 Hi everyone, welcome back to Plants in Lucia. I am Lucia, this is Yana, and today we're going to talk about one of the easiest plants I've ever had, the Tradescantia fluminensis. Okay, coming up. Before we start talking about this beautiful plant, I wanted to thank you so much for watching this video. This channel is all about house plants, so if you are interested in any of that or bringing more nature to your house, make sure to subscribe so we can keep talking about plants and learn together. But for now, let's get to the video. Okay, my friends, as I said, this beautiful plant is really easy and grows really fast. In fact, it is also commonly known as the inch plant, because some people believe that it actually grows one inch per day. It's a beautiful plant. I actually have the green cultivar, but you can also find variegated types. So you can find her in purple, in green, in pink, or the three together. But now, let's see how you can keep your Tradescantia very happy at your house. As you will see in this video, the theme of this plant is easy. And this comes to temperature as well. This plant is very adaptable to different temperatures. As long as you're on exposure to frost, she should be okay. I would recommend to keep her in a room that is above 10 degrees Celsius. And she should be fine. Humidity is not a big issue with this plant. As long as the air is not super dry in your house, normal household humidity levels should be very good for her. If you find that your house has very dry air, you can put your plant on top of a humidity tray or close to a humidifier. But in my experience, she should be fine with normal humidity levels. The Tradescantia prefers bright indirect sunlight. So a bright room will be perfect for her. Just avoid putting her in direct sunlight because this will scorch or burn the leaves. Actually, I just noticed in my plan that some of her leaves were actually scorching. And this is because she actually gets lots of afternoon sunlight. So I did some research and I found that this plant prefers bright indirect sunlight preferably in the morning because this is not so harsh. So again, just provide bright indirect sunlight and really avoid harsh direct sunlight because this will burn the leaves. Now, if you have a variegated type, you really want to provide lots of bright sunlight. If you don't provide enough sunlight for her, you will lose the colors on the leaves. A very important factor when taking care of this plant is watering. The Tradescantia fluminensis likes the soil to be moist but not wet. And I find that this plant needs more water than other plants in my house. So I usually water her twice a week. But as always, I recommend that you always check the soil. In order to know if my plant needs water or not, I always check the soil with my finger. So I put my finger inside the soil until the second knuckle. And once I feel that the soil is drying out, and this is very important, drying out but not completely dried out, I water. So remember, allow the soil to dry out a little bit before you water again. But always try to keep the soil moist and not wet. Some tips that I can give you to keep the soil moist but not wet is for example, adding some perlite or pumice to your body mix. This will increase the drainage in the soil and helps you not to overwater your plant. Another tip is to use pots with drainage holes. Because once we water our plants, the excess of water will drain down. And the soil will be moist but not wet. And of course, my last tip is of course to use the bottom watering method. I love this method because it really helps me get the water into the roots from below. And once I'm done, I let the water drain down through the drainage holes. This method is super great because it really helps me keep the soil moist but not wet and to prevent over watering my plant. Since this plant drinks lots of water, we also want to provide drainage in the soil. So again, the soil is not wet but moist. So I would recommend a house plant body mix that has perlite or you can also add pumice. If you want to make your own for this plant, I actually use my all-purpose house plant body mix recipe. So if you're interested, make sure to check it out. As I said before, this plant grows really fast. So it is always good to prune once in a while. When I prune my plant, I usually cut the stem by 25%. And you can actually use the stems for propagation. Pruning will encourage new growths and will help you make your plant bushier and more full. In terms of propagation, the theme EC goes perfectly with this plant. It is very easy. All you have to do is to cut the stem and make sure that you leave two to three leaves on the stem and you can put it in water or back in the soil. I usually love to propagate my plants in water because I love to see the roots grow. But of course, if it is easier for you, you can also put it back in the soil. Oh, if you decide to propagate your stems in water, make sure that the leaves don't touch the water. This will prevent fungi. And what I usually do is that once I see that the roots are growing under water, I bring the stems back to the same pot. That way my plant gets bushier and more full. The ASPCA categorizes this plant as mildly toxic to cats and dogs. So recommend that you keep it away from your pet just so everyone is safe. Three of the most common problems for the Tradescantia fluminensis include root rot. Root rot is usually caused by over watering our plant. So remember, you want to keep the soil moist but not wet. So what I would recommend is that you always check the soil before you water. Once you feel that the soil is drying out, then water again. And always try to use a pot with drainage holes. This will help you get rid of the excess water. Number two, aphids and spider mites. If you find aphids or spider mites on your plant, make sure to give it a shower with high pressure water. This will wash them away. But of course then we may have some eggs or larvae that we don't see with the naked eye. And if it's a big problem, you can bring beneficial insects to your plant or use a solution with horticultural soap and neem oil. But of course, the best is to prevent the bugs. So I usually check my plants every week. I check the top of the leaves and the back of the leaf. And I always try to clean them with horticultural soap or Dr. Broner soap. This will keep the leaves clean, healthy and free of pests. Number three, scorching of the leaves. This usually happens when we're providing too much direct harsh sunlight to our house plant. So remember, the Tradescantia fluminensis likes bright indirect sunlight. So don't put her too close to a window, especially to a south-facing window. And try to provide bright but indirect sunlight or filter sunlight. So this is sunlight that is filtered through a curtain or something like this. And your plant will be happy. Okay my dear friends, so these are some of the tips that I can give you about this beautiful Tradescantia fluminensis. Do you have a Tradescantia at home? How do you take care of it? Make sure to comment below so we can all learn together. Of course, if you would like to be part of this community, you're always welcome. So make sure to subscribe so we can see each other every week and talk about plants. And as always, I will see you in the next video. Okay, ciao!