---
title: "Why has my Tradescantia zebrina lost its silver 😢 I’ve just cut her…"
description: "Why has my Tradescantia zebrina lost its silver 😢 I’ve just cut her back a bit and propagating the cuttings so I can hopefully put them in there once they’ve…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg/1FJSk92gsMLs2Hofk81aHn"
community: "Anything about plants"
author: "Julie Williams"
published: "2026-08-23T12:31:53.645455Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/1lSWOSHjkTu_8H9s9OAV1BbIfc5GxR7u1WP0Fjla6U8/RTWu0O1BQLCjD7Xj5SxLMw.webp?size=large"
---

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# Why has my Tradescantia zebrina lost its silver 😢 I’ve just cut her…

_Posted by Julie Williams on 2026-08-23_

Why has my Tradescantia zebrina lost its silver 😢  
I’ve just cut her back a bit and propagating the cuttings so I can hopefully put them in there once they’ve rooted. So sad she’s lost her shine.

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/1lSWOSHjkTu_8H9s9OAV1BbIfc5GxR7u1WP0Fjla6U8/RTWu0O1BQLCjD7Xj5SxLMw.webp?size=large)

## 9 comments

### JR commented on 2026-08-23

Maybe not enough light

### Julie Williams commented on 2026-08-23

She’s on the shelf in front of the window though. Maybe I need to add grow lights to my shopping list

### Chris commented on 2026-08-23

More light will get you those silver streaks back

### EllenLikesPlants commented on 2026-08-23

Maybe more light? I have one and mine is still rather full which I like instead of leggier like I’ve seen most others. Mine also still has a lot of silver. I just moved it though so hopefully I didn’t make a bad decision on where to move it to. I’m sure it’ll tell me soon enough! A couple stems fell off when I moved it so I did put them in water hoping to propagate! I don’t know if that’s how they work but figured it was worth a shot!

#### Julie Williams replied on 2026-08-23

That’s what I’ve done with mine. It was more leggy before this pic and I’ve put my clippings in water to propagate. Here’s hoping for the both of us lol

### SJ commented on 2026-08-23

Maybe more light but these plants do not age well. The lower leaves will always fade and lose their definition. If the new growth has also lost the streaks of silver, then yes, most likely too little light.

#### Julie Williams replied on 2026-08-23

That’s really helpful thank you.

### MaddieAndMilo commented on 2026-08-27

If you have a shade on the window, the light may be too filtered. Do you know what direction the window faces? Although the current leaves may not go back to their full silver color, upping the light by giving her access to direct morning sun should allow her new leaves to develop bright silver stripes. Or you can grab a grow light, and a timer for the plug, and set your light to shine 7-8 hours a day.

Here’s a little cheat sheet for window direction and the light it provides:

East = morning sun (partial light)  
West = afternoon/evening sun (bright and warm light)  
South = brightest/longest sun in the Northern Hemisphere  
North = softest, lowest-light window

### Plantingsherry commented on 2026-08-29

Mine seems to be doing well with just a grow light. I’m in an apartment which only has two windows and one of them is on the far side of a patio so that doesn’t give a lot of light and I have 50 plants who all want light.

![Attachment 1 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/-bEa8Q3g1ge-IURFOEOQ2kXlRgS9V83P42PKbIR09wg/aOAN6H1FS9KAAyCRTd1ilQ.webp?size=large)

![Attachment 2 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/-bEa8Q3g1ge-IURFOEOQ2kXlRgS9V83P42PKbIR09wg/3ezCdtZ8Qx6dwKBywdaGRw.webp?size=large)

![Attachment 3 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/-bEa8Q3g1ge-IURFOEOQ2kXlRgS9V83P42PKbIR09wg/8LFoqsAlS7iw3048oFwfvg.webp?size=large)

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