![]() ![]() But too much drying out will stress the health of your spider plant, making it more vulnerable to pests and disease. The foliage grows from pudgy roots and rhizomes that can store moisture and nutrients to preserve its life should you be neglectful, which makes care for spider plant easier than for less prudent plants. This should prevent the type of overwatering that can cause root rot. During winter, allow the soil to dry out to 1 inch below the surface before you irrigate it again. When autumn arrives, gradually cut back on the water. Watering Spider Plantsĭuring spring and summer, keep your spider plant’s soil lightly moist at all times, but not soggy. Keep in mind that spider plants not receiving enough light will tend to droop rather than arch. Just make sure those containers or beds remain in partial shade or bright shade rather than full sun. If you need to position yours near a south- or west-facing window, insert a sheer curtain between it and the glass.Ī spider plant also makes a dangly and darling addition to a container garden or-if you have multiple small plants-to edge flower beds over the summer. Because the variegated types can burn if given too much midday or afternoon sun, place them where they receive only mild morning sun or bright, indirect light. Spider plant care light usually should be diffuse rather than direct. Otherwise, it won’t be just the foliage that showers down! The Right Light If you choose a hanging basket, check to make sure there is a drip pan attached to catch any excess moisture that will drain from the bottom of that basket. But it also sits pretty in a more typical pot on a table or pedestal. You might want to place it in a hanging basket suspended on a hook so it can dangle to its heart’s content without rooting itself in nearby pots. comosum ‘Vittatum’, Photo: Selecting Soil for Spider PlantsĪ standard potting soil mix with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 should work fine for the spider plant. comosum ‘Mandaianum’: A dwarf variety with dark green leaves up to 6 inches long, Mandaianum has a yellow streak down its blades that has no relation to cowardice!Ĭ. comosum ‘Vittatum’: Meaning ‘banded,” this type exhibits pale green leaves up to 8 inches long with a white stripe down the center of each.Ĭ. comosum ‘Variegatum’: Among the largest “spiders,” this one features white-edged leaves up to 16 inches long and 1 inch wide.Ĭ. The shortening days should cue the plant that it is time to spin its magic into stars and spiderlings. To encourage blooming, move it for 3 weeks in autumn to a room that receives no artificial light in the evening. Spider plant may refuse to flower if kept in a too-large container or if it is overfertilized. Those stems eventually bend to dangle the previously mentioned plantlets. When mature, each plant should produce upright stems with racemes of ½-inch white, 6-pointed, star-shaped flowers. However, the length of the leaves varies from 6 inches in dwarf types such as Mandaianum to 16 inches in full-size varieties such as Variegatum. ![]() The largest cultivars can grow 2 feet tall and about the same in width. Like a fountain, spider plant’s rosette of thin, creased, and usually variegated foliage rises from the center of the pot and cascades, glistening down on all sides. Safety: Nontoxic but potential choking hazard Spider Plant Characteristics Temperature and Humidity: Average household temperature Spider Plant Care at a GlanceĬommon Name: Spider plant, airplane plant However, it most often is employed as a low-maintenance houseplant, so spider plant care shouldn’t alarm those afflicted either with arachnophobia or brown thumbs. Native to South Africa and popular since the Victorian era when it sometimes went by “ribbon plant” as well, this not-so-scary “spider” is hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9 through 11. ![]()
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