Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this Wandering Jew plant (Tradescantia zebrina, if you wanna get fancy) and I wanted to share my notes on what temperatures it seems to dig. I’m no expert, but this is just what I’ve noticed from keeping a few of these guys alive.
I started by grabbing a couple of these plants from the local nursery. They were pretty small, just starter plants, really. I potted them up in some regular potting mix – nothing special.
Then, for the experiment I got a place for them.
I kept one inside my house, where the temperature is pretty consistent. And I put the other one outside on my covered porch, where it gets a bit more variation in temp.
My Indoor Wandering Jew:
Inside, I keep my thermostat set to around 72°F (that’s about 22°C) during the day. At night, it drops down to maybe 68°F (20°C). The indoor plant seemed perfectly happy with this setup. It grew pretty quickly, the colors stayed nice and vibrant, and it just generally looked healthy.
My Outdoor Wandering Jew (The Test Subject):
This one was a bit more of a rollercoaster. During the summer, we had some days where it got up into the high 80s (around 30°C+). The plant definitely didn’t love that. The leaves started to look a little crispy around the edges, and the growth slowed down.
Then, in the fall, we had some nights that dipped down into the low 50s (around 10-12°C). The plant really didn’t like that. It started to look droopy, and some of the leaves even turned a bit yellow. So It proves the plant is a bit of a Goldilocks .
The Results (So Far):
Based on my totally unscientific experiment, here’s what I’ve gathered:
- Happy Zone: These plants seem to be the happiest in that 65-75°F (18-24°C) range. That’s what I’m aiming for now.
- Too Hot: Anything consistently above 80°F (27°C) and you might start to see some stress.
- Too Cold: Definitely keep them above, say, 55°F (13°C) if you can. They’ll probably survive lower, but they won’t be thrilled.
After I figured the plant’s temperature,I brought the outdoor plant inside for the winter, and it perked right back up. Now, both plants are chilling in my living room, enjoying the consistent temperatures, and looking pretty darn good,So that’s what is all about my experiment.
