Small-Leaf Spiderwort
4.7 out of 5 (114 experiences)
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
About Small-Leaf Spiderwort
Tradescantia fluminensis is an exceptionally easy plant to care for and rewards growers with delightful white blossoms. 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 fluminensis
Tradescantia
Commelinaceae
Commelinales
Also known as
Inch Plant, Tradescantia tricolour, Quicksilver, White Stripe, Viridis, Small Leaf Spiderwort, Inch-Plant green, Wandering Jew, Maiden's Blush and 'Viridis'
How to care for Small-Leaf Spiderwort
How often to water your Small-Leaf Spiderwort
every 9
Small-Leaf Spiderwort 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.
Water 0.5 cups every
9
Finding light for Small-Leaf Spiderwort in your home
a window
Small-Leaf Spiderwort 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 Small-Leaf Spiderwort in your home 🏡.
How to fertilize Small-Leaf Spiderwort
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 Small-Leaf Spiderwort after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.
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Leaves are green only?? #SmallLeafSpiderwort Hi, my little guy stopped producing green and white leaves...they are all green??? And his leaves are turning brown here and there. I have him outside and I think that's the problem 🤔
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Started from the bottom, now we’re here! 💜😍 #HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict #NewGrowth #PlantTherapy #SmallLeafSpiderwort
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Will this tolerate Florida heat #SmallLeafSpiderwort
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I'm pretty sure I'm killing my plants .. #SmallLeafSpiderwort Their leaves keep turning brown and whole stems have withered and fallen off. I'm not watering until the top inch of soil is dry, and they are under grow lights or west facing windows. What am doing wrong here?!?
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When I had first got this plant it had lots of purple colouration, however since it has grown it’s lost all of it. I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong because aside from this it seems very happy? #SmallLeafSpiderwort
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Oh... oh dear. There's #rootbound and then there's whatever this is. Annalies, I am so sorry... #yikes
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This beast is blooming again. I didn't even know they did that! Hard to believe he started as a little baby in a 2" nursery pot a year ago!
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Soil choice for #SmallLeafSpiderwort Hey everyone, so I’ve had my spiderwort since maybe October, and he’s doing great, he’s over doubled in size since I first got him. Greg said that he needed well draining soil, and since I’d just bought some coir for my succulents, I decided to put him in straight coir as well? This was around November time. He’s in a big pot (it’s relative to root size, don’t worry), and every time I go to water him he is FEATHER light, and even after sitting in water for around 20mins he’s still pretty light. Now, he’s growing, but especially from where he’s been pruned, he’s growing a bit slower. Is it light? I don’t have a grow light so the best I can do during the winter is the windowsill he’s on now (west), or is it the medium choice? Should I put him in just regular bagged soil with some perlite? Any ideas would be appreciated! #HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict #PlantTherapy #inchplant #Tradescantia #TradescantiaNanouk
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i just got this how do i go about taking care of it??i just got this spider wort delivered yesterday when it arrived looked like the box was put on its ride the dirt was all over the place and the plant at the bottom didn’t look the very best so i replanted it
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Tradescantia - SOS‼️ My tradescantia has been in the same location for months (bright light, not enough to scorch) and with the same watering schedule (about 1x every 10 days). A few weeks ago the leaves became discoloured, limp and falling off! I repotted in a well draining soil (the roots looked fine) and haven't watered it for a bit. Leaves are still dropping, turning yellow and with browning edges. Please help #happyplants #variegated #plantsmakepeoplehappy
Care Summary for Small-Leaf Spiderwort
Small-Leaf Spiderwort
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
Fast grower 87
Easy to propagate 65
Survivor 54
Browns easily 24
Blooms easily 23
Large, lush leaves 20
Pest magnet 5
03/22/2022
Pretty to look at. Can flower if right conditions. Such colorful foliage!
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
01/13/2022
These things grow like crazy! My first one didn’t turn out as well as this one. They are really pretty to hang on a shelf.
Fast grower
Blooms easily
12/19/2021
The small-leaf spiderwort was one of my first plants in my “collection” and it was an EASY way to start. I picked it up at Lowes thinking it would be a good indoor hanging plant. Before I knew much about watering schedules and the importance of repotting, this poor little plant was surviving in the worst conditions. I watered it way too much, and it had super old, crummy soil with a plastic pot and no drainage. Eventually, I repotted it in a terracotta pot with a drainage hole and fresh soil and figured out a good watering schedule; my small-leaf DRASTICALLY improved after that. Not that it wasn’t doing well before, but it really grew after that. I’ve propagated it dozens of times and it doesn’t matter where or how you cut it. 10/10 plant for beginners.
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Survivor
11/28/2021
Very fast grower. Pretty easy to take care of, doesn’t really need anything special.
Fast grower
11/15/2021
It’s an ok plant but mine also got fungus. On the plus it is still alive.
Browns easily
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
08/21/2021
Love love love this plant! She grows super fast in my east facing window, doesn’t like direct sun and will burn her leaves. However, super chill plant that is easy to care for. And beautiful to look at! Serves best in a hanging planter.
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Pest magnet
Browns easily
08/10/2021
Love love love this plant! Grows so fast and is very beautiful
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Survivor
08/03/2021
This one was a random Trader Joe’s find about a year ago. I had been hoping to stumble upon this one somewhere as the PINK is lovely, and I got luckily.
It’s been a tremendous grower- probably double in length since I’ve picked it up. It isn’t fussy- I haven’t even repotted it yet so it’s sitting in whatever soil it was in at TJ’s. Has done really well in two locations close to a window, but getting filtered/indirect light.
Fast grower
Blooms easily
07/29/2021
Beautiful but browns often and easily
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Survivor
Browns easily
07/21/2021
This plant does well in sunlight. And shade. First year having it. Works well so far.
Fast grower
Blooms easily
07/18/2021
I love this plant and have gifted cuttings to friends in new pots throughout the years. This plant is so easy to propagate and keep. Trim up the defy vine like stems and put your cuttings in soil. In a week or two you’ll have a fully rooted and growing plant.
I will say it can me leggy and the leaves can get brown near the soil, BUT this is easy to fix with more sun. I’ve found that the brown leaves or leggy situation can be avoided with proper sunlight and rotation.
The great thing about this plant is, if it does not look the way you want, you can literally start a whole new one by cutting off healthy parts. After you do that you can uproot unhealthy plant, the. stick the cut stems in the soil to create a new plant!
Easy to propagate
Survivor
Fast grower
07/16/2021
I love this plant because it is easy to take care of and is gorgeous
07/11/2021
Alive and well!!!
Fast grower
Survivor
06/28/2021
Sensitive to direct light
06/22/2021
Love the variegated leaves with purple hue. Super easy plant that is easy to care for and doesn’t mind being neglected a bit.
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Survivor
06/21/2021
super easy!! and it’s so pretty
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Survivor
06/18/2021
Grew so quickly, all I do to propagate it is put it in a shot glass full of water and kept topping it off :) grew roots within a few days
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Survivor
06/12/2021
So so easy to propagate! Just snip off below a node and place in water making sure the node(s) are fully in the water, within a few days roots will start to grow. I change the water every 5 days until they have enough roots to pot into soil and a clean pot ☺️
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Blooms easily
06/06/2021
Super fast grower and very easy to propagate
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Survivor
06/06/2021
Needs sun!
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
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