Product Description:
The Spider plant is among the most adaptable houseplants, and is very easy to grow. A graceful plant that makes a statement anywhere—from a tabletop to a mantle, or with its lovely arching leaves as a hanging plant. The Spider Plant is also known for its tremendous air purifying qualities, making it a healthy addition to your home as well. These plants grow rosettes of slender, gently arching leaves that can stretch from around 12 to 18 inches long. The leaves can be green or striped green and white. Mature plants regularly send out long stems that bear small, star-shaped flowers. Spider plants are often grown in containers as hanging plants due to the cascading nature of their foliage and their long stems with plantlets.
Light:
Outdoors, spider plants prefer to grow in light shade. They can tolerate heavy shade, but their growth won’t be as robust.
Soil:
These plants can grow in a variety of soil types, but they favor loose, loamy soil with sharp drainage.
Water:
Spider plants like lightly moist but not soggy soil. Overwatering can cause root rot and ultimately kill the plant.
Temperature and Humidity:
Warm, humid conditions are ideal for spider plants. They don’t like temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This means they should be protected from drafts and air-conditioning vents when grown indoors. Moreover, the leaf tips can brown if the humidity is too low.1 Regular misting of the plant can help to maintain adequate humidity.
Fertilizer:
These plants like a moderate amount of feeding, roughly once a month during the active growing seasons of spring and summer.
Pruning:
Remove dead or browning leaves as they appear. If a plant is becoming too leggy and sparse, remove the plantlet shoots to redirect energy to the main plant.
Propagating Spider Plants:
- Once the small plantlets on a spider plant’s stem develop roots that are at least an inch or two long, it’s time to propagate.
- Pot them in a well-draining clay or plastic container filled with the potting medium, and make sure the soil stays moist (but not soggy) until they become established.
- For plantlets without developed roots, place a small pot filled with potting soil near the parent plant. Place the plantlet on top of the soil in the new pot, and keep soil moist. Within a few weeks, roots should develop. Snip the plantlet from the parent plant, and continue growing in the new pot.