Thread: Wandering Jew
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Old 20-10-2003, 11:12 PM
Steve Wolfe
 
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Default Wandering Jew

Funny story. Was in home depot with a co-worker. I was getting a pot for
some cuttings from a wandering jew plant. He asked why do they call it a
wandering jew plant I didn't know, so why do they call it that? Seems

like a
bad name in these politically correct times is there a better name?


Yes, it does seem a bit bad at first. I bought one from Home Depot, it
was called something else, but I was told by everyone I knew that they'd
always heard it being called a "Wandering Jew". When looking at the
growth activities of the plant and the history of the Jews, I don't find
anything particularly offensive, but I'm not a Jew, so I'm not the
authority. ; )

The plant I have is called a tradescantia zebrina.
Does anyone know how tall then can get? Goggle didn't help.
Can they get full sun like outside?
If I have a 10 inch pot about how many cuttings can I place in a pot?

Does
each cutting make a new plant or do I need four or five in one pot so

that
it looks bushy?


They don't really get tall, they are more of a vine - they "wander" all
over, hence the name. They can grow very long, and are pretty quick
growers if given the light and water to do so. In hanging 10" pots, I
generally put at least 40 clippings to get an extremely full, dense, bushy
plant for the inside. I haven't grown them outside, but most plants grow
much more dense and bushy in the sunlight than they do indoors, so I'd
imagine that you could use far fewer cuttings.

steve