Tradescantia Tricolor Propagation (& Stunning Display Ideas!)

Everything you need to know about tradescantia tricolor propagation, care tips – and fun ideas for displaying these gorgeous pink plants! Affiliate links in post.

My friends, let me tell you, I am excited about this post. If you haven’t heard of the tradescantia tricolor* houseplant before, you’re in for a real treat. They’re one of my absolute favourites – and for many reasons.

*This plant is also commonly known as the Wandering Jew, but . . . yeah, that name’s a bit of a hot take.

Why We Love The Tradescantia tricolor . . .

1. The gorgeous pink foliage. These plants are stunning – and pink. In spring, they also come out with super pretty little white flowers.
2. They’re fast growing & easy care. Certain varieties of the tradescantia family are actually considered invasive in parts of the world – and I can see why! These bad boys grow incredibly quickly and with minimal effort. Which leads us nicely onto another one of the reasons I like them . . .
3. You can propagate the tricolor so easily. I bought one mother plant from Bunnings for $20 about a year ago and have easily made over $500 selling babies and cuttings on Facebook Marketplace.
4. They’re a common plant so super cheap.

Care Requirements

• Bright indirect light – a few hours of direct sunlight doesn’t hurt either, but too much will result in bleached and scorched leaves. If these plants don’t get enough light, the variegation will revert. (Ie: the pink will fade and the plant will be overtaken by green.)
• Water around once a week during spring/summer. These like the soil to be moist (not soggy!) so once a week works perfectly. Scale it back in winter to avoid root-rot.
• Plant in well-draining soil.
• Prune when the leaves get leggy and/or yellowed. While these are low-maintenance, they do need semi-regular pruning because the longer strands will eventually get a little . . . ugly. All you need to do? Snip the unsightly parts off! Healthy new growth will pop out within a week or two – and you can always propagate the snipped stems.

Enjoying this post? You’ll love these . . .

How To Propagate The Tradescantia Tricolor (2 Ways!)

First of all, what is propagation?

Propagation is when you take cuttings from one plant (a mother) and grow those cuttings into new plants. So, where you may start with one houseplant, you can end up with a limitless supply of babies . . . for free!

There are a few main ways to propagate plants, those being water and propagation mediums (like moss) – or even just plunking cuttings straight into soil! It depends on the plant species because some are fussy.

However, the tradescantia tricolor? She is not fussy. In fact, she’s the easiest plant to propagate I’ve ever come across. So here are the two ways I do it!

Method One: Water Propagation

The first way I propagate tradescantia tricolor cuttings is in water. All you do is take a few stem cuttings, remove the base leaves (to avoid them rotting), and plunk the stems into water. After 3-4 days, you should see roots appearing already!

If you want to keep these in water, make sure to replace the water every few days (or at least once a week). At my old house, I had a jar of cuttings that I kept in water for 6 months – and they were thriving!

Water propagation for other plants isn’t normally my go-to. For aroids like monsteras, the roots that grow in water are water roots, rather than soil ones. This means that, when you transport the cutting from water to soil, the plant can often go into shock or the roots just won’t take.

The tradescantia tricolor has never had this issue for me! I’ve left cuttings in water for months, only to find a cute pot and transport them into soil and have them thrive.

Method Two: Transporting Cuttings Straight Into Soil

The second method is even easier! (I know – how could it get easier?) Check out my TikTok below to find out how to propagate tradescantia tricolor cuttings in soil . . . and get a glimpse of my plant babies!

@miasdiyprojects

the prettiest houseplant! #plant #plants #plantstuff #plantsmakepeoplehappy #plantsoftiktok #planttips #planttok #propagation #pink #fyp #foryoupage

♬ WYD Now? – Sadie Jean

Ideas For Displaying Tradescantia Tricolor Plants Around Your Home

Okay, so now you know how easy it is to grow and multiply these stunning plants . . . how about some fun ways to display them around your home? And, as this blog is aptly named Mia’s DIY Projects, I may have crafty options coming up too!

1. Thrift-Flip Quirky Charity Store Finds Into Hydroponic Planters

First up we have a really fun twist on cruets! (Cruets = oil and vinegar pourers. I totally had to Google the official name.) For some reason, every thrift store near my apartment has these in spades – and they’re pretty adorable, so I wanted an excuse to pick one up for ages.

With the upcoming move to Canada, I’ve been attempting to make my way through all of my craft supplies. I had a ton of crystal chips that I was at a loss with. Some went into a terrarium, but . . . well, there was still a lot left.

So the idea to fill the middle of a cruet with old crystal chips sprung up . . . and what better to compliment the pink tones than some tradescantia tricolor cuttings? Check out the tutorial below:

@miasdiyprojects

another 5 min thrift flip🌻 I love making weird lil planters #diy #diyproject #plantsoftiktok #diyplants

♬ Gloaming Hour – Instrumental – Portair

2. Upcycle Old Conditioner Pots Into Faux-Cement Tradescantia Tricolor Plant Pots

This DIYs was actually one of the first posts on this website – how cute!

As a curly-haired girl, I go through conditioner like it’s body-wash. So I love to upcycle empty conditioner tubs to make cute plant pots out of them. It’s affordable – and better than them sitting in a landfill.

Either have a read of my post, or watch the TikTok tutorial below to recreate this with your own plants!

@miasdiyprojects

super easy #diyproject to upcycle old hair conditioner pots. not perfect but a fun idea! #plantlover #diy #diyplanter #diyplantpot #craft#upcycling

♬ Goodbye – Toby Hobart

3. Propagate Tradescantia Tricolor In Vintage Ink Bottles

I’ve been obsessed with vintage ink bottles for the longest time – and can you blame me? They’re adorable! (If you want to purchase them, I recommend this seller on Etsy.)

If you enjoy keeping plants solely in water, a fun way to display them is in ink bottles. Check out my TikTok to see this in action . . .

@miasdiyprojects

lil tour of my desktop curio cabinet #curiocabinet #propagation #propagationstation #vintage #vintagevibes #vintagediy

♬ Cotton Candy – JXN

4. Create A Little Terrarium (You Could Even Use Mixed Tradescantia Varieties!)

There are tons of gorgeous tradescantia varieties out there! They all have pretty similar care conditions, so you can plant them into terrariums and create stunning displays. My favourite combination at the moment is zebrina and tricolour!

5. Make A Beautiful Hanging Display With One Of These Planters

As the tricolor makes such a beautiful hanging plant display, our last idea is just to play to its strength and get yourself a cute plant pot!

And, with that, we shall end at the end. I hope you enjoyed this post – and were maybe inspired to bring this plant into your home too! Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below . . .

Check out my first Youtube video:

Keep up with me on Insta:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mia – DIY Blogger 🌻 (@actualmiasdiyprojects)

Let’s share ideas on Pinterest: