on long purple pedicels are gathered in paired curls. It is used as a groundcover and ampelous plant.
- Tradescantia sillamontana is a compact, slightly branching plant with shoots no more than 40 cm long. The leaves are large, dense, with a thick, light pubescence of a silvery hue. The flowers are blue or purple, axillary. Drought tolerant species.
Tradescantia sillamontana
- Anderson's tradescantia is the name of a group of hybrids with flat flowers collected in inflorescences at the ends of the shoots. The color of the petals is diverse, there are varieties with semi-double flowers. On the branching stems are bright lanceolate leaves.
- Small-leaved tradescantia is the smallest species. Round leaflets do not exceed 0.6 cm in length. Despite the apparent fragility, the plant is unpretentious, grows quickly, develops well under artificial lighting.
Additional Information! As a result of crossing the main species, many spectacular varieties were obtained. Variegated specimens are especially in demand.
Surprisingly good is the Maiden's Blush variety of riverine tradescantia, which means “Blush of the Bride”. It differs in the pink color of young leaves, which turn green over time.
Tradescanti Maiden's Blush
Another spectacular variety with pronounced variability is the Nanook tradescantia. The leaves are brightly colored, on a white-pink background, green stripes of various color saturation.
Tradescantia is readily used in the design of the room. Both groups of the same species and combinations of different plants look harmonious. Tradescantia with light foliage effectively contrast with the dark leaves of the ficus Black Prince or Coleus Black Dragon. Instances of saturated violet color stand out against the background of light green leaves of syngonium.
The unpretentiousness and variety of varieties allow you to experiment with the placement of the flower, using various racks, hanging baskets, highly placed shelves. Thus, it is possible to create entire cascades of plants in the rooms.
