How to Make a Purple Heart an Indoor Plant

Fill a 12- to 16-inch hanging basket with 4 inches of potting soil. Use a moist soil that contains peat, perlite and compost or a soil specially formulated for foliage plants.

Set the purple heart plants on top of the soil, using two to three plants per basket. Add more soil as necessary so the base of the plant, where the stems emerge from the root system, sits one inch beneath the rim of the basket.

Add more soil until the soil surface is even with the base of the plant. Set the basket in the sink and water it until the excess drips out of the basket bottom. Add more soil to account for any settling that occurred during watering.

Hang the basket in a warm 70- to 75-degree-Fahrenheit location. Select an area that receives bright but indirect all-day sun. Direct sunlight can scorch the foliage of the purple heart plant.

Water the purple heart when the soil surface feel dry and when the soil doesn't stick to your finger when you insert it into the pot. Set the basket in the sink when watering and until the excess finishes draining, otherwise water can spill out and make a mess.

Fertilize every other month from spring through fall with a soluble fertilizer formulated for foliage houseplants. Stop fertilizer applications if the foliage becomes a pale color, as this indicates overfertilization. Resume fertilizer applications after the foliage regains its purple color.