Moses in the Cradle problems & how to fix them
Tradescantia spathacea
Drooping, yellowing, brown tips, or a plant that just won’t thrive? Here are the most common Moses in the Cradle problems, what usually causes them, and how to turn things around.
Common problems
Root rot
The dense rosette base rots if water pools in the crown or soil stays wet. A fungal or bacterial infection of the roots, almost always triggered by soil staying wet too long. Caught early, most plants recover within a few weeks after repotting; if most roots are already mushy, recovery is uncertain.
Phytophthora root rot on a dug-up root ball
Photo: Jerzy Opioła · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Etiolation (insufficient light)
Low light stretches the rosette and washes out the purple. The plant is stretching toward light it isn't getting: long gaps between leaves, pale thin growth, and leaning. Stretched growth never compacts again, but with more light all new growth comes in full and sturdy - the plant's future is good.
etiolated seedlings stretching pale toward the light
Photo: சஞ்சீவி சிவகுமார் · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Crispy tips (low humidity)
Very dry air and salty tap water brown the leaf tips. Brown, dry leaf tips caused by air that is too dry for the plant, common in heated or air-conditioned rooms. Existing crispy tips never turn green again, but with higher humidity new growth should come in clean within a few weeks.
Mealybugs
They wedge into the tight leaf bases where sprays miss them. Slow-moving sap-sucking insects that look like bits of white cotton stuck in leaf joints. They are stubborn but very treatable with repeated spot treatment; expect steady improvement over 3-4 weeks.
a long-tailed mealybug on a leaf
Photo: D-Kuru · CC BY-SA 3.0 at · Wikimedia Commons
The mistakes that most often kill it
- Letting water sit in the central rosette until the crown rots.
- Chronic overwatering in a heavy, peaty mix.
- Freezing drafts near winter windows.
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