Houseplants: Why isn't my purple heart plant purple?

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barbarakantz Edinboro, PA October 8, 2008 2:26 PM	I have a purple heart plant and it is in west window so it gets lotsa sun.....but I rooted the plant pups in water, they have a nice root system, but they are just green not purple.....i can't remember the last time I had one bloom either. what am I doing wrong? do they need full sun or shade to make them purple
Raggedyann Lawrenceville, GA (Zone 7b) October 8, 2008 2:38 PM	Is this the one you have? [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com] I have mine in the ground. They started out in a pot but I think they like more freedom to spread. They die back in the winter here, but are the first thing to come back and bloom in spring.
barbarakantz Edinboro, PA October 11, 2008 10:29 AM	Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, but I still don't know how to make it purple and blossom and happy. I'm in zone 5 so it is a houseplant and I see such lovely one elsewhere, but mine is kind of sorry looking. Any ideas would really help.....maybe plant food?
ecrane3 Dublin, CA (Zone 9a) October 11, 2008 10:47 AM	Has your plant ever been purple? It's possible what you had was mislabeled and is a different sort of Tradescantia, there are tons of different ones and many of them are green, and there are lots of places that sell mislabeled houseplants. Also can you maybe post a picture of your plant? Someone might be able to tell what's making it sorry looking with a picture.
littlebearsmom Zanesville, OH October 15, 2008 5:36 PM	I'm in zone 5 in Ohio and mine is a houseplant also but I keep it in partial shade and it's very purple. Maybe move it to a less sunny location?
plantladylin East Central, FL (Zone 9a) October 15, 2008 5:40 PM	Barbara: Take a look at some of these in Plant Files; [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com] and see if you find one to match your plant. I have a feeling yours is not the purple heart if your foliage shows no purple color whatsoever.
barbarakantz Edinboro, PA October 17, 2008 4:19 PM	thank you everyone for your help. I believe I'll move it to a shadier spot in the house and see what happens from there. The mother plant was purple, but since I started these they are just a dingy green. I'll let you know the outcome after a few weeks. Thanks again.
NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) November 14, 2008 7:49 AM	I have a purple heart plant that is at it's prettiest and darkest shade of purple in good sun all day (on a south facing porch). When I clip off pieces to root and put them in my north facing kitchen window, they turn green. Once I pot them and put them back in good sun, they go back to the pretty deep purple. They bloom better in the sun too. Sorry I don't know exactly what type mine is--it's a pass along from a friend.
kathy65468 Eunice, MO November 14, 2008 4:23 PM	Yes, bright light is the issue. When mine is outdoors in the summer it is dark purple and blooms like crazy. I hang it from a tree branch. It get direct light in early morn and late afternoon. It also grows more compactly. When I bring it in the house for winter where it gets the sun from the south, it loses the dark purple and the vines get longer with more space between the nodes. I give it a severe haircut every spring and put it back outside. It definitely likes the brightness of outdoors.
Chickadee12 Brookfield, CT (Zone 5b) November 16, 2008 7:22 PM	Mine has had the same issue. I'm in zone 5/6 and I brought mine in for the winter. All the new growth is a nice light green. It is inside next to a fluorescent light that stays on all day. It makes sense that less light would be causing it. My assumption is (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) that the more green plant tissue is, the more chlorophyll is present. It makes sense to think that in lower light conditions, plants would need more chlorophyll to carry on photosynthesis at a similar rate as a plant in brighter light with less chlorophyll. My coleus are also showing the same symptom, though its only the leaf edges that are turning green thusfar.
kathy65468 Eunice, MO November 16, 2008 7:28 PM	I had a nurseryman tell me something years ago that I never forgot. When it comes to sunlight plants are like people the more the color the moe light they handle. If you go out in the spring you burn easily but once you have picked up a bit of tan you can be in the sun longer. Plants take it one step further. The more the color the more actual sunlight they need. So lots of sun for lots of color. Small amount of sun and the plant needs more clorophyl and therefore puts on less colors.
dp72 Woodway, TX (Zone 8a) November 17, 2008 5:51 PM	kathy, that's an interesting idea. It is true that some plants "green up" in the shade so they have more chlorophyll to make plant sugars. But I don't think you can take that too far. Some coleus have fantastic color in the shade but turn boring colors in too much sun. And caladiums are probably the best example of plants that have wonderful colors in deep shade. Nontheless, there may be some merit to that observation.
kathy65468 Eunice, MO November 17, 2008 5:57 PM	Everything has its exceptions lol. I do think that in general he was right and the statement makes it easier for me to judge where to put a new specimen til I have a chance to look it up. It is so easy to remember.
dp72 Woodway, TX (Zone 8a) November 17, 2008 6:05 PM	I agree, kathy. As far as purple heart always being purple, more of the plants in that family are green, and sometimes the purple will revert to green, esp. in stressful situations. It used to be called wandering jew, but because that stigmatizes Jewish people, it came to be called purple heart, even though it may not be purple. All of us use common names sometimes, esp. for plants with hard-to-remember and hard-to-spell botanical names, but that can cause confusion. Down here, bachelor button is gomphrena. Up north, bachelor button is centaurea. And, by the way, isn't bachelor a perjorative word to some men? It's sort of like the equivalent of old maid. Try calling some single women old maids. Yikes!
RachelLF Rural Retreat, VA November 17, 2008 10:36 PM	Your purple heart is probably not getting enough direct sun light for the purple to come through. I have several planted outside here in zone 7A and we will see if they return next Spring. The one that I kept in a pot and bought in-door's for the winter month's is now showing some green but it's still flowering and mostly purple. I think it's all about the amount of sunshine it receive's as an indoor plant during the duration of the Winter month's. Patience is a virtue. Rachel
kathy65468 Eunice, MO November 18, 2008 3:44 AM	Actually most bachelors are proud of being bachelors so they do not object to the word. It is another example of the double standard. An old maid is someone who was not able to catch a man and a bachelor is someone who was smart enough not to be caught.

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