How to Grow and Care for Spider Plant

Despite their creepy-crawly name, spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are among the most popular houseplants to grow.

Spider plants are moderately fast-growing plants. Their rosettes of slender, gently arching leaves stretch from around 12 to 18 inches long. 

The leaves are green or striped green and white.

Mature plants regularly send out long stems that bear small, star-shaped flowers.

If the flowers are fertilized, a small fruit forms. Once the flowers fall off, tiny plantlets form in their place, which ultimately grow their own roots and can be snipped off to create new potted plants.

Benefits of Spider Plant

It is not surprising that spider plants are so popular, given their many benefits:

• Though they look great on a counter or tabletop, spider plants don’t need to take up valuable space because you can grow them in a hanging basket.
• They require minimal care, which makes them ideal for beginners.
• They produce lots of new plants and are easy to propagate.
• Unlike many other popular houseplants, they are safe for humans and pets.

Where to Plant Spider Plants

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Spider plants look best where their long leaves can hang freely over the sides of their planters.

If you place them on shelves, a pedestal, or a tabletop, don’t let them get so big and heavy that they topple over.

Grow them indoors in most climates and outdoors in the warmest spots.

Because spider plants are native to tropical places, they appreciate humidity and warm temperatures.

They do great in a bathroom, soaking up the steam from showers.

How and When to Plant Spider Plants

Adopt a tropical spider plant as a houseplant at any time of the year. Choose a container with good drainage for your spider plant depending on where you plan to place it.

A hanging plant calls for a lighter weight pot that’s a couple of inches larger than the nursery pot.

If you intend to place your plant on a surface, opt for something with some weight—a terra-cotta pot that wicks away excess moisture is ideal.

Fill the container with potting mix and remove the plant from its nursery pot. Loosen the roots and place it in the new container.

Fill around the plant with soil and water it well to settle it into its new home.

Plant spider plants anytime from a plantlet or seed. Snip off plantlets from a mother plant and place them on top of a smaller pot filled with potting mix.

Moisten the mix, put it in indirect light, and wait for the roots to grow.

Spider Plant Care Tips

Here are the main care requirements for growing spider plants:

• Plant in moist, loamy soil with good drainage.
• Prefers to grow in light shade.
• Does well in containers
• Water and fertilize regularly throughout the growing season (spring to fall).
• Thrives in warm and humid conditions.

Light

Outdoors, spider plants prefer to grow in light shade. They tolerate heavy shade, but their growth won’t be as robust.

Direct sunlight scorches the leaves. Indoors, a bright window or patio door that gets indirect sun is ideal.

Soil

These plants grow in a variety of soil types, but they favor loose, loamy soil with sharp drainage.

Spider plant prefers a fairly neutral soil pH but tolerates slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil.

Water

Spider plants like lightly moist but not soggy soil. Overwatering causes root rot and ultimately kills the plant.

These plants are sensitive to fluoride and chlorine in water, which may brown the leaf tips. 

If possible, use rainwater or distilled water for container plants. The fleshy tubers retain moisture well, so inconsistent watering, while not ideal, won’t harm spider plants too much.

In the winter, keep watering and misting the plant regularly, as spider plant needs to be kept moist in all seasons.

Consistent Watering

Spider plants will bounce back from a bit of drought, but they prefer consistent moisture.

Use a moisture meter to evaluate the soil, and water the plant just before the meter reads “dry.”

Temperature and Humidity

Spider plants need warm, humid conditions. They won’t tolerate temperatures below 50°F and should be protected from drafts and air-conditioning vents.

Try to closely mimic their native warm, tropical, and humid tropical environment and maintain a humidity level of 50 to 60%, which is best achieved with a room humidifier.

Fertilizer

These plants like a moderate amount of feeding, roughly once a month during the active growing seasons of spring and summer.

Too much fertilizer causes brown leaf tips, but too little fertilizer will result in weak growth. 

Use an all-purpose granular or water-soluble fertilizer during the growing season, following label instructions.

Adjust the amount if necessary depending on your plant’s growth. Don’t fertilize the plant in the winter when it goes semi-dormant.

How to Propagate Spider Plant

Healthy, thriving spider plants send up long wiry stems with little plantlets at the end.

The plantlets can be removed and placed on top of moist potting soil, where they will quickly take root, forming a new plant.

Another option is to tuck the plantlet into the soil around the mother spider plant and create a container full of spider plants.

Types of Spider Plant

Orchid spider plant

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Chlorophytum orchidastrum ‘Green Orange’ has deep green lance-shaped leaves that more closely resemble those of Chinese evergreen than a common spider plant.

Its orange leaf stem and central vein glow in bright indoor light.

Solid green Spider plant

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Chlorophytum comosum, with solid green leaves, is much less common than variegated forms. Grow it just as you would one of the striped varieties.

Variegated spider plant

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Chlorophytum comosum ‘Vittatum’ has bright green leaves with a central white stripe. The width of the stripe varies from nearly the entire width of the leaf to a narrow band along the main leaf vein.

Variegated ‘Bonnie’ spider plant

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Chlorophytum comosum ‘Variegated Bonnie’ has curled green leaves striped with creamy white.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What do spider plants symbolize?In Asian cultures, spider plants are believed to bring luck and good health. Spider plants’ sturdy and long vines represent stability.
• Do spider plants purify the air?Spider plants do have an air-purifying quality. In large numbers, spider plants can purify the air in a home or office, but it would take dozens of plants in an average size home to make any major improvement.
• Why does my spider plant look unhealthy?Some reasons a spider plant isn’t thriving include low humidity, salt accumulation or chemicals in the soil (especially fluoride or chlorine), or excessively dry soil.