Plant Care Spider Plant

Spider Plant

4.7 out of 5 (1001 experiences)

Spider Plant has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower
Spider Plant has a Survivor plant personality Survivor

About Spider Plant

Spider plants are an incredibly popular houseplant known for their ability to grow plantlets along their stems. These plantlets can be removed and grown to create new plants! Spider plants are used as a charm of protection by the Nguni people of South Africa, who dip the roots of spider plants in water to make a tea for pregnant mothers. 🫖

Taxonomy

Chlorophytum comosum
Chlorophytum
Asparagaceae
Asparagales

Also known as

Spider Ivy, St. Bernard's Lily, Ribbon Plant, Airplane Plant, Variegated Bonnie Spider Plant, Chlorophytum zebrina, Spider-less Plant and reverse spider plant

How to care for Spider Plant

💦 Water

How often to water your Spider Plant

Water needs for Spider Plant
0.5 cups
every 9

Spider Plant needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.

Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Calculate water needs of Spider Plant

Water 0.5 cups every
9

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
☀️ Light

Finding light for Spider Plant in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Spider Plant: 6ft from a window
6ft or less from
a window

Spider Plant can tolerate being far from a window and light source.

Place it less than 6 feet from a south-facing window to ensure it receives enough light to survive 💪.

Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Spider Plant in your home 🏡.

🪴 Nutrients

How to fertilize Spider Plant

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Spider Plant: repot after 2X growth

Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.

By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.

To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Spider Plant after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

Browse #SpiderPlant
💡 FAQs
⭐ Difficulty Level
💦 Water Needs

Spider Plant prefers for the soil to dry out between waterings and should be watered regularly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Spider Plant Water Frequency →

Spider Plant Root Rot →


☀️ Sunlight Needs

Spider Plant can tolerate being far from a window and light source. Place it less than 6 feet from a south-facing window to ensure it receives enough light to survive 💪. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.

Spider Plant Light Requirements →

Spider Plant Direct Sunlight Needs & Tolerance →


🐶 🐈 👶 Toxicity

Spider Plant is not known to cause harm to humans or pets. Regardless, if you, a family member, a cat, or dog has ingested any plant material, please consult a doctor or a veterinarian.

Is Spider Plant Edible? →

Spider Plant Toxicity to Cats →

Spider Plant Toxicity to Dogs →

Spider Plant Toxicity to Humans →


💨 Humidity

Spider Plant doesn’t require additional humidity. Plants absorb most water through their root system rather than their leaves, so the best way to provide humidity for your plants is through watering the soil.

Spider Plant Humidity Needs →


🪴 Soil

Spider Plant does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick!

Best Soil Mix for Spider Plant →

Best Pots for Spider Plant →

When and How to Successfully Repot Spider Plant →


💩 Fertilizer

Spider Plant should be repotted after it doubles in size or once a year, whichever comes first. Fresh potting soil has all the nutrients your plant needs, so as long as it’s refreshed yearly, you shouldn’t need to use fertilizer. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!

How Much and When to Fertilize Spider Plant →


❄️ Dormancy

  • Temperature dependent
  • Based on plant health
    • Depending on their conditions, your Spider Plant may go dormant. Dormancy in this species is typically in response to poor light or a lack of water. You’ll know your plant has gone dormant when their growth slows down substantially. Depending on the cause, your plant can be coaxed out of dormancy by increasing their access to light or watering more often.


🌎 Native Region

Spider Plant is native to Tropical and Subtropical Africa, Australia, and Asia.


🌸 Flowers
⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern

Spider Plant is a clumping plant, meaning new growth will emerge from the soil around the parent plant.

Spider Plant Lifecycle →

Spider Plant Size Guide →

How and When to Prune Spider Plant →


🌦️ Growing Outdoors
🌱 Propagation

Spider Plant can be propagated by division into new individual plants.

  • Check to see if there is more than one plant. In some cases they may still be beneath the soil surface. If you feel confident, you may remove the soil to check for baby plantlets below!
  • If there are multiple plants growing, unpot the plant and gently tug the plants apart, being careful not to disturb too many of the roots. They may be connected by large root segments which you may need to break to free the plantlet.
  • Pot up the new plant in well-draining soil
  • Repot the parent plant back into its original pot

🍂 Yellow Leaves

Yellow leaves aren’t always a reason to panic, and can be a normal part of a plant’s life cycle. Unless brand new leaves are turning yellow or all the leaves change color at once, it’s likely just your plant shedding old leaves.

Overwatering and root rot are the most likely cause of problems in Spider Plant, since they are sensitive to wet soil. The leaves may also appear to be curling or drooping. Less often, yellow leaves are caused by underwatering, nutrient deficiencies, or pests.

Replace soggy soil with fresh, dry soil and download Greg to make sure your plant never gets overwatered again!


🧐 Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting a sad-looking houseplant, start by checking for signs of distress in its leaves, such as yellowing, browning, or drooping, which can indicate overwatering or nutrient deficiencies.

Inspect the soil moisture; too dry or too wet soil can cause problems.

Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of light, as too much or too little can stress it.

Finally, consider environmental factors like temperature and humidity, and adjust care routines accordingly to revive your plant.


Care Summary for Spider Plant

Spider Plant

Spider Plant


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 9 days

Placement

< 6ft from a window

Nutrients

Repot after 2x growth

Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.

What other plant parents say

Spider Plant has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 645
Spider Plant has a Survivor plant personality Survivor 641
Spider Plant has a Easy to propagate plant personality Easy to propagate 465
Spider Plant has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 184
Spider Plant has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves 181
Spider Plant has a Blooms easily plant personality Blooms easily 151
Spider Plant has a Pest magnet plant personality Pest magnet 13
@StoutTawa avatar
@@StoutTawa
leaf-1 1 Plants
xp 31 XP
globe Claymont, DE
08/14/2022

Lol mine almost died before i learned how to properly
water it. Replanted the baby and now she’s thriving 🤩😂

Survivor Survivor
@BrandyLVSplants avatar
@@BrandyLVSplants
leaf-1 93 Plants
xp 6,167 XP
05/18/2022

Nice little plant. Grows slower than expected, but doing well in my kitchen.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
@Gbrownie1 avatar
@@Gbrownie1
leaf-1 2 Plants
xp 1,061 XP
04/09/2022

-grows quickly in bright light

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
@goblinbabe avatar
@@goblinbabe
leaf-1 41 Plants
xp 1,205 XP
globe Hamilton, NJ
04/05/2022

Very easy to care for. Just stuck it on a plant stand and forgot about it. Very thirsty. Gets crispy when there is too much direct sun or not enough water.

Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
@SuperRedvein avatar
@@SuperRedvein
leaf-1 1 Plants
xp 162 XP
globe Oxford, England
04/04/2022

The spider plant is really easy to look after. Its doesn’t need direct sunlight and very little watering

Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
@IncisiveSoybean avatar
@@IncisiveSoybean
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 281 XP
globe Claremont, CA
04/04/2022

When it spurts out vines. Plant tips. Once it roots in cut vine . You got a new spider plant.

Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@Whitetreegondor avatar
@@Whitetreegondor
leaf-1 6 Plants
xp 181 XP
globe Coxsackie, NY
03/30/2022

My friend gave me this little stubble of a spider plant that her cats nibbled down to nothing. Now it’s finally looking fuller and green. Love this plant.

Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
@Lexis.e avatar
@@Lexis.e
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 253 XP
03/29/2022

Love how it’s not super needy, I can forget to water it and it will still be alright and not stressed and wilting. Great first plant in my opinion!

Survivor Survivor
@kinleycote avatar
@@kinleycote
leaf-1 34 Plants
xp 2,046 XP
03/01/2022

The easiest house plant for starters. They adjust to overwatering, under watering, low light, lots of light, and anything in between. I’ve almost lost a few that bounce back as soon as adjustments are made!

Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
@EclecticPomelo avatar
@@EclecticPomelo
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 132 XP
globe Minnetonka, MN
02/12/2022

I’m not sure if I’d recommend a Song of India. I don’t own one, never have. The plant I actually have is a Spider plant 🤷🏼‍♀️

@RadFlax avatar
@@RadFlax
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 185 XP
02/04/2022

Love it!!!! So easy to grow and propagate can handle range of light conditions

Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
@StreetwiseTawa avatar
@@StreetwiseTawa
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 88 XP
globe Lancaster, PA
01/31/2022

Loves direct sunlight

Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
@milkygueybar avatar
@@milkygueybar
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 88 XP
globe Riverside, CA
01/26/2022

Theyre chill, and they’ll let you know when they need water

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
@Micymonstera avatar
@@Micymonstera
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 1,315 XP
01/22/2022

This is the only plant I didn’t kill when I first started getting into my green thumb. I have overwatered it, under-watered it, had its roots overgrow their pot and it still continues to grow for me(although it’s leaves brown very fast).

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Browns easily Browns easily
Survivor Survivor
@Fern.head avatar
@@Fern.head
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 220 XP
01/19/2022

Spider plants are very easy to take care of, they don’t like direct sunlight nor too much heat. Once you find a spot with moderate temperature and indirect sunlight, she will thrive!

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@Grammy08 avatar
@@Grammy08
leaf-1 25 Plants
xp 779 XP
globe Milaca, MN
01/18/2022

Says it will send babies out

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
@philipvpham avatar
@@philipvpham
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 427 XP
globe Kansas City, MO
01/18/2022

Sings in cursive

Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
@BoozyBillsBabe avatar
@@BoozyBillsBabe
leaf-1 46 Plants
xp 9,015 XP
globe Baltimore, MD
01/17/2022

Fun and really easy to propagate in water or soil.

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
@PrudentPunanova avatar
@@PrudentPunanova
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 263 XP
globe New York
01/13/2022

This was my first plant gifted to me from a friend. She’s grown so big!

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
@dylan1stokes avatar
@@dylan1stokes
leaf-1 36 Plants
xp 3,495 XP
globe Witham, England
01/10/2022

This spider plant is another one of my rescue plants, this was probably the worse looking plant I rescued but should hopefully be able to bring it back to life

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate

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