Purple Velvet Plant (Gynura) Care: What to Know

Welcome to HealthyHouseplants.com, where we teach you all about gardening indoors! If you’d like to support my show and get help growing your houseplants, check out my Patreon below. Today, I have a plant care video for one of my absolute favorite plants. I know I say I have a lot of favorite plants, but this one really is a top favorite. You can probably tell why just by looking at it: this is the Purple Velvet Plant, botanically known as Gynura.

As mentioned, I just love this plant. If you want to grow an eye-catching, gorgeous plant in your indoor garden, Purple Velvet Plant, also known as Purple Passion Vine, is a great choice. This lovely plant is native to the Indonesian island of Java. Though it appears that the serrated leaves are purple, they are actually green but covered with a velvety soft purple fuzz that gives the plant its color and softness. I assure you, it’s really soft—probably one of the softest plants out there, making it very nice to touch.

Purple Velvet Plant is a trailing, vining plant that, in its native habitat, will eventually grow 2 feet tall and spread to 4 feet wide. In the indoor garden, the plant is ideal as a hanging basket plant or cascading from high locations such as the top of a bookshelf. You can also train the plant up a small trellis. Generally, young Purple Velvet Plants will start out upright but will eventually trail as they grow. Though the plant looks very exotic, it is fairly easy to grow if you keep the following tips in mind.

Lighting: For the best growth, give Purple Velvet Plant bright, indirect light. Lack of adequate light will cause the plant to lose its purple coloration, as the purple hairs are sensitive to correct lighting. Place the plant in an area that gets good lighting, such as an unobstructed eastern window or 3 to 4 feet from a southern window. Northern windows don’t provide enough light. If you lack light in your home, Purple Velvet Plant also does well under full-spectrum lighting, especially during the winter months when light levels are low.

Watering: Purple Velvet Plant needs a regular supply of water, and the soil should remain moist but not soggy. Water when the moisture meter reads four or when the top inch of soil has dried out. Too much water will lead to root rot, but too little will cause the color to fade and the leaves to turn brown and die. Always use warm water when watering Purple Velvet Plant, and never let the bottom of the pot sit in water to avoid soggy soil and root rot. The plant drinks more slowly during the winter months, so be careful not to overwater during this time.

Fertilizing: Fertilize Purple Velvet Plant monthly from spring through fall with an organic fertilizer. Chemical fertilizers are too harsh for this plant, and I generally don’t recommend them for houseplants. Don’t fertilize in the winter months when the plant slows down growth.

Humidity: Purple Velvet Plant is native to an island with high humidity, so you want to provide sufficient humidity for the plant to avoid dried leaf edges and leaf loss. The ideal humidity range is 50 to 65%. Test your indoor environment with a hygrometer. If your humidity is 45% or lower, you might want to use a humidifier to keep the plant happy. Grouping plants also helps keep the humidity higher, as houseplants humidify each other. Do not mist Purple Velvet Plant, as the fine hairs will trap the moisture, leading to leaf spotting and fungal diseases.

Temperature: Given that the plant is native to a warm climate, Purple Velvet Plant does not do well with cold weather. Grow the plant in areas of the home ranging from 65 to 85°F. When Purple Velvet Plant gets too cold, it will begin to falter, dropping leaves and slowing down growth.

Repotting: Purple Velvet Plant should be repotted when it has surpassed the rule of thumb of 2/3 plant on top to 1/3 pot below. If you’ve got 3/4 plant and 1/4 pot, then it’s time to repot. Once the plant surpasses that ratio and gets too big for its pot, it will stop growing and can become stressed. Only go up one pot size maximum to avoid root rot. Repot in the spring through midsummer using high-quality organic potting soil with added drainage such as pumice or perlite. Be careful when repotting to avoid breaking the weak stems.

Pruning: If you’d like to keep your Purple Velvet Plant more compact, pinch off the ends of vines back to a set of leaves. This will cause the plant to branch more and become shrubbier rather than vining. When grown in bright light, Purple Velvet Plant can sometimes flower. The flowers have an unpleasant smell, so it’s best to prune them off before they open. Pruning off the flowers early and maintaining good growing practices can extend the life of the plant.

Pests and Diseases: Root rot can occur if you overwater this plant and keep it in soggy soil. Overwatering can also cause leaf spotting diseases. You may occasionally see mealybugs, spider mites, and scale. Treat mealybugs and scale with isopropyl alcohol (91%) and neem oil to prevent eggs from hatching. Spider mites are best treated with insecticidal soap spray. Spider mites thrive in dry conditions, so increasing the humidity will help prevent them.

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