Pruning spider plants keeps them at a more desirable and manageable size and rejuvenates their overall health and vigor. In addition, the more babies it produces, the more the plant needs fertilizer and water as this uses up much of its energy. Therefore, the spiderettes should be removed as well.
Once you determine a plantlet is ready to be propagated, you can remove it from the mother by cutting it off. Sometimes the babies will come off easily when you disturb them, and you don't even have to cut them. If you're wondering where to cut spider plant babies from the mother, it really doesn't matter.
Set the new baby plants into a cup of water for a few days (about five should do it) to help the roots grow out a bit, and then you can plant them in potting soil. To plant, grab a four-inch (or smaller) pot and fill it with potting mix. Make a little hole in the center with your finger.
Cut them from the long stems. Follow the runner and make the cut right above where the baby attaches. Place the spider plant babies in a small glass vessel with a little bit of water. You want the water to only cover the nubby roots of the baby plant.
Once you see small knobs and roots on the bottom of your spiderettes, that's when you'll know they're ready for cutting — either by snipping the runners or leaving them attached to the parent plant. If your spiderettes don't have roots yet, or if they're tiny nubs, then wait until the babies are a little more mature.
Of course, you don't need to remove these baby spider plants. You can leave them attached, and they will continue to grow right along with the main plant, even creating spiderettes of their own.
To repot a spider plant baby, you can sever its connection with the mother plant using a sharp and clean knife or scissors. Then, you can pot it up into a small planter with the same soil mixture you use for adult spider plants.
Once your spider plant's leaf tips turn brown, there is nothing you can do once the damage is already done. Simply trim the brown leaf tips off with a pair of sharp scissors.
Repot your Spider Plant
Especially if you want your spider plant to look fuller and bushier. Repotting your spider plant helps to stimulate new leaf growth, rather than placing its energy into other forms of growing, like sending out runners (or stolons) to grow spiderettes (baby spider plants).
Once the roots are sufficiently established, you can plant the spider plant just as you would any other plant. I planted three rooted spider plant babies together in one pot so it wouldn't look so piddly. You don't have to do this, though—you can plant them alone.
Take an offshoot with roots of their own, then root into potted soil while keeping them attached to the mother plant. You can also grow a new plant is from cuttings. Either plant the baby in soil, or allow it to root in water. Some gardeners prefer to cut off the babies and root them in a propagation box as well.
How often should I water my spider plant? A light drink every week or so is all your spider plant needs, watering less frequently in autumn and winter. You're just looking to dampen the compost. A good way to check if it needs watering is to dip your finger into the soil, up to the second knuckle.
Spider plant needs are simple: Place the plant in bright to moderate light in a room that's a comfortable temperature for everyone. Keep the soil slightly moist. Once-a-week watering is sufficient in spring and summer; in winter, allow the soil to dry a bit more between waterings.
Since Spider Plants enjoy being a bit root bound it can be easy to miss if they overgrow their pot and start blocking drain holes. Pay close attention because if your plant's roots don't allow for proper drainage, the roots will sit in excess water and rot.
Potting and Repotting Spider Plants
Spider plants grow best when they're a little pot-bound, so only go one size up (about 2 inches larger in diameter) if you plan to repot your plant.
Generally, the spider plant is a fast-growing type. Under optimal conditions, the leaf rosette will reach 12 to 15 inches in height and the same width within six months to a year.
During the summer, spider plants may produce tiny white flowers on long stems, as well as baby spider plants (offsets) called “pups.” The pups look like tiny spiders, hence the plant's name!
You can speed up the growth of spider plant babies during summer and fall by leaving them outdoors, so they get more sunlight but make sure to keep the plant in a shaded area.
The typical lifespan of a healthy spider plant is about 20 years, although some gardeners have kept their spider plants alive for over 50 years.
Now, to know what spider plant babies are, the offshoots are called plantlets or spiderettes growing from your main plant. The spiderettes flower in summer and baby plants grow from them, and if not pollinated, you get plantlets. But pollination does not occur; you get seeds instead of the plantlets.
Spider plants produce those offsets from runners. These are aerial in a hanging basket which then suspend from the parent. Many plants reproduce vegetatively in this manner. Vinca is one plant that comes to mind.
Your Spider Plant will do well in normal household humidity but will thrive with a bit more humidity. Brown leaf tips may indicate the air is too dry, so mist your Spider Plant regularly using a Mister. Your plant prefers temperatures between 60–80° F.
Can you water spider plants with tap water? It's best to use rain water or filtered water for spider plants because they're sensitive to chlorine and other chemicals that are added to tap water. If tap water is all you have available, let it stand in the watering can overnight so that the chemicals can disperse.