How to Care for Purple Passion Gynura Aurantiaca

Unless you live in zones 10 through 12 as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map, you need to grow the Purple Passion plant (Gynura aurantiaca "Purple Passion") indoors. Fortunately, it's perfectly content growing indoors and adds a lot of color to a room. Purple Passion takes its name from the purple hairs along its stems and foliage that give the plant a purple cast. G. aurantiaca gives so much but requires little care.

Things You'll Need

• Peat moss
• Sand
• Potting soil
• Fertilizer
• Scissors or small pruning shears

Instructions

1. Repot the Purple Passion if it sits in standard potting soil. Discard the soil and fill the pot with two parts of peat moss and equal parts of potting soil and sand.

2. Choose a location in the home where the Purple Passion receives bright, indirect sunlight and the temperature remains between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Although the plant survives low-light conditions, the color of its foliage won't be as deep.

3. Avoid overwatering the Purple Passion plant. Keep an eye on the foliage and water the soil just when it begins to wilt. Cut back on watering in winter so the soil is just barely moist when you stick your finger into it.

4. Feed the Gynura aurantiaca once a week, beginning in spring when you notice new growth. Use a fertilizer labeled for houseplants. Dilute the rate suggested on the label by half and apply it to wet soil. Discontinue feeding the plant in November.

5. Snip off flowers as they appear in the spring. Cut off 1/2-inch from the tips of new branches. This encourages the Purple Passion to produce new growth, making the plant appear bushier.

6. Rejuvenate the Purple Passion plant by cutting it back hard in the winter. Allow 4 nodes per stem to remain. The plant will grow back healthier, fuller and more colorful.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the tip cuttings to grow new plants. Stick them in the same pot with the mother plant, or pot them up in individual pots. Keep them moist while they produce roots.

• While shopping for your new Purple Passion plant, you may see it labeled as Gynura sarmentosa, which is a synonym.

References

• University of Oklahoma; Gynura aurantiaca Cv. 'Purple Passion' Purple Passion Vine; Cal Lemke; June 2001
• Missouri Botanical Garden; Gynura Aurantiaca
• University of Florida IFAS Extension; Cultural Guidelines for Commercial Production of Purple Passion Plant (Gynura Aurantiaca); Jianjun Chen, et al.; October 2007