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Spider Plants: How to Grow and Care for Spider Plants | The Old Farmer's Almanac

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Spider Plants

Photo Credit
t50/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Chlorophytum comosum
Plant Type
Houseplant
Sun Exposure
Part Sun
Shade
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Spring
Summer
Fall
Flower Color
White
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How to Grow and Care for Spider Plants

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Spider plants produce a rosette of long, thin, arched foliage that is solid green or variegated with white. These easy-to-grow houseplants look especially nice in a hanging basket and were a favorite in Victorian-era households. Here’s how to grow spider plants in your home!

About Spider Plants

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!

Spider plants were once highlighted by NASA for their reported air-purifying ability, though a large amount of plants would be required to reap any benefits in the home. Nonetheless, they are a classic and attractive plant to add to your space.

Planting
  • Grow in a soil-based, well-draining potting mix. Spider plants like even moisture; they don’t like to be too dry or too wet.
  • 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. Plan to repot a spider plant about every other year.
  • Spider plants can be grown outdoors as annuals during the summer. They look especially good along the edge of a container or bed, as long as they are kept out of direct sunlight.
Growing
  • During initial growth, water occasionally; once fully developed (within one year), water moderately. 
  • In the spring and summer months, keep the soil moist to encourage growth. Do not let soil dry out too much.
  • Maintain average room temperature and humidity. Spider plants prefer temperatures between 55 and 80°F (13–27°C), which makes them a great indoor houseplant.
  • Fertilize up to twice a month in the spring and summer, however, avoid overfertilization.
  • See more Houseplant Growing Tips.

Spider plant. Photo by Olga Prava/Shutterstock.
Photo by Olga Prava/Shutterstock

Recommended Varieties
  • The most common varieties are the variegated forms:
    • ‘Vittatum’ has green foliage with a single off-white stripe down the center of each leaf.
    • ‘Variegatum’ is the inverse of ‘Vittatum’, with an off-white stripe running along the edge of each green leaf.
  • Solid green varieties are also available.
Harvesting
  • Healthy spider plants may eventually produce “pups,” which are offshoots from the adult plant that can be removed and replanted to start new plants. For the best results, allow pups to reach approximately two inches in diameter before removing them from the mother plant. 

    Alternatively, set the still-attached pups into pots of soil placed next to the mother plant. Once the pups have rooted themselves to the soil, they can be cut loose from the mother plant.
Wit and Wisdom
  • Spider plants also go by the names “airplane plant,” “ribbon plant,” and “spider ivy.”
  • Spider plants are originally from South Africa.
  • Keep spider plants on your desk to reduce indoor pollutants.
Pests/Diseases
  • Spider plants are prone to tip burn, which can be caused by dry soil, low humidity, or a buildup of salt and chemicals that are 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. 
  • To get rid of the brown discs on leaves, use your fingernail to scrape off the brown residue every few days.
  • Mealybugs
  • Scale
Houseplants

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Comments

Elaine kaufman (not verified)

4 months 2 weeks ago

I just found this site and love it.

PlantsCraze (not verified)

12 months ago

Thank you. loved your article. It was really helpful for my business.
Wish to see more in the coming days.

Gail R. (not verified)

1 year 4 months ago

A few days, before my Dad passed, he asked me to find a plant for my Mom- one that would last.
I picked out a beautiful Spider plant. Dad died in 1978; Mom in 1990. I still have this lovely plant today, in my home. It is a wonderful symbol of their love for each other, and for our family.

Mark A. (not verified)

1 year 4 months ago

I saw a comment mentioning that the root on a spider plant they had were swollen. Since it wasn't mentioned in the article, I'd like to make it clear (to the person who made the comment and anyone else) that that's normal. Spider plant roots are tubers, and the water they hold is why spider plants are so forgiving if you forget to water them for a bit.

Also, spider plants prefer being a bit root bound, so while you might pot up other plants with similar growth speeds by two inches every other year, with spider plants you're safe to go up by one inch every two or three years. And of course, you can plant a few of them together in the same pot, especially with wider pots to help fill up the space and make it look more full.

Brenda (not verified)

6 months 2 weeks ago

Thank you for your information Mark. I've been looking for those answers.