Learn how to care for a spider plant indoors, outdoors and in winter and also caring for spider plant babies. The spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is a beautiful houseplant that cleans toxins from the air (benefits of indoor plants). It is one of the easiest plants to grow without any special requirement. Spider plants, also known as airplane plant, can be grown in pots or in hanging baskets.

Spider Plant Information

Spider Plant

They can grow to 2 feet wide and up to 3 feet long. Spider plants produce numerous runners called as baby spider plants or plantlets or spiderette. Spider plants can live for about twenty years.

Some varieties of spider plants are Variegatum, Reverse Variegatum, Laxum Zebra, and Hawaiian spider plant.

Caring For Spider Plants

Watch YouTube Videos on Spider Plant Propagation

Lighting: Where to Place Spider Plants

1. Spider plants does not like direct sun light, keep them away from harsh sunlight. Put spider plants in indirect bright light. The best place to grow spider plant is indirect bright light.
2. Spider plants can be grown outside in zones 9-11 in shade.
3. They can grow in low light or artificial light, prefer bright indirect light. 
4. Indoors they grow well between 12 to 26°C (55 to  80°F) with some humidity.
5. You can put spider plant in bedroom or better bathroom as they love some humidity.
6. In prolonged low light levels, your spider plant will not produce babies or pups.

Pot Size

1. Start with a small pot.
2. The pot should have several drainage holes in the bottom.
3. Spider plants grow best in small pots where they remain pot-bound. Repot in the next pot size only when you seed roots coming out from the bottom drainage holes. You can also repot, if you notice that the pot has over crowded with roots and water does not go down in the pot.

Soil For Growing Spider Plant

Use a well-draining potting soil mixture to grow spider plant. Use a mixture of potting soil, peat moss or cow manure or compost and river sand or perlite in equal amount. The rive sand is needed to make the mixture free-draining, while the compost or manure makes it rich in nutrition. You can add coffee grounds to the soil.

If your spider plant leaves are turning green, it means it needs some nutrition. Repot it in fresh soil or mix some manure in the soil.

Watering Spider Plant

1. Keep the soil slightly moist, the plant will thrive with some humidity.
2. Water once a week in Spring and summer and mist them 1-2 times a week, allow the soil to dry slightly before watering in winter, however, the plant should not be allowed to dry out completely.
3. In dry soil, the foliage will start to discolor. Their leaves will begin to fold inward if the plant is thirsty.
4. Over-watering will cause root rot, resulting in brown or black leaf tips or they may fully become brown or black. Remove the brown or black leaves.
5. Remove the water that drains from the bottom of the pot to prevent root rot. 
6. The brown tips on the leaves indicates that the water you are giving contains salt and minerals, change to distilled water to flush them out.
7. How to water Spider Plant: Should you water spider plants from the bottom or top? You should always water your spider plant over the soil, and not on the foliage. Water until it begins to drain from the drainage holes. Empty the saucer beneath the pot after watering.

Spider Plant Repotting

Spider Plant Babies Care

Spider Plant Flowering: Spider Plant Not Producing Babies?

1. The plant should produce flowers which turns into the babies. The plant needs lots of light and warm temperatures for flowering.
2. Keeping the plant tight in the pot may increase flowering.
3. Plant a few babies in the same pot alongside the main plant, that will make the plant bushier.

Spider Plant Pruning

Not much pruning is needed for spider plants. Just sniff off the damaged leaves and diseased leaves.

Spider Plant Indoor Care

1. Caring spider plant indoors is simple. Place the plant in bright light in a room.
2. The temperature should be comfortable, neither too cold or too hot.
3. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Water only once a week during spring and summer. Allow the soil to dry between watering.

Spider Plant Care in Winter

1. Spider plant does not need much care n winter. Place the plant in bright light in a room.
2. The temperature should be comfortable, neither  cold or hot. if your spider plant is in heated AC room, then mist the leaves as they dry .
3. Reduce watering during winter. Water only once in 2-3 weeks during winter.
4. In winter, the plant will stop flowering in less natural light.

Spider Plant Toxicity

Spider Plants as non-toxic for cats and dogs. But, the Spider Plant attracts cats in part because it is mildly hallucinogenic. But cats may play with the plant, eat its leaves and may suffer from vomiting, or diarrhea and an upset stomach.