---
title: "I need some help diagnosing my wandering dude. These brown spots…"
description: "I need some help diagnosing my wandering dude. These brown spots started appearing and growing along with him feeling very stiff and dull. I have been watering…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ/q8wpxcrTRdG73iOctEnPwQ"
community: "Pests, diseases and problems"
author: "Jaden marks"
published: "2024-05-14T14:56:07.839215Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/zm5CPcgZoN7uOXoZcyoJqn2cV0axtuQBE7pDqND5yJ0/-p_vWCSZTZyStwlMzXUtGQ.webp?size=large"
---

[Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [Pests, diseases and problems](https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ.md)

# I need some help diagnosing my wandering dude. These brown spots…

_Posted by Jaden marks on 2024-05-14_

I need some help diagnosing my wandering dude.  
These brown spots started appearing and growing along with him feeling very stiff and dull. I have been watering him once a week to avoid rot.

![Attachment 1 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/zm5CPcgZoN7uOXoZcyoJqn2cV0axtuQBE7pDqND5yJ0/-p_vWCSZTZyStwlMzXUtGQ.webp?size=large)

![Attachment 2 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/zm5CPcgZoN7uOXoZcyoJqn2cV0axtuQBE7pDqND5yJ0/1gktX-SmTyS3tw_cwo6O7A.webp?size=large)

![Attachment 3 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/zm5CPcgZoN7uOXoZcyoJqn2cV0axtuQBE7pDqND5yJ0/DBOLWW4GS4CVPhR4iHJ_Pw.webp?size=large)

## 4 comments

### NiCold commented on 2024-05-14

Not sure if this will help but are you watering where those brown spots and shriveled leaves are? When I first got mine I watered from the top and the leaves shriveled the same way! They're very sensitive to water on their leaves from my experience. I started watering from the bottom and cut back the dead leaves and now I haven't had that problem since!

### Riley commented on 2024-05-14

I’ve found that tradescantias need to be repotted almost immediately after getting home, because they’re almost always extremely rootbound. Once it’s been repotted, I would stop watering once a week and only water when dry. Also, that looks like a tricolor, not a Zebrina.

#### Riley replied on 2024-05-14

Here are before and after pictures of my tradescantia with this method. Before:

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/NdbFnkerz9b0_a-iTYZvvOzRIwR1Zhv6C_ilzSLBRK4/ywGcZq2NSCKm6q0EKrFc1w.webp?size=large)

#### Riley replied on 2024-05-14

2 months later:

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/NdbFnkerz9b0_a-iTYZvvOzRIwR1Zhv6C_ilzSLBRK4/2YjCXkCWQQGC7GMHDg0nXA.webp?size=large)

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