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Cultivar identification Fact check

There are no shortcuts for plant identification

Correctly identifying an unknown plant is a difficult task. Because of that, people often hope for easier ways to identify their plants. But there are no shortcuts to this process. The ID charts and AI apps people often turn to are unreliable and lead to misidentifications and misplaced confidence.

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Commelinaceae Fact check Plant naming

Let’s talk about the wandering elephant in the room

On the history and implications of the most controversial common name for tradescantia.

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Care tips Potting mix

When (not) to repot a plant

Repotting is an important part of long-term maintenance for any container plant. It’s also a stressful process for a plant to go through. So keeping container plants healthy means repotting when they need it, and only when they need it.

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Care tips

The golden rules of watering container plants

Learn about the golden rules for watering plants, which provide a regular saturation and drying cycle to keep plants healthy. And find out how to apply those rules in practise, and avoid both underwatering and overwatering.

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Care tips Commelinaceae Potting mix

How I grow my outdoor tradescantias

Learn about how I care for my outdoor tradescantias, including soil, watering, and other maintenance.

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Care tips Commelinaceae Potting mix

How I grow my indoor tradescantias hydroponically

Find out how water-retentive live sphagnum moss turns out to be a perfect medium for growing these indoor succulents.

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Care tips Commelinaceae Cultivar identification Fact check

Variegation and colour in plants

If you search online for information about variegated plants, you’ll find plenty of blog posts offering to explain how variegation works and describing two or three different types. I’ve read lots of those posts, both when I was first learning, and more recently when I’ve wanted to explain things to other people. But they’ve never […]

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Care tips Commelinaceae Experiment

Plant growth regulators and tradescantias

An FAQ about plant growth regulators (PGRs), covering how and why they are used, and what effects they have on plants.

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Commelinaceae Cultivar analysis Plant naming

The Superba Group: two birds with one stone

Two Tradescantia zebrina naming mysteries, solved with one neat reclassification.

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Commelinaceae

How many varieties of tradescantia are there?

This question is surprisingly complex. Find out how many species and cultivars there are in the Tradescantia genus and the whole Commelinaceae family.