Spider Plants

A favorite among houseplants, spider plants (chlorophytum comosum) are easy to maintain and propagate.

Its ten to twelve inch long green leaves have a white stripe down the center and arch gracefully when grown in a hanging pot or basket.

It grows from six to twelve inches tall and can spread up from one to three feet wide.

Though they do not produce flowers, spider plants do send off shoots with baby plants dangling from them, making the plant unique and fun to grow.

They got the name from the appearance of baby plants all over the mother plant that look like spiders.

Growing Requirements

Spider plant grows best in a general purpose potting soil. If the soil is heavy, add some perlite or peat moss to aerate.

It likes bright, indirect sunlight but will burn in direct sun. Avoid placing it near drafts or cold windows, as it is sensitive to the cold. Preferring temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees, it will tolerate warmer temperatures.

If placing the plant outside, keep in a shaded area. Because it prefers low humidity, homes and offices with controlled temperatures are the perfect environment.

Use a slow release fertilizer twice a year, or half-strength regular fertilizer every three to four months to keep the plant full and lush.

If the tips turn brown, it is due to over-fertilizing or overwatering. Reduce fertilizing and watering until you identify the problem and snip off the brown leaves.

Keep the soil moist but not wet, and mist occasionally in summer. To stimulate production of baby plantlets, keep the plant pot bound.

Plant Pests

Spider plants are prone to the most familiar of pests – spider mites, aphids, scale and whiteflies.

Check plants when you buy them to prevent bringing these pests into your home.

Eliminate them by wiping the leaves with a damp cloth and soapy water, being careful to get under the leaves as well as on the surface. If this fails try an organic solution like neem oil insecticide.

Propagation

In the fall, as natural light diminishes, the plants will produce shoots with babies attached. If you are growing under artificial light, reduce the amount of light in order to stimulate production of these shoots.

There are two ways of making new plants from these shoots. You can detach a baby plant when some roots begin to appear and root it in room temperature water, transplanting into individual pots of well drained soil when the roots are at least an inch long.

The preferred method of propagation is simply to place a small pot of soil close to the hanging plant, where the baby plantlet can be positioned on the soil.

Secure it loosely with a bent paper clip and in about a month sever the plantlet from the shoot.

For its graceful appearance alone, a spider plant is a lovely addition to the home. Add to that the ease of propagating and it's easy to understand its popularity.