Struggling to grow a purple heart plant? This post is for you! Here’s how to make your purple heart plant bushier, denser, and more colorful!
The purple heart plant is a trailing perennial type of a tradescantia whose claim to fame is its deep purple color palette. But sometimes it can be hard to get your plant to produce dense and intensely colored foliage. If this is happening with your plant, then read this article till the end to fix it.
How to Make Your Purple Heart Plant Denser and More Vibrant
1. Exposure to Partial Sun is Best
It is no secret that most plants produce the best coloration under full sun conditions. And the Purple Heart is no exception. Most varieties show best color development in 4-6 hours of bright sunlight, and shady locations tend to give the plant a more greenish tint.
The quick fix is quite simple! Grow the plant in a location that receives partial sunlight.
Note: Do protect the plant from harsh afternoon rays, as they may scorch or bleach the plant. On the other hand, too little sunlight will make it leggy.
2. Add Intentional Stress
Did you know that applying slight stress to your purple heart plant can force it to become stronger and better looking?
By occasionally brushing your hand over the plant or changing the light exposure every few weeks by shifting its location, the plant has to adapt and alter its growing habits constantly.
Simulating the breeze in the wild by gently running your hands over the foliage will improve the anchoring of the roots and strengthen the stem. This leads to better stability and nutrient absorption in the long run. You can also use a table fan set at a low speed to mimic wind for a few minutes near your houseplants, like this.
3. Optimal Watering Techniques
Watering your purple heart plant is like threading a needle. Overwatering will cause the soil to remain soggy for extended periods, thereby increasing the chances of root rot and fungal infections. On the other hand, keeping your plant thirsty will hinder its ability to absorb nutrients from the soil and eventually kill it.
The rule of thumb for watering your purple heart is to saturate the soil thoroughly and then allow it to dry completely before repeating the process (for an indoor purple heart, it should usually be once a week during the growing season and once every other week during the dormant season).
You can identify the right time by poking your finger into the substrate. If the top 2 inches feel dry, it’s time to water! Also, remember to choose pots with sufficient drainage holes to ensure optimal air circulation and seepage of excess water.
Did you know, if you take care of things, you can even grow one of these in just water; here’s how!
4. Fertilize This Way
Using a balanced liquid fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 10:10:10 diluted to half its strength is ideal for boosting density and overall plant health. Do so only in the active growing season (spring and summer in temperate climates) and halt completely during the winter.
But do pay attention, although nitrogen can help increase foliage density, overuse will lead to a leggy or chemically burned plant. So, look out for these overfertilization signs and leach the soil if needed.
5. Prune to Keep a Dense Compact Form
Once the plant outgrows its pot or becomes too large in the garden, it appears to lose its dense form. Pruning can help with this! Firstly, snip away dead and spent parts of the plant, which improves the visual wow factor as the discolored leaves are discarded, leaving behind only the best.
Simply use a pair of sterile scissors or shears and snip the targeted stem right above an existing node. This will promote branching, killing two birds with one stone! Also, remember to propagate the stem cuttings into a new pot to get more plants. You can divide the plant from time to time as well for better growth.
Pruning overgrown leggy stems, large leaves, and other unwanted growth keeps the plant compact and tidy. This gives a bushier look once completed.
6. Pinching Often
A grave mistake that many gardeners make is not pinching the purple heart plant regularly. It always helps your plant to produce more lateral branches and reduce apical dominance.
You will notice more blooms as well because of this, and can also continue doing so when the plant produces new growth every season. Shape it inwards to give a more fluffy and colorful look.
When you notice the plant is atleast 6 inches in size, use your fingers to pinch away the top growth right above a node. It will eventually encourage lateral branching, making the purple heart look more dense. Repeat this process every 2 weeks as it’s one of the fastest-growing creepers.
7. Use Multiple Cuttings in the Same Pot
This hack almost feels like cheating because it works so well! Why wait for a single plant to grow large enough to have a dense form when you can arrange multiple cuttings precisely in a pot to fill it a lot quicker, right?
Just position the cuttings around the circumference of the pot and let them grow simultaneously.
Ensure that the stems and roots do not intertwine and compete for survival. Prune in a manner where the overlapping foliage is reduced while the leaves on the edges give the plant formation a fuller look.
Note: Keep the soil more moist than usual to promote simultaneous rooting.
8. Use Trellis for Fuller Appearance
The purple heart has a trailing growth habit. You can capitalize on this by training the plants’ manipulable stems to your requirements. In fact, this can also help brighten the color of the plant, as using the trellis will expose many hidden parts of the plant to sunlight.
Use a mini ladder trellis, mini arch, or a mesh frame for this purpose. If you’re feeling a bit crafty, you can also make your DIY trellis using this article for inspiration!
With the right care and a few simple tweaks, your purple heart plant can grow denser and richer in color than ever before.
