Is this a mosaic virus or something else?

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by littlejohn657, Jul 30, 2017.

  1. littlejohn657

    littlejohn657 New Member

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    I have a Tradescantia spathacea (aka moses in a cradle or boat lily). I've had it for over a decade and it's one of the first plants I ever bought. The original plant that I had was huge that I had to downsize when I moved, and it has generally seemed rather healthy, except that the colour is all wrong. When I first got it, the colour was the normal, dark, intense purple and green, but not long after it began to lose the intensity of the colour and the purple became quite patchy. I've tried a few things over the years, including trying to put it in both brighter and darker lighting, adding different types of fertilizer, changing how much I water, etc. but the proper colour has never returned (I didn't know the name of it until a couple years ago, which made it hard figuring out what to try). Now I'm starting to wonder if it's infected with some kind of mosaic virus, but I have never seen similar symptoms on any of my other plants the whole time I've had this one. I'd appreciate some advice on what this might be, and if there is any way to treat it, or if I should just get rid of it. Thanks.
     

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  2. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I think it's just that this is a plant that normally grows outside, in the tropics, in good light, and when you bought it, it had been given good light in the nursery or wherever it was grown. It's not possible to give it the light conditions it wants indoors. I think it's that it needs the extra chlorophyll - a lot of plants with interesting colours go green when they don't have all the light they want. Windows filter a lot of light. It's trying its best to come up with some purple for you, but it can't really do it. I don't think there is anything you can to do for this short of setting up grow lights, but it looks pretty good as it is.
     
  3. littlejohn657

    littlejohn657 New Member

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    Thanks Wendy. Sorry, I forgot to mention that for quite a while, it was growing under T5s, and has also been put outside in full sun during summers before, but with little change in colouration. It's been less than a year that it's been growing only in a window (I had to downsize my set-up when I moved).
     

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