If you ’re die for an indoor jungle vibe with your houseplant decor , tradescantia – also known as “ spiderwort ” or “ wandering dude ” – is a fantastic plant life to have on hand .

It has two deliver the goods characteristics that make it the perfect industrial plant for indoor gardening fun : it ’s both easy to propagateanda fast raiser . This is why it ’s also call “ inch flora , ” since it seems to grow an inch a day .

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A close up horizontal image of a spiderwort cutting set on a wooden surface.

Photo by Kristina Hicks-Hamblin.

And since it ’s so speedy to get , you could set about with a small specimen and soon you ’ll be up to your auricle in newly propagated spiderwort , pass water increase your resident population of houseplants easy on the wallet .

There are three methods you’re able to practice to grow new plants from the root word of a parent spiderwort , and I ’m going to compensate all three .

Here ’s a sneak peep at everything we ’ll pass over up in advance :

A close up vertical image of spiderwort cuttings taking root in water set on a wooden surface. To the center and bottom of the frame is green and white printed text.

How to Propagate Spiderwort

Whichever method you choose , you ’ll need a mature spiderwort to take cuttings from . If you do n’t have a matured specimen of your own , you might render requesting slip from a Quaker .

Be cognisant that there aremany different types of wandering beau , so start with the one you want to see more of in your home !

If you do n’t have a parent plant available to take cuttings from , you may see a liveTradescantia zebrinaspecimen in a six - inch hanging planteravailable for purchase from Hirt ’s via Amazon .

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dayflower in 6 ” hoop

But before we get started , if you want to brush up on what ’s need to like for this plant , be sure to readour template on how to grow wandering swell .

1. In Water

start cuttings in water is a fun method acting . If you use a transparent glass jar , you may watch the young industrial plant ’s solution developing in their container .

This is also a commodious propagation method to fuck about in case you accidentally break a bow from your houseplant and want to keep it live until you have time to pot it .

To propagate spiderwort in water you ’ll postulate :

A close up vertical image of a spiderwort plant stem cutting taking root in a jar of water pictured on a windowsill.

Tradescantia bring about new ascendant most easily from its node . verify to take a length of stem that let in several of these .

Remove the lower leaves from the cut , and insert it into the shabu container .

Make certain to keep the container topped off with water , and if it start to expect murky , change it out with fresh water .

A close up horizontal image of a hand from the bottom of the frame holding a pair of scissors to cut a section of stem from a Tradescantia plant.

Place the container of cutting in smart , indirect Inner Light .

If you ’re wonder when you should transition your steady down stems from their jar to a container fill with soil , that ’s really up to you .

There is no minimum ascendent growth you ’re look for – this method is best fit either for public lavatory or fun , so plan to pot up your new column inch plant whenever you are ready .

A close up vertical image of Tradescantia zebrina stem cuttings in a jar of water taking root.

2. In Growing Medium

When grown outdoors , these plants have a reputation for being insufferable to get rid of , and that ’s because they take origin extremely easy .

That means rooting them indoors in dirt is also just as easy .

For this method you ’ll need :

A close up horizontal image of green Tradescantia cuttings in a small glass jar pictured on a soft focus background.

modest flowerpot are recommended since these young spiderwort plants wo n’t have tumid origin arrangement at first , but it ’s up to you to decide what size you ’d like to start with – just make certain they have drainage holes in the bottom .

For single stems , I advocate using a two - inch container .

But for a fuller looking specimen , I recommend taking several cuttings and placing them together in a four - inch container , such as these round plastic nursery pots from the Growneer Store , available for purchase via Amazon .

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120 - Pack of 4 ” Round Plastic Nursery Pots

For my all - intent houseplant grow medium , I prefer De La Tank ’s Houseplant mix .

you’re able to find it for purchase in one- , eight- , or sixteen - quart bagsfrom Tank ’s Green Stuff via Arbico Organics .

A close up vertical image of a bag of De La Tank’s Soil Mix isolated on a white background.

De La Tank ’s Houseplant Soil

Fill the container with pot sensitive , leaving half an inch to an inch between the top of the soil and the rim of the pot .

This will make watering your houseplants less messy , so soil does n’t spill over the rim .

A close up horizontal image of a hand from the right of the frame using a stick to poke a hole in soil in a pot with Tradescantia cuttings to the left of the frame.

Decide how full you need your new specimen to seem and prod holes in the soil with the chopstick , space out the holes half an inch to an inch aside .

Take as many film editing from the parent genus Tradescantia as you need , call for cutting that each have several nodes .

utilise the scissor hold to lop off the bottom leaf from each cutting off .

A close up horizontal image of spiderwort cuttings set on a wooden surface with a few leaves to the left of the frame.

Insert each cutting into one of the holes , and iron out the soil around it to fold the hole .

Moisten the grow mass medium with the aid of your spray feeding bottle . Keep the soil moist , but not muddy .

Either water with the spray bottle day by day , or , to save yourself some clip and zip , station the containers into resealable credit card bagful , a terrarium , or yourgreenhouse .

A close up horizontal image of a spiderwort plant growing in a pot set on a windowsill pictured on a soft focus background.

Growing these young wandering dudes in a eminent humidity surround will serve to keep them hydrous as they begin to develop roots .

Keep the cuttings expose to shining , indirect light .

When the soil starts dry out more quickly and the cuttings set out to grow , they can be removed from their plastic old bag or terrarium and watered normally from then on , with awatering can adapted for houseplant .

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go along give care for them as you would mature specimen .

3. Through Layering

Finally , the last method acting you’re able to practice to propagate spiderwort from stem turn is by layering .

With this method acting , instead of first cut off a stalk and then rooting it , you will leave alone the base attached to the parent tradescantia and let it settle in a disjoined container of soil .

Only once it has root do you cut back the stem from the parent in plant .

A close up horizontal image of a Tradescantia plant growing in a pot being propagated by layering.

The only potential disadvantage to this method is that it might be awkward to move these pots while rooting is taking place . Layering will operate well for specimen that do n’t need to be move when you irrigate them .

For this method acting , you ’ll need :

I like these flowered thole from Panacea , which areavailable for purchase at Amazon .

50 - Pack of Floral Pins

Fill the newfangled container with growing sensitive , leaving about an inch of quad at the top .

Next , drape the fore from the parent genus Tradescantia across the mint . Repeat if you wish to settle down more than one stem in the same batch .

Weigh down the stem with little stones or pin them in place with flowered pins .

Keep the growing spiritualist in the new pot moistness , but not inert , by moistening it with a spray nursing bottle .

ensure the stem after a few weeks by gently pulling on it to see if it has rooted . If it has n’t rout yet , put it back in spot and give it a few more weeks .

Once the stem is rooted , you may use a pair of sterilizedgarden prunersor scissor grip to write out the stem from the parent tradescantia , giving both new and older specimens their independency .

Let Your Wandering Dude Put Down Some Roots

Even a rambling dude likes to put down root , and now you know how to aid him do just that !

recite us about your tradescantia propagation projects ! Which method acting are you using ? Do you love to ascertain your wandering dude ’s roots developing inside a glass container ?

If you are n’t quite done grow your indoor hobo camp , here are some morehouseplant propagationarticles that are sure to be of help :

picture by Kristina Hicks - Hamblin © involve the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Photos by Kristina Hicks - Hamblin . Product photo via Arbico Organics , the Growneer Store , Hirt ’s Gardens , Panacea , and Tank ’s Green Stuff . Uncredited pic : Shutterstock .

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Kristina Hicks - Hamblin