Issue #40

Your Summer Checklist for Happy Tradescantias

Happy Summer!

I hope you're enjoying the beautiful summer! I know it's a busy time for all plant lovers with all the extra care that the summer months require, but I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a happy summer.

I'm counting down the days to my vacation! I'm really looking forward to having more time to spend with my family and plants.

My Tradescantias are growing like crazy right now, and maybe yours are too! But with all that growth comes a few challenges, like keeping up with watering and making sure they don’t completely take over the house.

So I thought I’d share some of my best summer care tips to help you keep your Tradescantias happy and healthy during the warmer months.

Tradescantia of the week: Sillamontana Hogan's Hero

This week’s Tradescantia is Sillamontana Hogan’s Hero.

It was found by Sean Hogan and first introduced by Cistus Nursery. He discovered it growing about 80 miles northwest of Sierra La Peña in Coahuila, Mexico, at an elevation of 6,500 feet (roughly 2,000 meters).

What sets Hogan’s Hero apart from more common forms of Tradescantia sillamontana is the foliage. The leaves are smaller and more pointed, but still covered in that thick layer of soft, white hairs that give the plant its fuzzy appearance. The stems and leaves are fleshy and green, which allows them to store water, making the plant quite drought tolerant.

It blooms with small, light purple flowers that I personally think are some of the cutest Tradescantia flowers I’ve seen.

Another interesting detail is its supposed frost hardiness. While I haven’t tested this myself (yet!), it’s said to handle temperatures as low as -10°C (14°F) without any problems.

Hogan’s Hero seems to be very rare in Europe, I’ve never seen it for sale anywhere here. As far as I can tell, it’s only available at a few places in the US. I was lucky enough to get mine sent from a friend over there, and I’m so happy to have it in my collection. I’ll definitely be testing its frost hardiness this winter!

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Summer Care Tips

Summer is here, and your Tradescantias are feeling it! With more sun, warmth, and longer days, they’re ready to grow like crazy. But this season also brings new challenges. To help your plants stay happy, healthy, and thriving all summer long, here are my best care tips:

Light​
Tradescantias love bright light, and most of them can handle more sun than you might think. Make sure to take advantage of the summer sun, it can do wonders for their growth and colour. But if your plant has been in a darker spot, don’t move it straight into full sun. Sudden changes can cause sunburn, especially on variegated types. Start by placing it closer to a bright window or outdoors in the shade, and then slowly increase the light over a week or two. That way you avoid crispy edges and sad leaves, and the plant gets time to adjust.

Once it’s used to the stronger light, it will reward you with its brightest and most beautiful colours.

Watering​
More sun and warmer temperatures mean your Tradescantias will dry out faster, especially if they’re sitting in a sunny window, near a fan or AC, or living outside. So, you’ll probably need to water more often. But always check the soil first and let it dry out before you water again.

More light makes Tradescantias stronger and more resilient, but their roots still hate being soggy. If you’re unsure, it’s better to wait another day and check again than to risk overwatering.

If you keep your Tradescantia outside, overwatering is less of a risk. Rainy days usually aren’t a problem, just make sure your pots have drainage holes so excess water can escape.

Fertilizing​
Summer is the season when your Tradescantias really wake up and start growing, and to keep up that energy, they need a bit of food. Fertilize about once a month and any good-quality liquid fertilizer for houseplants works great. I usually dilute it to half the recommended strength to avoid overfeeding, which can cause more harm than good.

Keep an eye out for signs that your plant might be missing nutrients: slow or no growth, unusually small or wrinkly leaves, or yellowing leaves.

Pruning​
The summer sun will make your plants grow faster, which means you’ll probably need to chop and prop your Tradescantias more often. And if you don’t keep up with it, they can easily grow out of control.

But the good news is, it also gives you the chance to get that full, bushy plant you’ve always wanted.

Trim off any long, leggy, or unhealthy stems. Don’t be afraid to cut back more than you think, Tradescantias are tough and bounce back fast. Every cut encourages new growth.

You can replant the cuttings straight back into the same pot. Just stick them into the soil, and in no time they’ll root and fill out the plant. It’s a super easy way to turn a small, scraggly plant into a beautiful, bushy one.

And if you end up with more cuttings than you have room for, why not plant them outside? Either in pots or directly in the ground.

Pests​
Unfortunately, summer isn’t just great for plants, it’s also prime time for pests. Warm weather brings out spider mites, aphids, thrips, and mealybugs, and if you’re not keeping an eye out, they can spread fast.

It’s usually the newest growth that gets hit first. Keep an eye out for brown or misshapen new leaves, or leaves that stay small and don’t open properly. You might also notice silvery or brown patches, sticky residue, or tiny bugs crawling around.

It’s especially important to watch your indoor plants. Outdoors, pests often stay in check thanks to natural predators. Indoors, there’s nothing to stop them from multiplying quickly. That’s why regular checks are so important.

If you plan to bring outdoor Tradescantias back inside, you need a plan. I recommend quarantining and treating them thoroughly before letting them anywhere near your other plants. Personally, I have a simple rule: once a plant goes outside, it stays outside. It saves me a lot of stress, especially when it comes to thrips, which are incredibly hard to get rid of once they make it indoors.

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One Last Summer Tip

If you end up with more cuttings than you have space for, don’t let them go to waste! Pop them into a few pretty vases and use them as table decorations. I love doing this in the summer. It adds such a fresh and lively touch to any room, and it’s a perfect alternative to cut flowers that fade after just a few days anyway.

Tradescantias in water can stay happy for a long time. And if you leave them in water for several weeks, just add a little fertilizer made for hydroponics to help them stay strong even longer.

It’s simple, beautiful, and practical, and your guests will love it too.

Wrapping Up

That’s it for this round of summer care tips, hopefully they’ll help you and your Tradescantias enjoy the season to the fullest.

Now it’s time for a little break on my end. I’ll be taking some time off to enjoy summer with my family, and hopefully spend lots of sunny days in the garden, caring for my Tradescantias, and my little veggie patch too.

That means the next newsletter will land in your inbox in about four weeks. Until then, take care of yourself and your plants, and enjoy everything this season has to offer!

Until next time, happy planting! 🌿

Katja

P.S. Don’t forget – if you haven’t checked out my free Tradescantia Crash Course yet, you can sign up here! It’s packed with practical tips and fun facts.

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Disclaimer: This is an affiliate link, which means I earn a small commission if you make a purchase using my code, at no extra cost to you. Your support helps me keep sharing Tradescantia tips and content—thank you!

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