Rhoeo Discolor – Moses in the Cradle Plant Care Tips

Rhoeo discolor – Moses in the Cradle Plant Introduction

Rhoeo discolor, commonly known as Moses in the Cradle or Tradescantia spathacea, are an evergreen plant cultivated for their attractive green leaves and striking purple underside. Tradescantia spathacea belongs to the Commelinaceae family (Spiderworts). In contrast to many of its other relatives, Rhoeo isn’t an invader. It can form a clump but does not have the stolon’s that allow other types of Tradescantia to spread swiftly across the ground and become weed risks.

Rhoeo is a plant frequently used as a border or edger in tropical or subtropical gardens. Tradescantia spathacea can withstand various conditions, from full sun to partial shade, and thrives in various soil types. If allowed to continue growing on its own, this plant will eventually form a dense clump covering a significant portion of the surrounding area. Because of the vibrant coloration of its leaves, it is an excellent plant to employ for creating visual contrast in the landscape. It is a relatively robust and easy to care for plant, especially in Tropical climates and is often used in public landscaping projects for this reason.

Rhoeo discolor – Moses in the Cradle Plant Lighting & Temperature Requirements

Tradescantia spathacea favours light that is bright but indirect. It can be grown as an Indoor Plant and is best in shaded to semi-shaded positions outdoors although it can be acclimatised to full sun, especially in more tropical climates. The Rhoeo plant can also acclimatise to living in more gloomy environments but with insufficient light supply, the leaves do not achieve their vibrant colouring and the stems can become scrawny

Leaves can experience yellowing due to an overabundance of light. When temperatures are too high, the tips turn yellow or brown; Tradescantia spathacea can droop when they are too low.

Zoysia Tenuifolia – No Mow Grass Lighting and Position

Unlike many grasses, Zoysia tenuifolia is well suited to shadier areas and will do well in partial shade areas. It can be adapted to full sun and will grow best in six to eight hours of sunlight but on extreme hot days it will require an increase in watering. This grass prefers temperatures around 21C but can be quite cold tolerant and once established, handle the occasional frost.

Rhoeo discolour – Moses-in-the-cradle Plant Watering

Rhoeo Plants do not like positions where there is standing water or an abundance of moisture in the soil. During Summer, water roughly once every three days and in the Winter as little as once every ten to fifteen days. Before watering them, it is important to determine how dry the soil is. If your Rhoeo experiences a lack of moisture, the stems can get elongated. When water gets into the sockets, the leaf base can turn brown.

Rhoeo discolour – Moses-in-the-cradle Plant Humidity

Tradescantia spathacea thrives best in environments that are both humid and warm. The plants can withstand hot Summers, but they are sensitive to the cold Winters and will suffer badly from frost. The Tradescantia spathacea should be transferred to warmer regions inside the house in Winter.

The plants can endure dry air, but they are at their most healthy and robust when there is sufficient humidity. When conditions are dry, spraying the leaves with water might help to maintain the humidity in its environment.

Rhoeo discolour – Moses-in-the-cradle Plant Fertilizer

Tradescantia spathacea will thrive with liquid fertilizer once or twice a month in Summer and Winter. As a result of not getting enough nutrients, the young leaves can fade and turn yellow.

We recommend using our Plant Food available here. 

Rhoeo discolor – Moses-in-the-cradle Plant Vulnerability to Pests

In general, Tradescantia spathacea is resistant to infection. However, spider mites are a potential threat, click to discover how to treat Spider mites here

Rhoeo discolor – Moses-in-the-cradle Plant Toxicity

Tradescantia spathacea is mildly toxic, with its sap irritating to dogs, pets and children. So it’s best to keep this plant away and avoid skin contact.

Rhoeo discolor – Moses-in-the-cradle Common Problems

When the Rhoeo plant starts to show any signs of trouble, the most probable cause is overwatering. Overwatering can cause serious problems, but there are two things to remember if you want to try to fix the problem. First, ensure your Rhoeo has proper drainage? If not, relocate the plant to a drier spot right away. When transporting the plant, inspect the roots for root rot damage. Root rot may quickly spread; removing diseased roots is an important first step in containing the problem.

Do you allow the Rhoeo soil to dry out between watering? If not, hold off on the watering for now. When the Rhoeo plant has any fungus difficulties with the leaves, remove as many infected leaves as possible and treat the remainder of the plant with an anti-fungal spray.

Rhoeo discolor – Moses in the Cradle Varieties

There are a few varieties of Moses in the Cradle. The first is the traditional variety with dark green leaves and purple underside.

Tradescantia spathacea tricolor, also known as Rhoeo ‘Stripe Me Pink’ is a popular variegated variety which has a predominantly pink top with the green running through as stripes. This has become popular, especially as a houseplant for its beautiful pink and purple colour scheme.

Tradescantia spathacea sitara gold, also known as Rhoeo Golden, as the name suggests is similar to Stripe me Pink but with golden colouring. The yellow Vs purple underside creates quite a unique colour contrast.

Tradescantia spathacea vittata is a variegated variety, with a predominantly dark green leaf with yellow/cream stripes.

Rhoeo discolour – Moses in the Cradle Plant Design Tips

The striking purple underside of the Rhoeo plant is really what this plant is all about and from a design perspective is something you want to emphasis. As a groundcover to show off this purple underside the plant really needs to be raised, which can be achieved when planted above retaining walls.

The Rhoeo plant is a fairly architectural groundcover and can be used along paths and can be used to great affect besides mondo grass and other grasses. They look great in white pots but can also work well in black and dark blue pots. They can work well as an accompanying plant below tropical trees and other feature plants with a trunk.

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