Spider plants are incredibly popular houseplants, grown mainly for their variegated evergreen foliage. This is mainly due to how easy they are to look after and their forgiving nature – tolerating a wide range of conditions and growing positions. They will even tolerate lack of care – or even some abuse!
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Chlorophytum comosum, usually called spider plant or common spider plant due to its spider-like look, also known as spider ivy, airplane plant, ribbon plant (a name it shares with Dracaena sanderiana), and hen and chickens, is a species of evergreen perennial flowering plant of the family Asparagaceae. It is native to tropical and Southern Africa but has become naturalized in other parts of the world, including Western Australia and Bangladesh.
Chlorophytum comosum grows to about 60 cm (24 in) tall, although as a hanging plant it can descend many feet. It has fleshy, tuberous roots, each about 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long. The long narrow leaves reach a length of 20–45 cm (8–18 in) and are around 6–25 millimeters (0.2–1.0 in) wide.
Flowers are produced in a long, branched inflorescence, which can reach a length of up to 75 cm (30 in) and eventually bends downward to meet the earth. Flowers initially occur in clusters of 1–6 at intervals along the stem (scape) of the inflorescence. Each cluster is at the base of a bract, which ranges from 2–8 cm (0.8–3.1 in) in length, becoming smaller toward the end of the inflorescence. Most of the flowers that are produced initially die off, so that relatively, the inflorescences are sparsely flowered.
Individual flowers are greenish-white, borne on stalks (pedicels) some 4–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long. Each flower has six triply veined tepals that are 6–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and slightly hooded or boat-shaped at their tips. The stamens consist of a pollen-producing anther about 3.5 mm (0.1 in) long with a filament of similar length or slightly longer. The central style is 3–8 mm (0.1–0.3 in) long. Seeds are produced in a capsule, 3–8 mm (0.1–0.3 in) long, on stalks (pedicels) that lengthen to up to 12 mm (0.5 in).
The inflorescences carry not only flowers but also vegetative plantlets at the tips of their branches, which eventually droop and touch the soil, developing adventitious roots. The stems (scapes) of the inflorescence are called “stolons” in some sources, but this term is more correctly used for stems that do not bear flowers and have roots at the nodes.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Outdoors, spider plants prefer to grow in light shade. They can tolerate heavy shade, but their growth won’t be as robust. Direct sunlight can scorch the leaves. Indoors, a bright window or patio door that gets indirect sun is ideal.
Temperature and Humidity
Warm, humid conditions are ideal for spider plants. They don’t like temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This means they should be protected from drafts and air-conditioning vents when grown indoors. Moreover, the leaf tips can brown if the humidity is too low. Regular misting of the plant can help to maintain adequate humidity.
Watering
Spider plants like slightly moist but not soggy soil. Overwatering can cause root rot and ultimately kill the plant. These plants are sensitive to fluoride and chlorine in water, which can brown the leaf tips.1 So 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.
Soil
These plants can 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 can tolerate slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil. A high level of salts in the soil can cause the leaf tips to turn brown.
Fertilizing
These plants like a moderate amount of feeding, roughly once a month during the active growing seasons of spring and summer. Too much fertilizer can cause 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.
Pruning
Remove dead or browning leaves as they appear. If a plant is becoming too leggy and sparse, remove the plantlet shoots to redirect energy to the main plant.
Propagation
Spider plants are easy to propagate and so prolific that you’ll want to share them with all your friends. Even a beginner can do this:
- Once the small plantlets on a spider plant’s stem develop roots that are at least an inch or two long, it’s time to propagate. Using sharp pruners, carefully cut the plantlets off the stem, keeping the roots intact.
- Pot them in a well-draining clay or plastic container filled with the potting medium, and make sure the soil stays moist (but not soggy) until they become established.
- For plantlets without developed roots, place a small pot filled with potting soil near the parent plant. Place the plantlet on top of the soil in the new pot, and keep soil moist. Within a few weeks, roots should develop. Snip the plantlet from the parent plant, and continue growing in the new pot.
- Alternatively, mature plants can be dug up and divided. Gently pull apart the root ball into sections, keeping as many roots intact as possible. Then, replant the sections.
How to Grow from Seed
Seed propagation isn’t very common, since spider plant is so easy to propagate vegetatively by planting the offsets or dividing the roots. But if you want to try planting seeds, and are lucky enough to have a plant that is blooming and producing seeds, then you can experiment with this method.
Spider plant flowers must be cross-pollinated to produce fertile seeds, which you can do by using a small artist’s brush or cotton swab to brush across the individual blooms once they appear. Make sure you brush all the flowers to ensure transmission of pollen to all blossoms.
After the flowers fade, you should see some small green seed pods in their place. When these dry, you can pluck them from the plant and break them open to collect the seeds inside. Plant the seeds about 1/2 inch deep in a small pot filled with potting mix, and keep the mix warm and moist until the seeds sprout. Fertility will vary, so make sure to plant lots of seeds to ensure some success.
Potting and Repotting
Grow spider plants in containers that are no more than 1/3 larger than the root ball. Ensure that the containers have ample drainage holes, and use a loose potting mix. Spider plants will typically need repotting every two to three years. You’ll know it’s time when you see roots protruding out of the drainage holes and up above the soil line.
The best time to repot is in the spring. Gently remove the plant from its old container and position it at the same depth in a slightly bigger container. Then, fill around it with fresh potting mix.
Overwintering
It’s best to cut back on the fertilizing schedule in the winter, as these plants will naturally go semi-dormant. Keep watering and misting the plant regularly, though, as spider plant needs to be kept moist during the dry winter months.
Pests and Diseases
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
Spider plants are generally healthy, but a few common plant pests, including aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites, can impact them.
Depreciated foliage is a common sign of an infestation. A natural and effective way to combat some infestations is simply to rinse the plant with water. An insecticide, or a natural remedy such as neem oil, can be used on more serious infestations.
Common Problems
Spider plants rarely cause serious problems, and those that do occur are usually quite easy to solve:
- Plant Is Too Sparse
The natural impulse when a spider plant appears to be struggling is to increase its water or fertilizer rations, but in the case of spider plants, that’s the wrong approach. Instead, the solution may be to repot and divide a plant that has become overly root-bound. These are fast-growing plants, and if yours begins to suddenly struggle after months of being a healthy plant, it likely needs more room for its roots.
Cutting away some of the baby “plantlets” can also help, as this redirects the plant’s energy into producing more shoots.
- Tips of Leaves Are Burned
Spider plants are among several types of houseplant that are especially sensitive to the chemicals or salts that are found in treated tap water. If your plant begins to show these burned tips, it’s best to shift to watering with collected rainwater or untreated bottled water.
Brown tips can also occur if a spider plant is getting too much direct sunlight. Remember that these plants prefer indirect light or shady conditions.
III. Types of Spider Plants
There might be more cultivars and varieties of spider plants than there are spiders. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Vittatum
This variegated variety won’t shock you with its beauty since it is very common. The leaves are pale green with a central stripe that is white. It’s a slower grower than all-green varieties.
- Variegatum
If you want longer leaves – to 16 inches (40.6 cm) long – try this one. The inch-wide (2.5 cm) leaves are trimmed in white. But don’t pick this one if you want lots of offsets.
- Milky Way
This cultivar has the opposite color design of Variegatum. It has bands of green on either side of each leaf and a broad white center.
- White Stripe
Here’s a variety with a thin pale line down the leaf center while the plant is young. The white disappears as the leaf matures. Flower stalks can be yellow or pale cream.
- Mandaianum
If you want a dwarf spider plant, this is one to consider. The dark green leaves only get to 4 to 6 inches long, dark green and they carry a canary-yellow stripe
IV. Uses and Benefits
- Ornamental uses
Spider plant is an evergreen herbaceous perennial commonly found in tropical gardens. It is prized for its year-round arching, drooping bi-color foliage. Its bushy shape makes it suitable for beds, borders, or edging footpaths. Spider plant is good for Mediterranean or drought-tolerant gardens. Suggested companion plants include Angel’s Trumpet or Bird of Paradise to make a color contrast.
- Air purification
The NASA Clean Air Study suggested that air plants were effective at removing common household air toxins formaldehyde and xylene; however, these results are not applicable to typical buildings, where outdoor-to-indoor air exchange already removes volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at a rate that could only be matched by the placement of 10–1000 plants/m2 of a building’s floor space.
In the laboratory settings uses in the Clean Air Study, spider plants were shown to reduce formaldehyde pollution, and approximately 70 plants would neutralize the formaldehyde released by materials in a representative (c. 167 m2 [1,800 sq ft]) energy-efficient house, assuming each plant occupies a 3.8 L (0.84 imp gal; 1.0 US gal) pot.
