Mystery 3. Leaves change from solid green to green & whi Alright people this plant is one of the plants I've had the longest and at one time had long stems? since then I think I did some damage by cutting back of the long ones. At time I get many brown leaves on the shoots? and the leaves are always changing from solid green to green and white. My next questions are why do on some shoots(stems) do I get leaves at the end of the growth and nothing in the middle and hows the best way to water this plant. I await your expert answers. ed PS these pictures are from the same plant. ed ( photo / image / picture from Edlou8181's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Edlou8181's Garden ) moderator's note: added a more descriptive title to topic
This looks like a Tradescantia or commonly knows as Wandering Jew. This plant likes to hang and creep,your brown leaves on the shoots are said to be from irregular watering,..its best to keep the plant moist and not to overfeed,..straggly stems are down to pruning,..though to be honest i have always failed to control the straggly look on a plant,..unless i started NEW plants from the parent plant,..then i always had an almost perfect plant to display.
Tradescantia fluminensis aka Green Wandering Jew It will do well in full sun or part shade. But if it gets too much shade it will loose it's green and white coloring and the stems will grow long and lanky with fewer leaves. It is damaged by air polution and if you fertilize with granules make sure they don't settle on the leaves or it will burn them. Damaged leaves can just be cut off without damaging the plant. It likes moist, well drained soil best but will tolerate drought conditions and floods. I have some in the back yard that gets absolutely no attention, comes back every spring and is fine.
Watering Wandering Jews Is it best to water this plant maybe once a week(depending on weather. I have been able to get new plants from cuttings,but from the picture can anyone tell if this one is potbound?
Watering on a schedule is one of the most common ways that plants die from overwatering. Stick your finger into the soil, and in a pot that large I would say that if it is dry more than two inches down then water it some. Better to underwater than overwater. Just remember that with that much soil in a pot, there is always water further down that will wick up as the top layer of soil dries so you don't want to water so much that the roots are sitting in soggy soil, also don't let water sit in the tray at the bottom of the planter. I don't think there is any reason to be concerned about the plant being potbound, That's a large pot and the plant stems are not that thick. I would give it more sun though, the stems will thicken, the leaves get larger and the plant will do much better.
