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4.7 out of 5 (1010 experiences)


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

How often to water your Spider Plant

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.
Water 0.5 cups every
9

Check the growing potential in your area
A plant's growing potential is determined from its location, the time of year, and current local weather.

Select a city to check sunlight intensity

Finding light for Spider Plant in your home

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 🏡.

How to fertilize Spider Plant

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.

Spider Plant is generally considered an easy-to-care-for plant and makes a great choice for beginners!
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.
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 🏡.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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
Yes, you may see your Spider Plant bloom with the right amount of sunlight and water.
Growth Pattern
Spider Plant is a clumping plant, meaning new growth will emerge from the soil around the parent plant.
Growing Outdoors
USDA Hardiness Zone
Spider Plant can be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 9a-11a. Find your local hardiness zone here.
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!
Care Summary for Spider Plant
Spider Plant
Greg recommends:

0.5 cups every 9 days

< 6ft from a window

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












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).




