Spider Plant Care: Tips for Healthy Plants

Spider plants are super popular among plant lovers and gardeners because they look impressive and are easy to care for. This simple upkeep makes it a favorite houseplant.

If you want to grow spider plants, it’s important to know how often to water them. Proper watering helps them grow well and succeed in propagation.

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Basic Information on Spider Plant Care

Spider plants are native to tropical and southern Africa. The long, spiky, grass-like leaves of the plant resemble the legs of a spider, hence its name. If you are interested, they are scientifically known as Chlorophytum comosum.

The leaves are often striped white or pale yellow down the middle or edges, but you can also find solid green varieties. These plants are a stunning addition to both outdoor and indoor gardens. Plus, one of the most amazing reported spider plant benefits is that they help clean the indoor air.

Have you ever noticed how spider plants love to cascade? Their beautiful, trailing growth makes them perfect for hanging baskets!

spider plant flowers

During the summer months, spider plants can surprise you with lovely little white flowers. But that’s not all! They also bring forth adorable baby spider plants, affectionately known as ‘pups.’

Spider plants are quite easy to care for and can adapt to a variety of conditions in your home. Plus, the really amazing fact is that spider plants are non-toxic.

You May Wonder are Spider Plants Harmful to Cats & Dogs

Verify the Toxicity of Spider Plants with ASPCA^® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®

1. Are Spider plants toxic to cats? Spider plants are NOT toxic to cats.
2. Are Spider plants toxic to dogs? Spider plants are NOT toxic to dogs.

For Chicken Lovers!

• Chickens can Eat Spider Plant Leaves
• Chickens can Eat Spider Plant Flowers, too!
• Reference on Poultry Plant Safety from PoultryDVM

Learn How to Care for Your Spider Plant

#1 Watering

Here’s what you need to know about caring for these trailing plants whose leaves dangle downwards.

Spider plants generally do not have high water requirements. You should water your plant every 7 to 10 days, depending on how warm, bright, and humid your house is.

Gardening experts suggest that you should wait until the top 2 inches of the soil are dry before you water the plant again. If you are in doubt on how much to water your plants, try a soil moisture meter!

In the first month, check how dry the soil gets between watering. This will help you decide when to water your plant.

During spring and summer, the water may evaporate faster. You might need to water your spider plant more often during these seasons.

Be careful not to overwater! Too much water is the main reason spider plants don’t thrive. They can develop root rot if the soil stays too wet and becomes waterlogged.

This is why spider plants need to be planted in a pot with drainage holes.

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Please Note: spider plants are air cleaning plants

#2 Light and Temperature

Spider plants thrive in warm, semi-bright to moderately lit areas. They prefer temperatures between 55 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (13-27°C), making them ideal for indoor settings.

In temperate climates, spider plants can also grow outdoors. For example, our neighbor puts her spider plants outside in the summer, but she keeps them in a spot with filtered light.

Spider Plant Care Indoors

Direct exposure to sunshine will cause the leaves to burn. A good location for them is near a window facing west, east, or north. While they can tolerate low light, variegated spider plants will turn solid green if they don’t get enough light.

#3 Spider Plant Soil and Fertilizer

Spider plants are easy to care for when it comes to soil. Use a well-draining organic potting mix and avoid any that contain fluoride, which can harm the plant. A good mix includes compost, loam, peat, and coarse sand.

Spider plants don’t need much fertilizer. You can feed them one to three times a year with an all-purpose liquid fertilizer in spring and summer.

Make sure to wait at least a month between each feeding. Don’t fertilize in winter or if the plant is too big for its pot.

Spider Plant Propagation

Healthy spider plants will grow tiny pups, which are small offshoots from the main plant. You can remove these pups and replant them to create new plants.

For the best results, wait until the pups are almost two inches wide before you detach them from the mother plant.

However, don’t let too many pups stay on the mother plant for too long. Regularly remove them because they can take energy away from the main plant.

Spider Plant Care with Extra “Pups” or “Babies”:

Spider plant babies are extremely easy to propagate. Once they reach about 2 inches in diameter, simply snip them off the stem and place the spider plant in water.

These new shoots will start to grow their own roots and can be planted in a pot when the spider plant roots are at least three or more inches long.

Spider plant pictures showing root growth.

Most people would love to receive a spider plant, either one that is already planted or a fresh pup that already has roots or that they can root!

Here is a quick idea: after potting your newly rooted little plants, consider giving them as a homegrown gift. ♥ People love homemade gifts, and an air-freshening plant is an awesome gift!

Live plants make wonderful gifts for housewarmings, Mother’s Day, birthdays, May Day, Christmas, and the list goes on! Be creative. ♥ A pretty pot and some potting soil make a wonderful, fresh, homemade gift!

How to Properly Divide a Spider Plant

As your spider plant grows and matures, there may come a time when the mother plant needs to be divided. This is an easy thing to do.

Simply remove your main plant from its pot and either cut the root system in half or in quarters, depending on how big it is.

Just remember that spider plants actually like to be somewhat root-bound, meaning they like their roots to be crowded.

When spider plants are content, they will bloom by sending out long runners that will have small, delicate white flowers.

These delicate little white flowers then turn into the spider plant babies. Review the section above on how to grow new spider plants from these pups!

And, as a quick side note, spider plants are safe for children and animals! Our chickens love eating the fresh leaves and trimmings. Learn more about what chickens can safely eat!

These fresh greens from your spider plants will be quickly eaten by your chickens!

Spider Plant Brown Tips

Are you noticing brown tips on your spider plant? Don’t worry, it’s a common issue! This often happens when the soil gets too dry or if there are a lot of minerals in your soil or water.

The solution is to increase the watering frequency when the soil starts to look dry. However, make sure there is proper drainage.

If the tip burn is excessive, you can flush the soil with distilled water to help wash out excess salts or fertilizer. You can also consider repotting the plant in new soil.

To Sum Up

Go ahead and add some plants to your home with this gardener’s favorite. We hope this guide helps you care for your new plants.

Spider plant care is simple. These plants are great for growing indoors or outdoors in mild climates. They are perfect for even the busiest gardeners.

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