Rejuvenating a Leggy Wandering Jew (Tradescantia): Hard Pruning vs. Starting Fresh from Cuttings

Why It's Leggy

After ~1 year, Tradescantia becomes leggy and unattractive—this is normal.

Two Solutions

1. Hard prune: Cut the whole plant back to 3 inches above soil. Let it regrow.
2. Fresh start: Take tip cuttings (very easy in water), root them, pot up, discard the old plant.

Alternative: Root Pruning

Remove plant, cut around root ball with scissors, repot in fresh soil. Keep moist for 3+ days or it may wilt permanently.

Recommendation

Tip cuttings in water are foolproof (negative difficulty). Start fresh for a full, bushy plant quickly.