How to Propagate Spider Plants: 3 Easy Methods to Grow More of Your Favorite Low-Maintenance Houseplant

If you’re looking to increase your collection of houseplants without spending any money, learning how to propagate a spider plant from an existing plant is as easy as it gets. Even kids or brand new gardeners can easily propagate spider plants.

Spider plants are very popular, low maintenance houseplants notable for their often prolific production of spider plant babies, also known as spiderettes. These mini spider plants that form at the end of the plant’s arching branches are easy to propagate into new plants.

I’ll share the best methods for propagating spider plants, then walk you through how to do each one. Get ready to share tons of new spider plants with all your friends and family and grow your own indoor plant collection!

Plant Propagation Essentials

Best Methods for Propagating a Spider Plant

Wondering how to propagate a spider plant? The good news is that it is quite simple and there are two main ways of propagating a spider plant.

Remember the “spiderettes” or offsets mentioned above? In their natural habitat, these dangling mini spider plantlets touch the soil and then root into new plants. In your home or office, they are usually left dangling in mid-air and don’t have the ability to root on their own, but you can help them with the process.

Simply cut spiderettes from the parent plant and use them to propagate new plants. This is the most common way to propagate spider plants.

The other way you can propagate spider plants is by division. That is, taking a portion of a mature plant to create a new plant. I’ll walk you through both methods in further detail.

When to Propagate a Spider Plant

The best time to propagate a spider plant is in the spring or summer. This is when spider plants do most of their growing, so they are able to form new roots and foliage quickly.

However, because this plant is so easy to grow, you can propagate it year-round without much fuss. It may take a little longer to root during the fall or winter, but as long as you follow the proper propagation guidelines, you will have more plants to share in no time.

How to Propagate a Spider Plant

Many spider plants produce baby plants off their flowering stems after 3-4 weeks of low light levels in the fall. As mentioned, in their native habitat, these baby spider plants come into contact with the soil and form their own root systems after a few weeks.

To propagate spider plant babies from a houseplant, you have the option of either rooting the plantlets directly in soil or you can root them in water.

Plantlets grown directly in soil will have a bit of a head start and will form a stronger root system faster. But both spider plant propagation methods are very simple and yield great results with little effort.

Rooting in Soil

Look closely at the spiderettes dangling from your adult plant and you’ll see little knob-like protrusions and tiny roots on the bottom of each spiderette. To replicate Mother Nature, prepare a pot filled with a lightweight potting mix, like this organic option from Amazon. Be sure the pot has drainage holes in the bottom.

Set the plantlets on the surface of the soil to root. If you want a thick, bushy spider plant, start several spider plant babies in the same pot. Water your spider plant babies as needed to keep the soil slightly moist, but never saturated. Healthy new growth will indicate when the plant has rooted. Then your new spider plant is well on its way and you can resume normal care.

You can leave the baby attached to the parent plant until the new plant takes root then separate it from the parent by snipping the runner. Once the plantlet has rooted (give it a gentle tug to check), cut it from the parent plant.

Alternatively, you can separate the baby from the parent plant by snipping the runner immediately. Spiderettes will root easily either way, but if you have a hanging spider plant, the latter is the best way to go.

No matter what method you use to propagate your spider plant babies, keep the new propagations in a warm room in indirect light and make sure soil remains consistently moist.

Rooting in Water

Planting spiderettes in potting soil is the easiest and quickest way to propagate spider plant babies. However, if you like, you can stick the baby spider plant in a glass of water for a week or two, then plant the rooted spiderette in a pot of soil.

Though this is an unnecessary step, some people enjoy rooting a new plant the old-fashioned way – in a jar on the kitchen windowsill or in a cute houseplant propagation station like this one from Amazon. It is fun to see the progress of the roots growing in a glass of water.

To propagate a plant in water, first select a plantlet that has the beginning of a root system and at least a handful of leaves. Then cut it from the parent plant.

Next, cut the lowest leaves from the offset and place the roots in the water. Don’t put the entire plant in the water, just the roots, or you risk letting the leaves rot.

Once the spiderette has an inch (2.5 cm) or more of roots, remove it from the water, and plant it into a pot of good quality, well-draining potting soil.

If the plantlet has no roots, dip the cutting in rooting hormone, which you can get on Amazon. Insert that end into a damp potting mix and wait for roots to develop. It may take up to two months for roots to form, depending on the time of year you are propagating.

How to Divide a Spider Plant

Not all types of spider plants are prone to producing offsets. In these cases, divide your spider plant to propagate it. Plants propagated by division should be mature, healthy specimens.

Remove the plant from its pot and shake loose the soil from the roots. Untangle the roots, then take a sterile knife and cut through the plant, down through the rootball.

As gently as you can, pull the two pieces apart. You now have two spider plants. You can further divide larger plants but be sure to leave plenty of roots and leaves attached to each segment.

Repot your spider plant divisions into individual containers with moist, well-draining potting soil. Keep the new plants in a warm area of at least 60°F (15°C) or above in bright indirect light.

Frequently Asked Questions