HouseplantsDiscover the right indoor plants for your home.
Variegated spider plant . Photo by : Proven winner
If a spider plant arouse up figure of college dorm elbow room décor , that ’s because it ’s one of the best houseplants for beginners and one of the easiest to spread and share . As trendy today as it was generations ago , the wanderer plant creates a living mobile when put in a string up hoop , where its multitude of child spiders , or “ spiderettes ” , can swing freely from their tenacious , arching stems .
If you guess all spider plants take care the same , you ’ll be delighted to discover that the attractive , fountainlike foliage comes in an miscellany of colour variations and forms , including a cultivar with curly folio . And while they are usually grow indoors , wanderer industrial plant can also flourish outdoors when devote the correct conditions .
On this page : Basics|Planting|Care and Maintenance|Varieties|Display Ideas
On this Thomas Nelson Page :
SPIDER PLANT BASICS
Botanical name:
Chlorophytum comosum
Common names:
Spider plant , airplane plant , medallion plant , spider ivy , St. Bernard ’s lily
Origin:
Native to South Africa
Care level:
Easy
Size:
8 to 24 inches marvelous , up to 36 inches extensive
Light requirements:
Bright to lead indirect lighting
Growth rate:
Fast , often progress to its full size within a few years
Foliage:
May be strong green or variegated in green and blank or green and scandalmongering , depend on the cultivar .
Flower colors:
White , yellowed
Is spider plant toxic?
Although wanderer plant is by and large safe for house with nipper and pets , it contains chemical that can be mildly hallucinogenic to cats , causing a euphoric force similar to that of catnip . It ’s estimable to keep the flora out of a true cat ’s reach because ingest too much can cause digestive turnover .
Other benefits of growing spider plants:
In improver to its wonderfully retro appearance , wanderer plants can benefit your home ’s indoor melodic phrase quality , dribble out formaldehyde , carbon monoxide , and other harmful impurities .
PLANTING SPIDER PLANTS
Where to plant:
Indoors or out of doors , spider plants choose a location with burnished , indirect light . Although wanderer plant can tolerate down - luminance conditions , it needs adequate lighting so as to flower and get offshoots . Avoid direct sun , which can scorch the leave . Can be grow outdoors year - round in warmer climates ( Zones 9 - 11 ) .
Temperature and humidity:
mediocre family elbow room temperature ( 65 ° to 75 ° farad ) and humidities are fine . Keep away from frigid drawing and place near heat and cooling blowhole . If planting outdoors , keep off exposing to temperature below 45 ° F.
Soil type:
practice a well - draining potting premix .
Pot requirements:
As with most houseplants , be sure to practice a pot with drainage hole to prevent soggy soil and root bunkum . Spider plant do n’t bear in mind being a bit cramp in their habitation , so select a container that is only slenderly larger than your plant ’s root ball .
SPIDER PLANT CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Watering:
Spider works like even moisture but can tolerate some neglect because their fatheaded , fleshy roots are able to store water . A good prescript of ovolo is to water when the top inch of land feels juiceless . Avoid overwatering , which can run to root rot .
Fertilizing:
wanderer flora can also store nutrients in their roots , so they do n’t need frequent fertilization . run them every two weeks during fountain and summertime using a water supply - soluble organic houseplant fertilizer , and less often or not at all during the gloaming and wintertime month . fend off overfertilizing , which can cause brownish leaf tips and prevent your plant from producing offshoots .
Pruning:
To keep your wanderer works take care its best , prune off any brown leaf tips or edges using a sharp pair of small scissors , come after the innate slant of the folio . Also crop off beat or damaged leaves and undesirable runners by cutting them back to soil floor . You wo n’t harm your plant by removing the stems and plantlets , and you will often improve its health and vigor .
Repotting:
If the roots start pushing through the drain holes or come forth above the soil surface , it ’s fourth dimension to transfer your plant life into a new container . select a sight that ’s only slight gravid than the current one ( about 1 to 2 inches ) and be sure to refresh the soil to improve drain .
Pests:
Spider plants are generally pest - free but may now and then be gravel bymealybugs , scale leaf , andspider mites . dear treatments for getting rid of these insects include washing the leave with aninsecticidal soapand applyingorganic neem vegetable oil . ( See more oncommon houseplant pests . )
Foliage problems:
HOW TO PROPAGATE SPIDER PLANTS
exposure by : Julia Dresch / Shutterstock
Spider plant is so incredibly easy to broadcast that you will soon be contribute the offspring to all your friends and neighbor . There are several indisputable - flak method acting you’re able to use to develop Modern plant from your spiderettes .
If your spider plant is n’t producing any babies or is growing too large for its pot , you may also disperse it through division by removing it from its container and separating the solution into clumps using your digit or garden tongue . Start new plants in a unclouded sens sate with unfermented soil .
SPIDER PLANT VARIETIES
Photo by : Proven Winners .
' VARIEGATUM’Chlorophytum comosum’Variegatum '
Size:12 to 18 column inch , trails up to 12 inches
Strappy green leaves edged in brilliant snowy create a cascading , arching mound , from which legion plantlets sprout on dangle theme . pocket-sized , white , star - shaped prime appear intermittently throughout the time of year .
More Info & Find a Local leafjoy ® Retailer
Photo by : Coplay / Shutterstock .
variegate SPIDER PLANTChlorophytum comosum’Vittatum '
Size:1 to 2 human foot tall
The first vary cultivar of wanderer plant and still one of the most pop , instantly recognizable by the creamy white band execute down the gist of its farseeing , slight green farewell , all the way from base to crown .
Photo by : Valentinejaa / Shutterstock .
REVERSE VARIEGATED SPIDER PLANTChlorophytum comosum’Reverse Variegatum '
Size : Up to 2 feet magniloquent and 3 feet wide
As the name imply , this flora ’s diversification pattern is the reverse of ‘ Vittatum , ’ sport elegant dark-green leaves march in blanched . A nice change of stride from the more commonplace variety .
Photo by : ArtCreationsDesignPhoto / Shutterstock
' BONNIE ' SPIDER PLANTChlorophytum comosum ' Bonnie '
Size:8 inch marvellous and broad
Take variegated spider industrial plant , give it a permanent wave , and you get ‘ Bonnie’—a compact cultivar sporting curly green leaves with creamy livid stripes . It also produce lovely yellowed flowers rather than the typical white blooms . A serious alternative if you ’re looking for a spider plant that accept up less infinite .
Also try :
HAWAIIAN SPIDER PLANTChlorophytum comosum‘Hawaiian ’
Variegation or no diversification ? This unusual cultivar offer up a minute of both , starting out with young leaves variegated in green and white that fade to all greenish as the leaves get on , then continuing the bike by give rise babies with diversification again , creating a prissy contrast with the parent plant .
ZEBRA SPIDER PLANTChlorophytum laxum‘Zebra ’
Looks very similar to ‘ lift Variegatum ’ but with bright chickenhearted edges that finally turn white . be given to raise shorter and spacious than other potpourri .
DISPLAY IDEAS
picture by : Aunyaluck / Shutterstock
Here are some suggestions on how to display your spider plants indoors or out in the garden :
