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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.
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.
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.
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:
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Kristina Hicks-Hamblin
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