Moses in the cradle

A Moses in the Cradle plant grows beautifully both as an outdoor plant and as a colorful indoor plant. The scientific name of a Moses in the Cradle plant was originally Rhoeo discolour, then Rhoeo spathacea, and now it’s Tradescantia spathacea. It is the same family as the popular Wandering Jew plant and the spiderwort..  A Moses on the Cradle plant has several common names such as Oyster plant, Boat Lily, Moses-in-a-Boat, Cradle Lily, and Moses-in-the-Bullrushes. Whichever name you decide to call these colorful plants, native to Mexico, the West Indies, Guatemala, and Central America, they are easy to care for and grow well both as an outdoor plant in temperate climates and as a houseplant. The varieties sold as indoor plants are usually “dwarf” types and only reach a height of about 6”-12.” A Moses in the Cradle plant needs about 6-8 hours of bright, indirect light or it gets leggy. When that happens it’s a good time to aggressively prune the plant during the spring. You can use the stem cuttings to propagate a new Mosses in the Cradle plant.