Spider Plant

How to care for Spider Plant

Light

Spider plants thrive in bright, indirect light and will produce the most vigorous growth and best leaf colouration under these conditions. They tolerate lower light levels well, though variegated forms may revert to plainer green in deep shade. Direct summer sun should be avoided as it can scorch the leaf tips and bleach the foliage.

Watering

Water moderately during the growing season, allowing the top third of the compost to dry out before watering again. Reduce watering in autumn and winter when growth slows. The plant stores water in its fleshy, tuberous roots, making it fairly drought-tolerant, but prolonged waterlogging will cause root rot. Spider plants are sensitive to fluoride and chlorine in tap water, which can cause brown leaf tips; where possible, use rainwater or allow tap water to stand overnight before use.

Soil and potting

A well-draining, general-purpose peat-free potting compost is suitable. Adding perlite or coarse grit at a ratio of roughly 1 part grit to 3 parts compost improves drainage and reduces the risk of root rot. The plant is not particularly fussy about soil pH, performing well in a slightly acidic to neutral range of approximately 6.0 to 7.0.

Feeding

Feed every two weeks during spring and summer with a balanced, water-soluble fertiliser diluted to half the recommended strength. Avoid overfeeding, as excess nitrogen can reduce variegation and encourage excessive leafy growth at the expense of plantlet production. No feeding is necessary during autumn and winter.

Humidity and temperature

Spider plants are adaptable to typical household humidity levels of 40 to 60 per cent and do not require misting, though they will appreciate slightly higher humidity. They prefer temperatures between 13 and 27 degrees C and will tolerate a minimum of around 7 degrees C, though growth will cease below 10 degrees C. They should be kept away from cold draughts, radiators, and heating vents, all of which cause stress and leaf tip browning.

Repotting

Repot every one to two years in spring, or when the fleshy roots begin to push out of the drainage holes or visibly distort the pot. Choose a container only one or two sizes larger, as spider plants can flower and produce more plantlets when mildly pot-bound. Ensure the new pot has adequate drainage holes.

Pruning

Remove dead, yellowed, or brown-tipped leaves at their base with clean scissors or secateurs to maintain a tidy appearance. Stolons bearing plantlets can be left on the plant for ornamental effect or removed once the plantlets have developed small root nubs. There is no requirement for hard pruning.

Is Spider Plant toxic?

Common problems

How to propagate

Plantlet division

Once a plantlet hanging on a stolon has developed visible root nubs of at least 1 cm, it can be detached and potted individually into moist, well-draining compost. Alternatively, the plantlet can be rooted in a small glass of water before potting on.

Layering

While still attached to the parent plant via the stolon, pin a plantlet down onto the surface of a small pot of compost placed alongside the parent. Once the plantlet has rooted firmly, after approximately two to four weeks, sever the stolon connecting it to the parent.

Division

At repotting time, large, congested clumps can be divided by gently separating the root mass into two or more sections, each with healthy leaves and roots, and potting them individually.

Where Spider Plant comes from

Native to Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gulf of Guinea Is., Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Sierra Leone, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Now naturalised or cultivated in 21 other regions worldwide.

Story and origins

The genus name Chlorophytum derives from the Greek words 'chloros', meaning green, and 'phyton', meaning plant, a straightforward reference to the plant's foliage. The species epithet 'comosum' comes from the Latin 'comosus', meaning furnished with hair or tufted, which alludes to the tufted clusters of plantlets that form at the ends of the plant's slender stolons. The most widely used common name, spider plant, reflects the appearance of these hanging plantlets, which are thought to resemble spiders suspended on their threads.

Chlorophytum comosum was first formally described by the Swedish botanist Carl Peter Thunberg, who collected specimens in South Africa in the late 18th century. It was subsequently reclassified several times before being placed in its current genus. The plant was introduced to European horticulture during the 19th century and quickly became a staple of Victorian and Edwardian domestic interiors, prized for its ease of cultivation and ornamental stolons. Its popularity surged again in the 1970s when houseplant keeping became a widespread domestic trend in Britain and North America. In its native southern and eastern Africa, Chlorophytum species have been used in traditional medicine and the fleshy roots of some species are eaten.

Varieties to know

Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum'

The most widely grown cultivar, with a broad white central stripe running along mid-green leaves.

Chlorophytum comosum 'Variegatum'

Leaves have white or cream margins rather than a central stripe, giving a reverse variegation effect compared to 'Vittatum'.

Chlorophytum comosum 'Bonnie'

A compact cultivar with distinctly curled or spiralled leaves and a central cream stripe, noted for its unusual habit.

Chlorophytum comosum 'Ocean'

A compact form with narrow leaves and fine white margins, well suited to smaller spaces.

Chlorophytum comosum 'Lemon'

Produces entirely lime-green to pale yellow-green foliage with no striping, offering a different tonal effect.

Fun facts

• NASA's Clean Air Study (1989) included Chlorophytum comosum among plants that were found to reduce certain indoor air pollutants, though subsequent research suggests the effect is minimal under real household ventilation conditions.
• The plant's fleshy, tuberous roots serve as water and nutrient storage organs, allowing it to survive prolonged periods of drought that would kill many other houseplants.
• A single established spider plant can produce dozens of plantlets in a single growing season, each capable of becoming an independent plant, which historically made it one of the most freely shared houseplants in the UK.
• Cats are frequently observed chewing spider plant foliage despite its mild toxicity risk; this attraction is thought to be related to the plant's production of compounds chemically similar to those found in catnip.
• Chlorophytum comosum has been cultivated as a houseplant in Europe since the 19th century and was particularly popular in Victorian parlours, where its cascading stolons made it a favourite for hanging baskets.

Spider Plant FAQ