Houseplant · Commelinaceae
Silver Inch Plant
Tradescantia zebrina
Give it bright light and a pinch now and then, and this trailing inch plant fills a pot in a hurry.
Bright indirect
64–75°F · 18–24°C
USDA 8–12
6–9 in · 15–23 cm
Overview
The silver inch plant is a fast, trailing houseplant grown for its striking leaves, each one banded with silver and deep purple on top and flushed purple underneath. It belongs to the spiderwort family and comes from Mexico down into Colombia, where it sprawls along the ground. Indoors it spills over the rim of a pot or basket and keeps coming.
It earns its keep by being almost impossible to kill. Stems grow quickly, root wherever they touch soil, and bounce back fast from a hard cutback. The one thing it asks for is good light, since the purple and silver fade to plain green in a dim corner.
A quick note on the name. The old common name traces back to an antisemitic legend and is now widely dropped in favor of inch plant, silver inch plant, or wandering dude, which is what most growers and references call it today.
Care
The short version: bright indirect light keeps the colors strong, water when the soil surface dries and ease off in winter, and pinch the tips often to keep it full instead of leggy.
Light
Give it bright indirect light for the best color, with a little direct morning sun if you can. It will hang on in low light, but the purple and silver wash out to plain green and the stems stretch and go leggy.
Water
Water well during the growing season, then let the soil surface dry before the next drink, and cut back through fall and winter. Steer clear of soggy soil, since standing wet is the fastest way to rot the roots and stems.
Soil
Use a well-drained peaty or loam and sand mix in a pot with drainage holes. It isn't fussy about pH and handles anything from 6.0 to 8.0, acidic right through to alkaline.
Temperature
Ordinary room warmth suits it, ideally 64°F to 75°F (18°C to 24°C). Keep it away from cold drafts and chilly windowsills in winter.
Humidity
Average household humidity is plenty, so there's no number to chase. If your air runs very dry, a small lift in humidity helps keep the leaf tips from going brown.
Feeding
Feed monthly with a balanced houseplant fertilizer through spring and summer while it's growing. Stop feeding in fall and winter when growth slows.
Pruning
Pinch the stem tips often to keep the plant dense and bushy and to head off legginess. The bits you pinch off root easily, so you can drop them straight back into the pot.
Repotting
Repot every 1 to 2 years or whenever it outgrows its pot, since it grows fast. Watch for roots circling the pot or poking through the drainage holes, leggy growth despite good care, or soil that dries out almost as soon as you water.
Size & spacing
It stays low at 6 to 9 inches (15 to 23 cm) tall but spreads and trails to 12 to 24 inches (30 to 61 cm) across. Give it room to drape from a shelf or hanging basket so the stems can cascade.
Troubleshooting
Most inch plant trouble traces back to light or water. Faded color and stretched stems mean it wants more light, while soft, mushy stems mean it's sitting too wet. Match what you see below and fix it early.
Soft, mushy brown stems and a collapsing plant
This is root and stem rot from soil that stays too wet, and it can take a plant down fast. The base of the stems goes soft and dark, the soil never dries, and sometimes there's a foul smell. Cut away every rotted piece, re-root the healthy cuttings in fresh well-drained mix, and bin the soggy soil and any plant too far gone to save.
Fix:
- Cut away all rotted tissue
- Take healthy cuttings and re-root them in fresh, well-drained mix
- Discard severely rotted plants and waterlogged soil
Webbing, sticky residue, or warped yellowing leaves
Several small pests go after this plant. Spider mites leave fine webbing, aphids cluster as soft-bodied insects, and mealybugs show up as white cottony tufts on stems and leaf undersides. Rinse or wipe the foliage to knock them loose, then treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil and repeat until they're gone. Move the plant away from your others so the problem doesn't spread.
Fix:
- Rinse or wipe down foliage to dislodge pests
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil and repeat as needed
- Isolate the plant to prevent spread
Stripes fading to plain green and stems stretching out
This is too little light, plain and simple. In a dim corner the purple and silver wash out and the stems reach for the window with long gaps between the leaves. Move it somewhere bright with indirect sun or a little direct morning light, then pinch back the stretched stems so the colorful, compact growth comes back.
Fix:
- Move to a brighter spot with bright indirect light or some direct sun
- Pinch back stretched stems to encourage compact, colorful new growth
Long bare stems with leaves only at the tips
An inch plant that never gets pinched turns leggy with age, trailing thin stems that carry foliage only at the ends and a sparse, woody base. Cut the bare stems back hard to force fresh branching lower down. Root the healthy tips you remove and tuck them back into the same pot for a fuller plant.
Fix:
- Pinch or cut back leggy stems to force branching
- Propagate the healthy tip cuttings to refill the pot for a fuller plant
Crispy brown tips and edges on the leaves
Dry roots or dry air show up first at the leaf tips and margins, which go brown and brittle while the rest of the leaf still looks fine. Water the plant well and get back on a steady routine so the soil never bakes bone dry for long. If your room runs especially dry, lift the humidity a little.
Fix:
- Water thoroughly and resume a consistent watering routine
- Increase ambient humidity if air is very dry
Toxicity
This is a mild irritant rather than a serious poison, but it's worth handling with care. The sap irritates skin, leaving people and pets red and itchy where they brush against it, and a pet that chews the leaves can get a mildly upset stomach. Wear gloves when you prune it and keep trailing stems out of reach of animals that like to chew.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
The sap can leave a cat's skin red and itchy where it brushes against a trailing stem. A cat that chews the leaves may drool and get a mildly upset stomach, but the reaction stays minor.
Dogs Mild
Brushing through the foliage can redden and irritate a dog's skin, and chewing a stem brings on some drooling and a touch of stomach upset. None of it tends to be serious, though it's worth keeping the plant out of a chewer's reach.
Horses Mild
The ASPCA lists this plant as causing dermatitis in horses, so contact with the sap can leave the skin red and irritated.
Rabbits Caution
The same irritating sap that bothers cats and dogs makes this a poor choice to offer a rabbit. Keep it well away rather than risk a sore mouth or an upset gut.
Livestock Caution
Grazing animals aren't likely to meet a houseplant, but the irritant sap would still trouble a goat or sheep that nibbled it, so treat it as one to avoid.
Birds Caution
There's little firm guidance on birds, and the irritating sap makes caution the safe call. Keep a pet bird from pecking or shredding the leaves.
People Caution
The sap is a known skin irritant, so handling the plant or taking cuttings can leave your hands red and itchy. Wear gloves when you prune it and wash up afterward, and keep small children from chewing the foliage.
Wear gloves when taking cuttings or handling extensively, as the sap can irritate skin; wash hands after contact
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Beyond the familiar striped species, a couple of selections turn up often and are worth knowing by name.
'Burgundy'
This one trades the usual stripes for deep, dark purple leaves that hold their color best in bright light.
'Quadricolor'
Its leaves carry four colors at once, striped in pink, purple, silver, and green for a showier look than the plain species.
How to propagate
The inch plant may be the easiest houseplant of all to multiply, since almost any piece you cut will root.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Any time during active growth · Roots in 1-2 weeks
Few houseplants are easier to copy. Snip a stem or tip cutting any time the plant is actively growing, stand it in water or push it straight into moist soil, and it puts out roots in 1 to 2 weeks. The stems are so willing that they'll even root on their own at any node that rests against damp soil.
Myths
The old common name is just a harmless traditional label.
That name points back to an antisemitic legend and is now widely treated as an ethnic slur. Extension services and plant references have largely moved on to inch plant, silver inch plant, or wandering dude instead, and those are the names worth using.
The inch plant is harmless to pets and people.
The ASPCA lists it as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, where the sap causes dermatitis. On people the same sap can leave the skin red and irritated, and a pet that chews it gets mild mouth and stomach upset. It's a mild irritant, not a deadly poison, but it isn't the harmless plant it's often sold as.