Spider Plant
4.7 out of 5 (1010 experiences)
Fast grower
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
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
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.
-
Soil change? I got this spider plant around Thanksgiving. Had been living outside, my mom kinda forgot about it, and as a result the soil was incredibly dry and compacted. I've had it sitting outside all day today -its been a very rainy day- and the middle portion is somehow dry? Stuck my moisture meter in there and it was reading no higher than a 4. Should I go ahead and change out the soil? I have been seeing new leaf growth, and the roots look healthy. #plantsmakepeoplehappy #plantaddict #newgrowth #spiderplant #soilmix #happyplants
-
What are these My Spider plant flowered and is having babies but what are these ? #SpiderPlant Edit: After some further research I think they’re seed pods. Now I’m moving at the end of the month (Last week of Decemberish). Should I harvest all the babies and seed pods before we move ?
-
I bought my plant last week and I keept it but the window it started to yellow and brown, should I keep it by the window or move it to the shade ? #SpiderPlant
-
Will it bounce back? I received a pack of plants and all of them are doing super! Except the spider plant, I believe it's from over watering(haven't watered any). Re-pot her into dry soil to help soak up some moisture, most of the roots looked good. Do you think she'll bounce back?
-
Happy Turkey Day everyone! I’ve been letting my Spider plant pups propagate in water for the last month since a friend took them off of her Mother plant. I started noticing some mold growing the roots so I took them all of our the water and am so proud of how long the roots have grown in only water! (Filtered tap water) Anyway, I’m thinking of planting them in soil now. Should I wait for the roots to grow a bit more, or are these good to go straight into soil? Any help would be much appreciated! Also, I gently removed all the dead slimy leaves and mold that was growing with my fingers and a paper towel #SpiderPlant
-
I saw that there was something brown in my window where I keep all my plants… I’m just so disappointed because last month she was thriving and then this.
-
I just got this plant and I’m thinking of dividing it and repotting each one alone, tow on soil with smaller pots and one in water, should I do it or just keep as is? #SpiderPlant
-
Hi everyone, I have my beautiful spider plant who is much bigger now some banana water. Her leaves are dying. Is there a solution that anyone of you plant parents can recommend. I don’t want her to perish 🥲
-
Happy #FreshLeafFriday ya’ll been so busy n preggers over here not to mention im extremely high risk but would like to share how beautiful my spider plant is growing 😍 #SpiderPlant and my #cacti is growing #cristmascactus or Easter-cactus ? I started her in water from cuttings a while back she’s growing beautifully
-
What am I doing wrong? I’ve removed so many dead, shriveled leaves lately. I haven’t noticed any new growth. It is under a grow light for about 12 hours a day at about 30% intensity. I have noticed fewer dead leaves since I added the light but not much. I water once a week when the dirt is dry. Is the pot too big? Do I need to water less? More? Is it the light? #SpiderPlant
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!
🧐 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
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
Fast grower 653
Survivor 644
Easy to propagate 470
Browns easily 184
Large, lush leaves 182
Blooms easily 151
Pest magnet 13
08/14/2022
Lol mine almost died before i learned how to properly
water it. Replanted the baby and now she’s thriving 🤩😂
Survivor
05/18/2022
Nice little plant. Grows slower than expected, but doing well in my kitchen.
Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate
Survivor
04/09/2022
-grows quickly in bright light
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Survivor
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
Survivor
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
Survivor
Browns easily
04/04/2022
When it spurts out vines. Plant tips. Once it roots in cut vine . You got a new spider plant.
Fast grower
Survivor
Large, lush leaves
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
Survivor
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
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
Survivor
02/26/2022
We propagate this plant often as it is hardy and easy to grow.
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
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 🤷🏼♀️
02/04/2022
Love it!!!! So easy to grow and propagate can handle range of light conditions
Easy to propagate
Fast grower
Survivor
Browns easily
01/31/2022
Loves direct sunlight
Fast grower
Survivor
01/26/2022
Theyre chill, and they’ll let you know when they need water
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
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
Easy to propagate
Browns easily
Survivor
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
Large, lush leaves
01/18/2022
Says it will send babies out
Large, lush leaves
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
01/18/2022
Sings in cursive
Easy to propagate
01/17/2022
Fun and really easy to propagate in water or soil.
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Survivor
01/13/2022
This was my first plant gifted to me from a friend. She’s grown so big!
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Survivor
Trending in your area
Similar to Spider Plant
✨ Discover rare plants
Pine Cone Plant
Stanhopea tigrina
Burro's Tail
Royal Flush Split Rock
Electric Blue Gecko
Philodendron 'Glorius'
Treasure Flower
Variegated Arrowhead …
Blushing Aeonium
Black Monkey Thorn Tr…
Kudu Lily
Hoya fitchii
Rosularia platyphylla
Philodendron 'Gabby'
Chinese Evergreen 'Ga…
Cigar Plant
Phalaenopsis schiller…
