Among admirers of bright colors, netkresia, or netkreasia, has long become a legend. Despite the enviable expansion of the assortment of variegated indoor plants, not a single novelty has yet succeeded in overshadowing this simple “grandmother’s” plant. And although the netrezia was again transferred to the genus Tradescantia, it still remains special. Bright, easy to grow, fast growing and very reliable. The unique shades of blue-violet and the complete absence of green in the color are the advantages that allow netrezias to never go out of style.
Purple Tradescantia, or Setkresia, is bright and unpretentious. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com World of Succulents
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Description of the plant
Introducing the Kommelin family (Commelinaceae), netrezia is a plant that is almost typical in character and structure, but certainly not in color. A bright purple miracle came to us from Mexico. It is a native of the highlands and the original ground cover of the subtropical climate. Netcresia has become a real darling of landscape designers and florists in the West. Its popular nickname “purple heart” best describes the appearance of this plant.
Setkresia purple or pale, according to modern classification, belongs to the species pale tradescantia (Tradescantia pallida, synonyms – Tradescantia purpurea, Setcreasea pallida, Setcreasea purpurea).
It is a herbaceous perennial with lodging, long, rather fragile shoots. At first, the shoots of netrezia grow straight, but the more they stretch, the more they droop. Stemless broadly lanceolate leaves enveloping the stem and up to 20 cm long do not exceed 4 cm. The unusual, very pleasant to the touch velvet edge of young leaves only emphasizes the unique color of the plant with its bluish tint.
The color palette of netrezia can only be compared with rheo – another plant transferred to the number of tradescantia. But if in rheo violet is just an addition to more classic colors, then in netcresia it is dominant and almost the only one. Greenish tints appear only on the underside of the leaves, and even then not always. The plant has several varieties with more striped, greenish or pink color variations.
Setcreasia is also considered a decorative flowering plant, although flowering leads to a violation of the shape of the shoots, a loss of compactness and is not so charming as to sacrifice the beauty of greenery for it. Unobtrusive apical inflorescences with pink “triangular” flowers up to 2 cm in diameter bloom on reticulum throughout the summer.
In Tradescantia pallida, the purple color is dominant and almost unique. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com caudexstudio
Growing conditions for indoor reticulum
Bright lighting and moderate temperatures are all the netresia needs. They are not even afraid of drafts and temperature changes, they perfectly adapt to different rooms.
Read also our article Legendary Rheo – Coated Tradescantia.
Lighting and placement
Netcresia is one of the most light-loving indoor plants. It is worth treating the netkresia as a garden plant – to put it on the brightest windowsill, protecting it only from the scorching midday rays. Lack of lighting leads to discoloration.
For netcresia, southern and partially southern window sills are best suited, in extreme cases – eastern and western windows. When choosing a place for them, it is worth remembering the fragility of the shoots: the mesh is placed so that accidental grazing or active movement does not lead to breaking off of leaves and shoots. As a rule, the plant is placed remotely, in a protected place.
Temperature control and ventilation
Thanks to its enviable endurance, the netkresia can withstand severe cold snaps (up to 5 degrees for a short period) and is not very sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Providing stable heat and high temperatures in summer, it grows more actively and brighter.
Any room temperature is fine for netcresia. If it can be lowered to 16-18 degrees in winter, the aging process will slow down. For the summer, the netkresia will not refuse to move to fresh air. On the balcony or in the garden, it will grow several times more actively.
But if the netresia is kept only as a houseplant, it needs to increase access to fresh air for it in the summer. Regular airing is carried out when the netkresia is kept warm (temperatures above 15 degrees) at any time of the year. In the heat, ventilation should be constant or very frequent.
Netcresia is one of the most light-loving indoor plants. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com succulove
Caring for netcresia at home
Many say that this plant, in its simplicity, can compete with chlorophytums. In practice, netcreasia is far from being that hardy. It is really suitable even for beginners, but still it has basic watering requirements that must be met.
Watering and air humidity
Despite its non-standard color and enviable growth rates, the netcresia pleasantly surprises with its drought resistance. She will forgive mistakes with watering, she is even suitable for those flower growers who are often on the road. But with one “but”: netrezia do not like even the slightest waterlogging and stagnation of water. For the winter, the moisture content of the substrate is reduced, starting to water the plant less often and drying the soil well.
The intensity of the color suffers when watering with hard water, and in the trays, excess moisture should not be allowed to stagnate. But the main rule of watering netcreasia is to protect greenery from water droplets. If you do not act carefully, white spots will remain on the leaves. Watering is carried out along the perimeter of the pot without spraying drops.
Spraying for mesh, like showering, is unacceptable. The plant is carefully cleaned of dust with a brush. The netrezia does not need high humidity, but it does not like dry air either. Foggy humidification or placing pallets with damp pebbles around will maintain a comfortable average performance.
Read also our article 6 of the most spectacular indoor plants with multicolored leaves.
Top dressing and composition of fertilizers
Netcreasia can be fed with mineral, mixed and organic fertilizers only during the period of active growth. For this culture, fertilizing with a frequency of 1 time in 15-20 days is suitable, halved, in comparison with the manufacturer’s recommended concentration, or weekly fertilizing with a more strongly reduced concentration.
Setcreasias do not like long-acting fertilizers and foliar feeding. Excess fertilization leads to color loss.
Trimming and shaping meshcreasia
This is one of the plants prone to rapid loss of shape, which must be constantly rejuvenated or replaced with new bushes. Thorough pruning – to short stumps – stimulates the growth of new greenery and plant renewal in the spring. But if the mesh is too deformed, it is much easier to root the cuttings and plant new plants instead of old ones.
The netkresia is transplanted annually or replace the old plant with a loss of decorativeness
Transplant, containers and substrate
Setkresia is an excellent plant for filling large containers, boxes, floor-standing flower boxes with a textured mass of leaves, creating complex compositions with succulents and indoor flower beds. Unlike many crops, she is not afraid of transplanting and exposing roots.
When choosing containers, one should take into account their stability and give preference not to classical proportions, and not too deep containers.
The netkresia is transplanted annually or replace the old plant when decorativeness is lost. The transplant can be carried out in spring and summer.
For this indoor plant, any universal slightly acidic substrate that is not prone to loss of air permeability is suitable, or a simple soil of equal proportions of sand, turf, leafy soil and peat, or a substrate for summer houses, or a mixture for decorative deciduous crops. Netcresia grows well in hydroponics and inert substrates.
A high drainage is laid at the bottom of the container. Perlite or other loosening additives must be added to the soil.
Diseases, pests and problems in growing netrezia
In indoor conditions, netresia almost do not get sick – until serious violations of care and conditions of detention. In the wrong light and without airing, they wither, stretch, lose color, become naked. Bushes can be affected by spider mites in too dry air.
Reproduction of mesh
It is one of the easiest plants to propagate. Any – apical or stem – cuttings of netkresia easily take root in water, sand, perlite or substrate without any tricks. You can root shoots of netkresia both in spring and summer.
If the plant does not form, long shoots can be rooted as cuttings and the bushes can be separated from the mother plant after 3-4 weeks.
