Spider plants are prone to tip burn, which can be caused by dry soil, low humidity, or a buildup of salt and chemicals found in some public tap water. Keep the soil slightly moist. Avoid watering with fluoridated or chlorinated water, and cut off brown tips if they do occur.
Ideally they like bright, indirect sunlight indoors, or full to partial shade outside. However, they do need plenty of light in order to produce offshoots and bloom. So if yours won't flower or produce babies, then it's probably getting too much shade. Move it to a brighter location, or use a grow light indoors.
When spider plants are more root bound they tend to send out more shoots. Adding worm compost to the top of the soil will give the plant more nutrients, allowing for it to send out more shoots. Fertilizing every 2 weeks with liquid half-strength houseplant fertilizer is ideal for the plant to push out more growth.
The spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is considered one of the most adaptable of houseplants and the easiest to grow. This plant can grow in a wide range of conditions and suffers from few problems, other than brown tips.
Toxicity: The plant is posed as non-toxic, but it can potentially be harmful to cats and if eaten can lead to an upset stomach and vomiting. Pests: Spider plants are tough when it comes to pests, but they are susceptible to some pest infestations.
These hardy houseplants can live for a long time. 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. These plants can withstand a fair amount of neglect, but thrive with moderate attention.
Spider plants are believed to bring luck and good fortune because of their natural, strong, and long vines. The vines symbolise stability in life and as an easy-to-care-for plant with great air purifying properties they emit strong earth energy making it a popular choice for lucky plant hobbyists.
Too little light and the plant is not able to photosynthesize properly. Either of these extremes will cause your plant to go into survival mode, leaving it without the extra energy needed to produce spiderettes. If your spider plant gets too big for the pot it is in, it risks becoming rootbound.
While it's OK to remove and discard of your spider plant's babies (just make sure to cut as close to the base of the vine as possible), you can also use them to grow new 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. Avoid repotting during the fall or winter; wait until spring when the plant is actively growing.
Other house plants such as a spider plant, philodendron, peace lily and crassula also prefer to be always watered from the bottom. Seedlings are vulnerable to damage from watering from above so should always be placed in a tray of water to soak up the moisture they require.
For the most part, spider plants do not need pruning. To prevent your spider plant from forming its poisonous seeds, prune away any withered flowers. You can also cut off the offshoots, known as spiderettes or pups, and use them to propagate spider plants. Pluck any completely withered leaves off the plant.
The most important spider plant indoor benefit is its ability to filter and purify the air in your home. 'This non-toxic plant is also perfect for filtering toxins from the air such as formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene – so breath deeper with this plant in your environment' recommends Megan.
Chlorophytum comosum can handle low, medium, or bright indirect light. When placed in a dim corner, Spider Plants will grow slowly. If placed in bright indirect light, the plant will really thrive. You can expect lots of wide arching leaves with plenty of variegation when this plant receives a high dosage of light.
Make Your Spider Plant Bushy With Propagation
You can remove the plantlets from the mother plant, root them, and then replant them in the same pot as their mother plant. This will definitely contribute to a bushier appearance. All you need is a pair of sterilized scissors, a nursery pot, and a soilless potting mix.
Spider plants do not require additional watering or much special attention to their moisture levels. Try to water your spider plant about once a week. Letting the soil dry out a little between waterings is a good idea.
There are three main ways to propagate spider plant babies: by cutting them off and planting them alone in soil; by planting them in soil while they are still attached to the mother plant, severing them off of the mother plant later; and by rooting them in water.
Detach Baby Plants & Place in Moist Soil
In this method, simply cut any spider plantlets off of the runners, and instead of putting them in water to root like method #1 that I just described, you can simply pot them right up in a small pot that has drainage holes.
Keep plants in bright to moderate indirect sunlight. Spider plants do not appreciate direct, hot sunlight, which can burn their leaves, causing brown tips and spots. Spider plants grow fairly quickly and can easily become pot-bound.
Spider plants produce babies on long stems called runners. They only do this when they are mature and conditions are right. They generally have to be a year or more old.
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.
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.
Spider plants can be grown outside in zones 9-11, where they prefer light shade and well-draining soil. But indoors, they really aren't low-light plants: They thrive in lots of indirect light, between 55 and 80 degrees F.
Spider plant is native to tropical Africa, so in most of the U.S. it's grown as a houseplant, but you can place it outdoors, out of direct sun, during the summer months. Just be sure to bring it back inside before the temperature drops enough to damage the plant. Frost will kill this tropical beauty.
It's not necessary to hang spider plants, but doing so shows off their naturally cascading leaves and gives the plant extra room. If you decide to place your spider plant on a surface instead of hanging it, make sure not to crush its leaves.