Our expert offers spider plant care tips that show how easy it is to help these popular houseplants flourish.
When it comes to spider plant care, you don't need a green thumb to grow them indoors. As one of the world's most popular houseplants, plant parents love spider plants for their ease of care, distinctive long spiky striped leaves, and runners that suspend spider-like baby plants (technically "offsets") in mid-air. A horticulturist shares their spider plant care tips for helping your plant thrive, including how to repot it and ways to handle common problems. Green Planter
Also known worldwide as the “airplane plant,” “ribbon plant,” and “spider ivy,” the spider plant, Chlorophytum comosum, is an herbaceous tropical evergreen perennial. Originating in Africa, it was found growing in a wide region from South Africa to as far north as Cameroon and Ethiopia.
The spider plant is in the asparagus family, which also includes popular landscape plants—agave, hosta, sansevieria, yucca, and monkey grass (Liriope). The plant gets its name from the long stems and leaves that resemble spiders.
There are quite a few varieties of spider plants out there, but two of them top the list as the most popular choices for gardeners.
Variegatum: The common names for variegatum spider plants are airplane plants or reverse spider plants. This variety has green leaves with white edges and grows white star-shaped blooms. Their plantlet stems can be up to two feet in length, and they do well indoors in pots or hanging baskets.
Vittatum: The vittatum variety of spider plant looks opposite of the variegatum—their leaves have a cream-colored center with green edges. It has white stems, and while slower-growing than the variegatum, this spider plant can be cared for in a similar manner.
Though they can survive hot, dry conditions, spider plants should be grown where the temperatures are consistently above 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Generally, spider plants need to be repotted approximately once every 2 years, but first things first. After purchasing your plant, here are steps for transferring the spider plant into a new pot.
Unless you purchased a spider plant already in a decorative container, it's likely in a temporary plastic one that's unattractive and less than ideal for the plant. Plastic prevents air from circulating and can eventually cause the plant to rot. Instead of plastic, choose a container that's porous, like terracotta, and ensure it has a drainage hole. Spider plants hate to sit in standing water.
To ensure maximum drainage, fill the bottom of the pot with an inch or so of orchid bark or peat moss. Disturbing the roots as little as possible, repot the plant, add more potting soil as required, and give the plant a good drink.
It's unnecessary to hang spider plants, but doing so shows off their naturally cascading leaves and gives the plant extra room. They also look great in a plant stand or cascading down from a shelf. If you decide to place your spider plant on a surface instead of hanging it, make sure not to crush its leaves.
Once you've repotted your new spider plant, they don't require a lot of maintenance. Horticulturist Bliss Bendall suggests regularly rotating the pot so one side isn't constantly getting more sun. It's also important to avoid positioning a spider plant directly on or in front of a heater or air-conditioning unit. Temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal.
"Mist the plant with distilled water that has been sitting for 24 hours," says Bendall. "If your plant receives a lot of full sunlight, I strongly recommend doing this first thing in the morning at sunrise or an hour or two before the sun goes down. This will ensure it doesn't burn, get too cold, or become damp and rot."
Unlike low-light plants, "Spider plants appreciate bright-to-moderate indirect sunlight. But that doesn't mean they can't survive without sunlight," says Bendall. "Established spider plants can accommodate different types of light if they are watered specifically for the particular condition they're kept in."
Every spider plant has its own water needs. Bendall's rule of thumb is to wait until the top 2 inches of soil are dried out but not entirely dried through. Also, avoid watering during peak sunlight. "If you water spider plants when the sun is high or directly shining on the plant, they will burn," says Bendall.
"During the first month, once a week, gauge how dry the soil is getting in between watering to get a feel for how quickly water evaporates from [the] soil in your home or office," Bendall suggests. With more daylight (as in the summer), water evaporates faster, and the soil dries out quicker, so your plant's watering needs will likely be more frequent.
"When watering the plant makes it feel heavier than before you watered it, let the water drain through the holes for at least one to two minutes," Bendall says. "Over time, you'll get used to the change in the weight of the plant and be able to know when it's time to water."
When in doubt, it's best not to overwater spider plants. "Wait a day or two and test the soil again. It's more detrimental to overwater than to wait longer between watering," says Bendall. Since knowing how often to water can be tricky, consider buying a soil moisture meter, which is an inexpensive and easy way to eliminate the guesswork.
Spider plants are indigenous to tropical climates in West and South Africa, so they do well in humid conditions and need to be kept in temperatures over 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Although they can survive droughts, you should keep an eye on them and ensure that they're watered sufficiently when conditions are dry. And you can grow them in the winter, but you'll have to do so inside or they'll wilt and die in the cold temperatures.
To remove unwanted foliage, simply cut at the base of the plant where it meets the main stem using sharp pruners or scissors to prevent damage. Remove any discolored or dead leaves as they appear.
If you see a baby plant cropping up, also known as a spiderette or a pup, you should actually prune it off to encourage more growth. You can then propagate the pup. (More on propagation below.)
You're unlikely to experience any problems with your spider plant as long as you keep it in its preferred conditions for temperature, light, and moisture. Nevertheless, things happen, and here's what to do about a few of those things.
If your spider plant's leaves start to turn yellow or lime green, it's likely caused by overwatering, which is usually an easy fix. "Take the plant to a place where it can receive a little more shade, and be sure the topsoil is dry before watering again," Bendall recommends. Then remove all the yellow leaves.
If you notice the leaves turning brown, your spider has likely been overwatered with tap water. The high salt levels in tap water are toxic for tropical plants like spiders, so let it dry out and switch to distilled water if possible.
If just the tips of the leaves are brown, your spider plant is probably fine, and you can trim them. "Be sure to trim off the brown tips with sharp, sterile pruning shears or use a florist knife," says Bendall. "Cut at an angle to recreate the sharp tip shape of the leaves. It'll scab over and be like nothing ever happened."
Bendall urges you to avoid trimming your spider plant in the winter. "During colder seasons, the plant goes dormant and needs all of its chlorophyll to feed itself and survive," she explains. "If you must trim the leaves [in winter], just know it can be risky. Go for it in the growing months [of] spring and summer."
If the leaves are fully wilting, your spider plant may be too far gone. Bendall suggests waiting 10 days to see what happens. If no progress is made, the plant is probably not salvageable.
Despite its name, spider plants don't attract spiders. It can, however, suffer from insect infestations (like most plants). Common spider plant infestations can come from scales, aphids, mites, mealybugs, and whiteflies. Most pests are eradicated by the application of horticultural neem oil as directed on the label.
A distinctive characteristic of spider plants is their sprouting little offsets. "They are called pups and are like newborns," says Bendall, who suggests leaving them alone unless you want to start a new plant. While you can propagate spider plants via seeds and division, it's easier, less messy, and more fun to start new spider plants with offsets.
"While the pup is still attached to its mother, plant it in its own container in lightweight, easily drainable soil," she explains. "Wait to detach until the pup is established on its own, and then cut them apart. You'll be able to tell it's established once there is new growth."
Alternatively, Bendall says you can use that same technique to plant a few babies in the same pot as the mother. "This works for a mature plant you want to fill out and thicken a bit more."
There are several reasons why your spider plant is not creating offsets:
Despite its popular houseplant status, you can grow spider plants outdoors in USDA Zones 9 to 11 as an evergreen perennial. It can grow in Zone 8, too, where its foliage dies back in winter and re-emerges with new growth in the spring. If you choose to display your spider plant outside during the summer, keep it sheltered from excessive direct sunlight. Bring it indoors when the temperature falls below 55°F or exceeds 80°F.
While research such as NASA's 1989 study showed that houseplants like the spider plant can remove toxins from the air, there is some disagreement on how effective they are. More recent studies state that spider plants only reduce carbon dioxide concentration in the air by 0.1 percent.
Nevertheless, bringing a few houseplants (like spider plants) into your home can help improve air quality, even if marginally. That's because, in general, plants absorb pollutants in the air through their respiration process of carbon dioxide in, oxygen out.
It's well-known that houseplants provide a certain level of relaxation. Studies have shown that our stress levels decrease when simply looking at plants. This applies to spider plants, which are easy to care for and pretty to look at.
Spider plant, Chlorophytum comosum. Wisconsin Horticulture.
Chlorophytum comosum “variegatum” (Airplane plant, reverse spider plant, variegated spider plant) | north carolina extension gardener plant toolbox.
Spider plant, <em>Chlorophytum comosum</em>. Wisconsin Horticulture.
Chlorophytum comosum (Anthericum comosum, chlorophytum, ribbon plant, spider ivy, spiderplant, spider plant, walking anthericum) | north carolina extension gardener plant toolbox.
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