Plant Care Purple Heart

Purple Heart

4.7 out of 5 (82 experiences)

Purple Heart has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower
Purple Heart has a Survivor plant personality Survivor

About Purple Heart

Tradescantia pallida, also known as the purple heart plant, is an exceptionally easy plant to care for and rewards growers with delightful purple blossoms. Their small flowers are heart shaped, which gives them their name. They are extremely easy to propagate by stem and one plant can give rise to dozens of new ones, which makes them great for sharing. 🤝 As houseplants they often trail, but will also creep along the ground if grown outdoors. Their succulent leaves make them sensitive to frost, so be sure to bring them indoors if your winter temperatures dip below freezing. ❄️

Taxonomy

Tradescantia pallida
Tradescantia
Commelinaceae
Commelinales

Also known as

Setcreasea pallida 'Purple Heart' and Purple Fuzz

How to care for Purple Heart

Water

How often to water your Purple Heart

Water needs for Purple Heart
0.5 cups
every 9

Purple Heart needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.

Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Calculate water needs of Purple Heart

Water 0.5 cups every
9

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
Light

Check the growing potential in your area

A plant's growing potential is determined from its location, the time of year, and current local weather.

Select a city to check sunlight intensity

Finding light for Purple Heart in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Purple Heart: 3ft from a window
3ft or less from
a window

Purple Heart may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.

Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.

Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Purple Heart in your home 🏡.

Nutrients

How to fertilize Purple Heart

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Purple Heart: repot after 2X growth

Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.

By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.

To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Purple Heart after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

FAQs
Difficulty Level

Purple Heart is generally easy to care for, though some plant parents report facing challenges with growing it. Check out the reviews down below to read more about their experiences!


Water Needs
Sunlight Needs
Toxicity
Humidity
Soil
Fertilizer
Dormancy
Native Region
Flowers
Growth Pattern
Growing Outdoors
Propagation
Yellow Leaves

Care Summary for Purple Heart

Purple Heart

Purple Heart


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 9 days

Placement

< 3ft from a window

Nutrients

Repot after 2x growth

Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.

What other plant parents say

Purple Heart has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 57
Purple Heart has a Survivor plant personality Survivor 49
Purple Heart has a Easy to propagate plant personality Easy to propagate 48
Purple Heart has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves 17
Purple Heart has a Blooms easily plant personality Blooms easily 15
Purple Heart has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 10
Purple Heart has a Pest magnet plant personality Pest magnet 1
@Gendronne avatar
@@Gendronne
leaf-1 26 Plants
xp 2,298 XP
globe München, Bayern
09/02/2021

Like any tradescantia these are basically gonna thrive the minute you keep them hydrated and in partial sun. I started this monster of a plant in May from a cutting (with one tiny sad stem) and since then I already had to repot twice. Since May. Now I’m not allowing it to grow anymore, let see what winter brings.

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
@useRofWeeD avatar
@@useRofWeeD
leaf-1 6 Plants
xp 116 XP
globe Altha, FL
08/19/2021

One of my Mom’s favorites, very easy to grow in containers or garden

Fast grower Fast grower
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Kaitlyn avatar
@Kaitlyn
leaf-1 36 Plants
xp 643 XP
globe Denver, CO
08/03/2021

Pretty low maintenance plant, as I think most are in this family. I’ve personally had a hard time keeping its purple coloring- despite it getting pretty bright light. It seems happy enough nonetheless, and has grown quite a bit from the little plug it started from.

Fast grower Fast grower
@yuckybbys avatar
@@yuckybbys
leaf-1 3 Plants
xp 81 XP
globe Richmond, VA
07/14/2021

they grow fast in the right conditions!!

Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
@Skate4dwire avatar
@@Skate4dwire
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 107 XP
globe Phoenix, AZ
07/09/2021

Very easy to grow, just plot it in the dirt!

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
Michael avatar
@Michael
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 79 XP
07/06/2021

Another challenging plant to keep healthy indoors at least for me.

Survivor Survivor
@Blacklily96 avatar
@@Blacklily96
leaf-1 14 Plants
xp 1,023 XP
07/05/2021

Idk what happened but my plant started off purple and changed to a more green color but I do have it closer to my window but it has been growing very fast but the purple variegation died off

Fast grower Fast grower
Browns easily Browns easily
Deirdre avatar
@Deirdre
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 108 XP
globe Wantagh, NY
06/30/2021

The pink and white leaves are beautiful!

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Fast grower Fast grower
@Bouncerdjwife avatar
@@Bouncerdjwife
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 92 XP
06/19/2021

This is a great plant for hanging or climbing. If you give it more shade or it gets root bound it will turn green. It grows quickly so keep an eye on the roots. If it gets rooted just give it a larger pot. Works very well outside as a planter cover as well. Vibrant beautiful purple leaves and stems with lavender flowers.

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Survivor Survivor
@Cilghal avatar
@@Cilghal
leaf-1 96 Plants
xp 8,080 XP
06/18/2021

Honestly, this is one of the easiest plants I’ve ever had. I received a cutting from a friend and two weeks later there was roots all over and new growth. It’s a beautiful color as well.

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
Angela avatar
@Angela
leaf-1 18 Plants
xp 328 XP
06/15/2021

This was a cutting from the state capitol. Dies back in the winter, so I brought it in the house and it is doing fantastic. My daughter broke a piece off and this is the broken piece.

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
@CCAndTheirPlants avatar
@@CCAndTheirPlants
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 119 XP
06/11/2021

these guys break super easily, but it’s easy to root the broken limbs into new plants

Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
@peacelali avatar
@@peacelali
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 112 XP
06/11/2021

I just love this plant for its vibrant pink leaves.

Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
@Shari0122 avatar
@@Shari0122
leaf-1 12 Plants
xp 351 XP
globe Allentown, PA
06/10/2021

I should name her survivor! I dropped her and broken almost every piece of it off. She’s coming back with a vengeance. You go girl!

Survivor Survivor
Fast grower Fast grower
Eva avatar
@Eva
leaf-1 17 Plants
xp 420 XP
globe Derby, England
06/06/2021

didnt realise this until today but purple hearts can even flower! they’re the ideal plant for over wateres and generally a great survivor under any conditions! my fave plant

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
@AngelPadilla avatar
@@AngelPadilla
leaf-1 7 Plants
xp 428 XP
06/03/2021

It has been a joy to see the purples and greens mess and how it bring so much color to my room.

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily Blooms easily
@rossle avatar
@@rossle
leaf-1 3 Plants
xp 168 XP
globe Beaver Falls, PA
05/26/2021

lov

Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
@expiredpeach avatar
@@expiredpeach
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 250 XP
05/19/2021

Super pretty ☹️ i just love it

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
Uriah avatar
@Uriah
leaf-1 3 Plants
xp 85 XP
globe Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
05/18/2021

This plant is a SURVIVOR in my house hold. The amount of times I have thought I had killed to plant, or my cats had... it always comes back! I finally moved into a place where it will not be burnt to a crisp and up and away from cats!

Survivor Survivor
@Shan511 avatar
@@Shan511
leaf-1 31 Plants
xp 1,475 XP
globe Cheney, KS
05/15/2021

Beautiful fast growth. Propagate by cutting and placing directly in dirt... super fast grower!

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Survivor Survivor
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves

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