Moses in the Cradle Care and growth

A Moses in the Cradle plant grows beautifully both as an outdoor plant and as a colorful indoor plant. The scientific name of a Moses in the Cradle plant is Tradescantia spathacea. It is the same family as the popular Wandering Jew plant and the spiderwort. People love the plant varieties having green leaves, or a mixture of green, white, and purple stripes. 

The varieties sold as indoor plants are usually “dwarf” types and only reach a height of about 6”-12.” A Moses in the Cradle plant needs about 6-8 hours of bright, indirect light or it gets leggy. When that happens it’s a good time to aggressively prune the plant during the spring.  You need to learn about Moses in the cradle care so that you can grow them easily.

                                                                    PLANT CARE

Scientific Name	Water if the top inch of soil is dry
Common Name	Water if the top inch of soil is dry
Light	Bright indirect sunlight
Watering	Water if top inch of soil is dry
Temperature	65 to 86ºF (18 to 30ºC)
Hardiness Zone	9a to 12b
Soil Type	Rich, quick-draining, loamy
Soil pH	5 to 6 (acidic)
Fertilizing	A balanced feed once a month in spring and summer
Repotting	Every 2 years
Pruning	Beginning of the growing season
Toxicity	Toxic to humans and pets
Bloom Time	All year
Mature Size	6 to 12 inches as a houseplant
Propagation	Division or stem cuttings
Humidity	70%

How to Grow Tradescantia Spathacea “Moses in the Cradle”?

You should have all the knowledge about the plant, so the scientific name of the plant is Rhoeo. Then it changed to Rheoe Spathacea. When you talk about its origin you will come to know that it has come from the tradescantia species. But they are commonly known by many names that are Oyster plant, Boat Lily, Moses-in-a-Boat, Cradle Lily, and Moses-in-the-Bullrushes.

It has vibrant color leaves, that attract people toward them. It is stated that the vibrant color of the leaves is the main reason why people love to grow this plant in their home gardens. Their leaves have vibrant colors, are small in size, and contain three-petaled and also white flowers.

For growing the Moses in the Cradle in the house you can follow two common methods. 

Seeding method

You have to keep some things to do the process. First of all, you need to have a pot that contains a hole in it for well-draining water. You can find the recommended soil mix from the market, bring it, and fill the pot with it. You have to use a good fertilizer that has a good moisture level and is well-draining.

Pour the seeds of the plant into the potting mix and fill the pot with water unless the excess water drains out of the drainage holes. Always keep in mind to keep balance and maintain the temperatures, humidity, watering, potting, and repotting. In this way, you will become successful in what you wanna get.

Moses-in-the-cradle propagation

Propagation method is necessary you need to do this for the best growth of your plant. You can grow the Moses in the cradle, for this purpose you need to cut the mother plant. Your first step should be to take a pot that contains such traits as well-drainage watering holes at the bottom to drain the excess water out of the plant.

Now take the cutting of Moses in the cradle and keep the cutting in the water. Plant them in a big pot so that they can spread to their maximum reach. You have to add fertilizer, mud, and water to the pot after planting the plant. You need to keep the soil moist so that the plant can grow easily. Pay attention to your plant after planting it in the pot.

How to Care for Tradescantia Spathacea ‘Moses in the Cradle’

Moses in the Cardle usually grows in hot and humid areas. You have to maintain the environment for their best growth. The  following are some caring tips that are required to maintain growing Moses in the Cradle such as:

• Light
• Watering 
• Temperature 
• Humidity 
• Soil 
• Fertilizer 
• Potting & Repotting 
• Pruning 

Light

• They prefer filtered sunlight, you can say that they love to grow in indirect sunlight.
• You need to avoid the direct, hot, and bright sunlight.
• They need to provide them a light that is bright but indirect light that ranges between 10,000 and 20,000 lux.  
• If you want to get the best result then place the pot on an east or north-facing window ledge.

Watering

• Water the plant when you see it’s getting dried. 
• You have to water them properly, especially in the summer, spring, and fall seasons.
• But you need to change your watering schedule in the winter.
• If the soil drying out is more so you need to manage the watering at that time.
• Avoid Overwatering the plant because it does increase the risk of developing root rot.

Temperature

• As these are rainforest plants, they bear different temperatures in the daytime while different at nighttime. 
• They bear 84 to 91 degrees F in the daytime.
• While 68 to 79 degrees F.
• That’s why, you may have to face problems when you will grow them in your home garden. Because you will not handle the environmental changes.

Humidity

• They prefer high-humidity areas.
• You can the brown tips on the leaves of the plant then which indicates in creation of a moist microclimate for growing  Moses in the Cradle.
• You have to maintain the humidity level for the better growth of the plant.
• Avoid getting the foliage wet. 

Soil

• You should use well-drained soil because it makes the roots breathe.
• The pH level for Moses in the cradle soil should be maintained which should be 5 to 6.
• You can make a soil mix with the help of peat moss, perlite, and potting mix as well. 
• Then, you can use it for plant-growing purposes.

Fertilizer

• You need a good fertilizer to make your plant strong.
• The perfect ratio of adding fertilizer is 10-10-10.
• Make sure to use the correct form and the correct amount of fertilizer so that your plant can get its desired amounts.
• You can apply fertilizer in the spring and in the summer seasons.

Potting & Repotting

You need to repot the plant for many reasons such as:

• Repotting i the method of transforming your plant to another place.
• When you find its nee, you have to repot your plant.
• You need to repot the plant in another pot that is bigger than the current size of the pot.

Pruning

• You need to cut or trim the damaged part of the plant.
• So that they won’t be able to affect the rest of the plant.
• You can prune them in the spring season.
• Avoid removing more than a tenth of the foliage.
• You need to use sharp sterilized shears to cut the plant.

Conclusion

A Moses in the Cradle plant grows beautifully both as an outdoor plant and as a colorful indoor plant. People love the plant varieties having green leaves, or a mixture of green, white, and purple stripes. 

The varieties sold as indoor plants are usually “dwarf” types and only reach a height of about 6”-12.” A Moses in the Cradle plant needs about 6-8 hours of bright, indirect light or it gets leggy. When that happens it’s a good time to aggressively prune the plant during the spring.  You need to learn about Moses in the cradle care so that you can grow them easily.

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