Spider Plant House Plants For Beginners
Spider plants are wonderful house plants for beginners, caring for "spiders" is easy and most of the time only downright neglect will kill the “airplane plant” or Chlorophytum comosum.
Overall, the Chlorophytum is a quick grower putting out "babies" on long stalks, variegated strap like leaves coming from its center of the plant. Most of the time the spider plant seems to find its home indoors in a hanging basket where it makes an attractive display.
As the "airplane plant" throws out long stalks or stems it will produce small flowers followed by the decorative hanging "babies". The plantlets make propagation a simple task. The young plants when rooted can be replanted and transplanted outdoors and used summer bedding, but when planted this way they will need protection from direct sun.
The Chlorophytum plant originates from South Africa and grows easily in hydroculture (growing in rocks). Keep it well fed and pot-bound. When its stems fill the pot, and when the white, wormlike rhizomes bulge over the surface, it can divided easily.
A spider plants long leaves grow from the center of the plant and are usually green at the edges with a white stripe down the middle. Some varieties have white edges and a green central stripe. When buying "spiders" look for clean, untorn leaves with no brown tips.
Growing Basics – Light
Grows in most locations though its variegation is most pronounced when the plant is near a window. Keep away from midday sun.
Temperature
Very tolerant of a variety of temperature ranges.
Soil
A good soil like an African violet mix or hydroculture
Repotting
Plant likes to be pot bound. It’s all right to remove some of the fat white tubers or rhizomes if they fill surface of the pot.
Separating Spider Babies and Plantlets
- First, prepare small pots with good drainage layer and soil
- Place new pot next to parent plant and bend stem until plantlet rests on soil. Peg stem to soil and firm latter around plantlet.
- When plantlet grows new leaves, cut parent stem close to plantlet with sharp knife.
Diagnosing Spider Plants When Things Go Wrong
- If leaves are dull and grayish with webs underneath the problem is most likely Red spider mite.Several solutions exist but I like natural house plant pest control.
- Plant looks floppy and dull it probably – Needs feeding use a balanced liquid food.
- Plantlets pull parent to one side – It’s time to repot the parent and remove extra babies
- Plant rotting in Center – Overwatering the biggest killer of house plants. Allow the spider plant to dry out before watering again. Beware the plant may die.
- Leave transparent and soft – Cold Damage from exposure to low temperatures. Bring the spider plant into a warm area and monitor. It may survive!
- Tips of leaves turn brown – Too dry or too much direct sunlight. Water more frequently and move out of sun but keep in good light.
- Leaves grow weak and lanky, become dry and lose color. Too hot and dry. Water more frequently and keep in a cooler plant.
The Spider plant is really a great house plant to learn about plant care, however, it does require some attention and is an excellent plant teacher! They are inexpensive to purchase an wonderful plants to learn from.
Why does my spider plant grow up and out of its pot? The roots are coming out of the soil.
Wade,
I wish I could give you a good answer. This seems to happen when the plant gets very rootbound but the condition does not seem to harm the plant other than drying out from being crowded. Sorry!
All the Best,
Gary
wade,it sounds like maybe you are not putting the plant deep enough into the soil from my own experiance 5 yrs ago someone gave me one befor they threw it in the trash sucker tried dying on me twice no matter what i did.then decided to stop treating it like a regular house plant and learned it likes less attention and space now overgrown with babies and flowing like mother nature intended.good luck wade.also try miracle grow firtilizer tends tom like the food but less water,just use own judgement on the water with your own humidity etc.less attention more growth.