How To Take Care of a Spider Plant

Nothing quite fills up a room like a spider plant or its less common name, the Chlorophytum Comosum. Fortunately for the indoor plant’s enthusiast, spider plants have a reputation as one of the easiest to take care of, even without access to direct sunlight. Here are some helpful tips to consider when taking care of a spider plant.

Table of Contents

What is the Scientific Name of a Spider Plant?

Chlorophytum Comosum

Other Names

Spider Ivy
Spiderette

What Types of Spider Plants Are There?

Variegated Spider Plant
Bonnie
Zebra
Hawaiian

What Soil Works Best for Spider Plants?

For spider plant care, you’ll want well-draining soil (consider using a pot with drainage holes). With a 6.0-7.0 pH range, these plants do best with a slightly acidic mixture. That means you can add a few coffee grounds to the soil, but make sure you use a soil testing kit not to make the soil too acidic!

How Much Sunlight Does a Spider Plant Need?

You’ll want to place it in indirect light. The spider plant adapts not to handle too much sun, so don’t think of this as a plant that you need to leave outside for hours on end, constantly absorbing those direct, bright rays.

Spider plants aren’t particularly pot-bound compared to other plants; their leaves dangle and grow spiderettes—more about that in a minute. For this reason, you may want to check on the position of your spider plant every so often to see that the sunlight is not too direct.

What Temperature Works Best for Spider Plants?

This plant does best in room temperatures between 55-80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Does this Plant Enjoy Humidity?

Remember that spider plants can do well in cooler temperatures, which means they don’t have to take a lot of humidity. However, there are cases where the leaf tips will turn brown if the air is too dry. In this case, make sure you provide some extra humidity with a mister. Another way to add a bit more humidity to the air is by using a humidifier in a room for a short amount of time.

How Much Water Does My Spider Plant Need?

The spider plant can take a decent amount of distilled water but ensure that you don’t let the soil get too soggy. Smell it every once in a while to check for root rot. If you water the spider plant enough that the soil is hydrated but not overly soggy, you’ll generally have success.

Most Common Bugs

Spider plants have to deal with bugs that are common to most house plants. These include whiteflies, spider mites, scales, and aphids. If you notice these bugs are leaves, you can use a soft cloth to wipe them away.

Most Common Diseases

In the case of a poor watering routine, or improper soil, you may also notice root rot harming your plant. If you see root rot, you should remove the plant from the soil, clean off the roots, and then place the plant in a new potting mix.

How Big Do Spider Plants Get Typically?

Spider plants are relatively small and can range from 2-3 feet wide and long when matured in a hanging basket.

How Often Should You Repot Spider Plants?

The fast-growing nature of this plant means that you will have to repot it more often than some other indoor plants. The roots of the plant are quick and can break the pot if they grow too much. So, when you can see the roots above the soil, it is time to place them into a larger container.

Why Do Spider Plant Leaves Turn Brown?

Brown leaf tips on spider plants might come from overwatering your plants, especially in a small pot. Issues like fluoride buildup from tap water can also affect the color and look of your spider plant. This discoloration on the leaves means you may want to switch to distilled water if possible.

How Do I Make My Spider Plant Bushy?

One problem people run into is that they want a wild, tangly-looking spider plant, and the plant they have doesn’t seem to fill out. So short of getting a new pot and hoping for the best, what can you do to make your spider plant bushy?

Some people recommend taking spiderettes—see more below—and using those in the spider plant to thicken its appearance. You might also avoid pruning the spider plant too much to ensure that its natural growth gives you the complete, tangly look you’re going for.

Some people will plant their spider “plantlets” in a jar of water and let it grow some roots, then plant those along with the spider plant. Planting in a jar is a form of propagation.

Can you Propagate a Spider Plant?

Spider plants are some of the easiest plants for handling propagation.

If you’ve kept one long enough, you’ve probably noticed those small “spiderettes” growing. You don’t even have to snip this off just yet; you can leave it connected to the mother plant while you put the new spiderette in its own potting mix. Make sure you have a pot with suitable drainage holes and follow the rest of the tips in this post.

Then, as the new plant’s roots begin to take hold in the soil, you can snip off the connector between the mother plant and the spiderette. Voila. You have yourself a new spider plant.

Conclusion – How To Take Care of Spider Plant

Keep your plant at room temperature with indirect sunlight, and make sure that you give it the correct type of water. These tips will do a lot to make your spider plant’s leaves bright and green, rewarding you with a wild, healthy plant that’s an eye-catcher. You might call it “spider ivy,” but to us, it has nothing to do with spiders at all. It’s just a great plant that’s worth having in your home!