Even if you profess your lack of a green thumb, you can grow a spider plant at home. These carefree houseplants tolerate neglect and bounce back from mistakes like overwatering. Despite their low-maintenance lifestyle, these beautiful plants look gorgeous atop an office desk or hanging from a living room ceiling.
While it’s easy to keep a spider plant alive, helping these plants thrive is a little more challenging. If you want to grow a healthy plant that sends out plenty of spiderettes, providing the proper environment and care is key. Keep reading to learn all about spider plant care.
About Spider Plants
Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are evergreen perennials that produce long, slender leaves resembling spider legs. The plants grow in a clumping form but produce elongated flower stems that often cascade downward. Small white flowers appear on the flower stalks along with small plantlets, often known as spiderettes or pups. When these plantlets come into contact with soil, they form roots and develop into new plants. This feature makes them super easy to propagate!
Spider plants are native to regions in western and southern Africa. However, they’re grown throughout the world as houseplants, which is why we’ll cover spider plant care indoors.
How to Care for a Spider Plant
Since spider plants are native to the tropics, they grow best as potted houseplants. Follow these tips about spider plant care.
Choose the Proper Pot
An indoor spider plant lives in a pot, so it’s important to choose a suitable container. The container size depends on the plant; choose a container that’s just a few inches larger than the pot your spider plant arrived in. This will give the plant’s roots room to expand and prevent waterlogged soil.
The container material isn’t too important since these plants can grow well in terracotta, plastic, ceramic, and more. Just make sure the bottom of the pot has drainage holes to allow excess water to escape.
Another thing to think about is where you’ll place your spider plant. If you plan to hang your plant from the ceiling, choose a pot that fits this arrangement. You can choose a pre-built hanging basket or nestle your pot inside a macrame plant hanger.
Plant in Well-Draining Potting Mix
Once you’ve found the perfect pot, it’s time to fill it with potting mix. These plants aren’t too picky about their soil, especially when you compare them to finicky houseplants like fiddle leaf figs and orchids. As long as you choose a well-draining mix that holds moisture, the plants will remain happy. A standard houseplant potting mix will work just fine.
When you repot your plant, keep the leaves above the soil surface. The V-shaped section where the leaves emerge should be right at the soil line.
Provide Bright, Indirect Light
Some people say spider plants are great for dim areas, but there’s a bit more to this statement than you might expect. While spider plants can survive in a dark kitchen or windowless bathroom, they don’t love this lack of light. Bright, indirect light will give the plants the energy they need and encourage them to produce new growth.
However, avoid placing the plants in direct light that casts shadows. This intense light can burn the plant’s leaves.
Keep the Air Warm
Spider plants are native to West and South Africa, where temperatures stay warm. Therefore, they grow best at temperatures between 60-85°F. While a few hours outside this range won’t harm the plants, avoid exposing them to temperatures below 40°F.
Along with keeping the air warm, do your best to avoid sudden temperature changes. That means keeping these plants away from heating and cooling vents, fireplaces, and poorly insulated windows.
Spider plants aren’t too picky about humidity and tend to grow well in average household humidity. However, if the air remains dry for an extended period, you may notice their leaf tips turning brown. If this happens, boost the air moisture with a humidifier or spritz of water.
Water When Dry
While spider plants are more forgiving of overwatering and underwatering than many other houseplants, they still have their preferences. They prefer their soil to stay moderately moist, so plan to water them about once a week. Since factors like temperature, soil type, and humidity all impact how fast soil dries, check the soil moisture before watering. Insert your finger into the top two inches of soil and check for moisture. If the soil is still wet, hold off on watering.
Spider plants are sensitive to fluorine often found in tap water, so keep an eye on your plant’s leaves. If you notice them developing brown tips, switch over to watering with rainwater or distilled water. When you water, make sure to thoroughly soak the soil until excess water runs out of the pot’s drainage holes. Empty any water that collects in the container’s catch dish.
Fertilize During the Summer
Spider plants aren’t heavy feeders, but they benefit from a regular dose of a balanced houseplant fertilizer. Look for a product with an NPK ratio of 1-1-1, and apply it once a month from late spring through late summer. Don’t over apply fertilizer since this can damage your plant.
Common Spider Plant Problems
Although these plants are easy to care for, they can still experience a range of issues. Keep an eye out for the following problems.
Aphids
Although they may be small, aphids can become a serious nuisance to spider plants. These tiny sap-sucking pests use their small mouthparts to pierce spider plant leaves and then drink their sap. While a few aphids aren’t a big concern, the pests can rapidly multiply and cause yellow leaves.
If you spot aphids on your spider plant, wipe the pests off with a soapy rag. If they still persist, you can spray them with neem oil or insecticidal soap. Since aphids typically enter the home on infected plants, give every houseplant a thorough once over before adding it to your home.
Yellow Leaves
If you notice your spider plant’s leaves becoming discolored, numerous causes could be to blame. First, check the soil since both overwatering and underwatering are common causes of yellow leaves. Remember to water your spider plants when the top inch or two of soil is dry.
If you feel you’re watering appropriately, check the temperature. Sudden changes in temperature and prolonged exposure to temperatures below 60°F can turn the leaves yellow.
One more cause of yellow leaves is a lack of nutrients. While spider plants can typically survive a year without any fertilizer, they may eventually form dull or yellow leaves. Applying a low-dose balanced fertilizer will help resolve the problem. Remember not to apply too much fertilzer at once since too many nutrients can also cause serious problems.
Spider Plant Varieties
All spider plants belong to the same species, but plant breeders have created multiple varieties of these plants.
Variegated Spider Plant
Perhaps the most common spider plant, this variety features long, slender leaves. Each leaf is light green with a creamy yellow stripe down the center.
Reverse Spider Plant
This variety has green and yellow leaves, but the coloration is reversed when compared to the variegated variety. That means the leaves have green interiors and light yellow edges.
‘Bonnie’
The ‘Bonnie’ cultivar has the common long green leaves with cream stripes running down the centers. However, instead of growing straight, the leaves develop a loose, curling form. They remain smaller than many other spider plant varieties and only grow six to eight inches tall.
Order Plants and Flowers
No matter what kind of plant you want to grow, we’ve got a new green friend for you. Our plants for delivery range from colorful orchids to charming succulents. And if plants aren’t your thing, you can choose from a selection of farm-fresh bouquets!
Once you bring a new plant home, make sure to learn how to care for it. Now that you know about spider plant care, take a moment to learn about caring for fiddle fig plants and browse through our philodendron care guide.
Shop All
