Complete Spider Plant Care Guide: Everything Beginners (and Pros) Need to Know for Thriving Houseplants

The spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is considered one of the most adaptable houseplants. In fact, few indoor plants are easier to care for. Though these leafy beauties are most commonly raised as houseplants, you can grow them as perennials outdoors in warmer growing zones as well.

Spider plants produce clusters of ribbony leaves – in solid green or variegated with stripes of white or yellow – that emerge from a crown of fleshy roots. Their flowers are tiny and white. The spider plant is so named because of its spider-like offsets, or spiderettes, which dangle down from the mother plant like spiders on a web once blooming is finished. You can use these to propagate plants to share with friends.

Spider plants can grow in a wide range of conditions and suffer few problems, other than the occasional brown tips. Their care needs are basic enough for even the greenest beginners to raise thriving plants. Let’s dig into how to grow these low-maintenance houseplants for lush foliage all year.

Quick Spider Plant Facts

Spider Plant Care Essentials

Spider Plant Care

Are you wondering how to take care of a spider plant? These excellent houseplants are far from delicate and will thrive indoors or out with minimal care. They need a few basic elements to thrive, but will tolerate a certain degree of neglect. Here’s everything you need to know to grow thriving spider plants.

Soil Requirements

The best soil for spider plants is a good indoor potting soil mix, like this one from Miracle-Gro. They need a loamy, well-draining soil with a neutral pH. But they can also thrive in a soilless medium, like lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA). Experiment with this beginner-friendly type of hydroponic growing using LECA pebbles from Amazon.

Light Requirements

The spider plant prefers indirect light. In its native range it thrives in the tropical undergrowth. There they thrive under the dappled canopy light afforded by the trees. In the home, provide similar light by placing the plant in an eastern or northern window.

Direct sunlight will burn a spider plant’s foliage. If your plant is in a southern or western window, use a gauze curtain to shield the plant from the direct rays of the sun. However, placing your spider plant in an overtly shady spot may cause the variegation of its leaves to disappear.

Temperature & Humidity

Spider plants are native to tropical parts of coastal western and southern Africa, so they like warmth. The optimum temperature range is 65-75°F (18-24°C) during the day and a little cooler at night. The ideal nighttime temperatures range from 50-55°F (10-13°C).

If you are in a warmer USDA hardiness zone and leave the plant outdoors, make sure nighttime temperatures don’t dip below the recommended range. Any colder and your spider plant could experience cold damage. If you live in a colder climate, bring your houseplants indoors in fall to keep growing them inside in the warmth during the winter.

The humidity should be average, around 40 to 50 percent. If your home tends to be dry, place your spider plant on a saucer filled with pebbles and water to evaporate and increase ambient humidity. Or use a humidifier, like this one from Levoit on Amazon, to raise the humidity in your home.

Transplanting & Repotting

Like many tropical houseplants, spider plants like to be a bit crowded and root bound. You can repot spider plants every two years to freshen the soil, but it isn’t necessary to increase container size unless the plant has outgrown its pot.

You’ll know if they need repotting when your spider plant's fleshy roots push the plant out of the pot – which can sometimes even crack the container. When these roots are visible and watering becomes difficult, it’s time to repot your spider plant.

If you are repotting an established plant, select a container an inch (2.5 cm) or so wider than the current one. If you are potting up an offset, start with a small container then transplant to a larger one as the plant grows. Consider using an unglazed terracotta pot that will allow excess moisture to evaporate. Because of their arching nature, spider plants are excellent in hanging baskets.

It's very important to provide a newly planted or transplanted spider plant ample water for the first few months in its new container. The roots need to develop into the new soil. Keep the plant in a low-light area as well. Once new growth appears, the roots are established.

Watering

Spider plants don’t like to be overwatered. In fact, these plants are fairly indestructible and can sometimes go for several weeks without water. But they do need regular irrigation, especially during the growing season. It is best to let the soil dry out by 50 to 75 percent before watering your spider plant again. Allow the soil to dry for a few days before adding more water.

Spider plants are sensitive to the chemicals, like fluoride, that are present in many municipal water supplies. If you begin to notice spider plant tips turning brown, there's no need to worry. This is often the result of fluoride found in water, which causes salt buildup in the soil.

It helps to periodically leach the salt from your plant's soil by giving them a thorough watering to flush out excess salts. Be sure to allow the water to drain out and repeat as needed. To prevent problems, you can also let your tap water sit out overnight to off-gas or, better yet, use rainwater or distilled water to water your spider plants.

Fertilizing

Fertilize spider plants every three to four months with a balanced liquid plant fertilizer. Use a formula such as 20-20-20 and follow the manufacturer's instructions for application. This indoor plant food from Miracle-Gro is a great basic option to give spider plants an instant boost.

Pruning

You do not need to prune spider plants. Remove dead or damaged leaves at any time. If you wish, you can cut off the plantlets at the end of the leaves. Or you can leave these until they mature, divide them away from the parent plant and let them root.

Spider Plant Varieties

There are over 200 different types of spider plants. Of these, many are common foliage houseplants. There is a variegated variety with white center strips and the reverse with foliage that has green stripes on white. Spider plants also come in several sizes and there are even dwarf varieties. Here are a few of my favorites:

• 'Vittatum' - This variegated variety won’t surprise you with its beauty since it is very common, but it's gorgeous nonetheless. The leaves are pale green with a central stripe that is white. It's a slower grower than the all-green varieties.
• 'Variegatum' - If you want longer leaves – to 16 inches (40.6 cm) long – try a variegated spider plant. The inch-wide (2.5 cm) leaves are trimmed in white. But don't pick this one if you want lots of offsets because it doesn't produce as many plantlets.
• 'Milky Way' - This cultivar has the opposite color design of Variegatum. It has bands of green on either side of each leaf and a broad white center.
• 'White Stripe' - Here's a variety that has a thin pale line down the leaf center while the plant is young. The white disappears as the leaf matures. Flower stalks can be yellow or a pale cream color.
• 'Mandaianum' - If you want a dwarf spider plant, this is one to consider. The dark green leaves only reach 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm) long and have a canary yellow stripe.

There are lots of other popular spider plant cultivars you can find at your local nursery or you can find more unique spider plant cultivars online from Etsy.

‘Green Shamrock’ is a smaller spider plant with solid green foliage, while ‘Bonnie’ is variegated spider plant with curly leaves. The ‘Hawaiian’ spider plant has gold and green striped leaves, whereas ‘Fire Flash’ has wide leaves with an orange center and stems.

Propagation

Spider plants produce tiny spiderettes on the ends of long, arching stems. These baby spiders are known as plantlets or offsets. The offsets are complete plants in miniature that usually appear in the fall after blooms fade.

When grown indoors, though, you may see them at other times of the year as well. The offsets develop roots and can, in time, be clipped off of the stems and planted as separate plants to propagate spider plants and expand your collection.

As daylight increases in spring, spider plants may begin producing flowers that will eventually develop into offsets or spiderettes. This may not always occur, however, as only mature plants with enough stored energy will produce offset. You can root spiderettes in water or soil, but they will generally grow a stronger root system when planted in soil.

Ideally, the best method for propagating spiderettes is allowing the plantlet to remain attached to the mother plant. Choose a spiderette and place it in a pot of soil near the mother plant. Keep this new offshoot well watered and once it roots in the new soil, cut it from the mother plant and care for it as you would any spider plant.

Alternatively, you can cut off one of the plantlets, place it in a pot of soil, and water it generously. Place the pot in a ventilated plastic bag and put this in a bright location. Once the spiderette is well rooted, remove it from the bag and care for it as usual.

You can also divide spider plants during repotting to propagate another mature plant quickly or try your hand at propagating spider plant seeds from faded blooms. Growing a new plant from seed is the most difficult and time-consuming method, though, so it's not viable for most amateur growers.

Common Problems

Spider plants have a reputation for being hard-to-kill houseplants. They are tough plants, so spider plant diseases and pests are few and far between. Poor cultural care can damage and even kill them, however.

Too much bright light and water sources laden with chemicals are the two biggest problems. While spider plants can tolerate bright light, they must have a bit of a filter to prevent sunburn. As mentioned above, spider plants are very sensitive to fluoride which is in many local water supplies. Too much fluoride in water can turn spider plant tips brown.

Improper soil conditions can also cause spider plant problems. If your plants are potted up in clay soil that doesn't drain well, spider plants may start drooping as root rot develops. Or if the container doesn’t have enough drainage holes, root rot can also develop from excess water buildup.

Like other houseplants, spider plants can host insect pests like fungus gnats, whiteflies, spider mites, scale, and aphids. When you move spider plants outdoors for the summer, they may also pick up mealyworms, thrips, and scale. Use a horticultural oil spray, like this one from Bonide, to combat problem insects.

Frequently Asked Questions