Spider Plant
Spider plant
Chlorophytum comosum also known as spider plant, airplane plant, ribbon plant originally from Africa and is a member of the large lily family. It was a popular ornamental houseplant in the Victorian era and still is today.
The variegated, strap-shaped leaves which grow in a cluster send out pale, yellow, wiry stalks which can get over two feet long. Initially, the cascading stalks bear small white flowers which later form little plantlets referred to as spiders. There are many varieties of Chlorophytum, some of the most popular cultivars are: C. Vittatum which has a wide white band down the center of the leaf, C. Variegatum has a white stripe down the outer margins and ‘Picturatum‘ has a broad yellow center stripe and ‘Mandaianum‘, a compact form with dark green leaves and irregular dull yellow-green stripes.
Spider plant is primarily used as a foliage hanging basket but recently it is also used as a landscape bedding plant in mild climates. They are frost-tender and grow in zones 9-11.
Care
Spider plants are generally easy to care for. For optimal growth Spider plant grow in bright light with some direct sunlight during the winter. Keep it away from hot midday sun or you will scorch the leaves. It will also thrive in semi shade. It does well at room temperatures 65-75 but does poorly when temperatures are below 45 degrees.
During active growth in the summer, water as often as needed to keep the soil moist and feed it every two weeks with a balanced fertilizer. In winter, keep it on the dry side, water just enough to moisten and then allow the top ½ inch to dry out before watering again. Pale bleached leaves will indicate that the plant is too dry and needs water. A healthy, mature plant will send out plantlets (when the days get shorter) which can easily be rooted in water or when if placed in moist soil.
Repot when the thick, fleshy rhizomes and roots are pot bound and force the soil above the pot rim level making watering difficult.
Brown tips or tip burn can occur when the soil is kept too dry or hard/fluorinated water is used. Spider plants are sensitive to fluoride which can be present in low-grade fertilizer and city tap water; to avoid this problem use rain water and a good quality fertilizer.
Common pests that attack Spider plants are: whitefly, spider mites, scale and aphids.
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Good post, I got to thinking about what the water quality is in my area and found this link helpful: http://www.epa.gov/OW/states.html
Comment by Phil — 11/15/2006 @ 9:00 am
I have 3 little spider plants that have popped up in my front yard under a tree. Can they be transplanted into an eastern facing flower bed in front of my house or will that produce too much light and heat for them. I live in North Central Florida (Gainesville/Orlando area). Or should I put them in pots and take them in the house?
Thnks you
Comment by Mary Wisecup — 3/21/2007 @ 11:42 am
I recently got myself a spiderplant and later found it to be a ” bonnie ” wich i cant seem to find alot of information about, is there anything to be done or not done diffrently with a bonnie? it currently gets late morning to all afternoon indirect sunlight and its leaves are thick and green with life, it looks stunning but ive had it about 3 weeks now and i wondered if theres any diffrence ? Ive also noticed three babys coming thru so now is the time where i start hoping and i don’t ruin it.
Here’s some infomany thanks nikki
Comment by Nikki — 4/17/2007 @ 2:16 pm
I have sticky spider plant leaves. Can you help.
Comment by Jan — 7/7/2007 @ 6:11 pm
we had a thriving spider plant but it seems to be attaked by mold, do i just repot it? and how do i keep this from happening again?
Comment by Candace MacLean — 7/28/2007 @ 11:47 am
Hi. I have a C.Vittatum Spiderplant in my bedroom ad recently I noticed that a few of his, Harrys, leaves had started to die. Then I was looking at him the other day and I noticed that there was a fuzzy mold growing on the soil. I water harry with bottled water whenever he feels a bit dry and I feed him slow release plant food pelets. What do you think this mold could be and how can I cure it and prevent it from coming back again?
Comment by Claire McGuiness — 9/27/2007 @ 9:05 pm
Hello, I bought a spider plant over the summer (hanging basket) that I kept outsied and it did great, I have tons of babies that grew from it, but now that the weather is getting cold I brought the spider plant inside and placed it on top of my hutch that is in a corner by a window, I have cats who will eat it if I put it anywhere else, but now the plant is looking sad, the stems the babies grow from are truning brown, the plant is dying, I’ve taken out the dead leaves and placed some of the babies in water hoping they will root and I can transplant them, how do I keep my spider plant alive through the winter? I love my plant.
Comment by Kim — 10/14/2007 @ 8:45 am
I have 3 of the long stems with multipe plantlets on them, can I place them all in one plant for now as they are smalll and winter is coming real soon, some have long roots, some have just a nub, should I root the nib ones for longerr roots before placing in soil?
Comment by thressa — 10/15/2007 @ 2:55 am
I have a beautiful green spider plant which is dying in the middle. Its leaves are turning yellow. This plant recently was rid of Scale. I have 7-10 plantings of spider plants now. Most are mixed type plantings.
Be sure to monitor for scale on your baby plants.
Comment by Jordan — 12/7/2007 @ 4:37 pm