April Is a Make-or-Break Month for Spider Plants – Here Are the 3 Keys to Happy, Bushy Plants

If you’re a houseplant enthusiast, you probably have at least one spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum). These popular plants are simple to grow and care for and reward you with elegant, arching leaves in green or green and white. They do well in standard pots as well as hanging planters and are among the easiest plants to propagate.

Whether you’re an experienced houseplant parent or just getting started, good spring spider plant care ensures abundant, healthy growth in the months to come.

Here are three things to do for your spider plants now, as the growing season begins.

1. Start Feeding Your Spider Plant

Early spring is when spider plants awaken from winter and begin putting energy into new growth. The growing season carries on from spring, through summer, and even into fall. Now is the time to be sure your plant has enough nutrients to produce lush new growth and plantlets, also known as spider plant babies, the small offshoots that can be used to create new plants.

Spider plants are moderate feeders overall, but the growing season is when they can really benefit from being fertilized. Use a balanced, general liquid or water-soluble houseplant fertilizer diluted to about half the recommended strength. Apply this solution once a month starting in April. Miracle-Gro indoor plant food is available from Amazon and a great general houseplant fertilizer.

Full-strength fertilizer application can be too much for a spider plant, which doesn’t tolerate overfeeding well. Brown tips on the leaves are a typical sign of overfeeding. If you see this, dilute the solution even more or fertilize only every six to eight weeks.

2. Increase Watering Frequency

Water also becomes increasingly important for spider plants as they enter the growing season. During the dormant season, your plant doesn’t need much water and will even tolerate some neglect. As it wakes up for spring, your spider plant needs more water to support new growth.

The goal of watering in spring and summer is to keep the soil consistently moist but never soggy. Your plant won’t tolerate being overwatered or having soggy roots. Be sure the pot drains well and water frequently enough to prevent the soil from becoming totally dry. A good general rule is to let the top inch (2.5 cm) of soil dry out before watering again. Still not sure? A simple moisture meter, available from Amazon, can help you check soil moisture easily.

Spider plants can be sensitive to minerals and salts in water, which leads to browning of the foliage. Ideally, you should use distilled water, but you can also leave tap water out in an open container overnight to let some of the chlorine and fluoride evaporate before using it to water your spider plant. Another good option is to use rainwater.

3. Repot Your Spider Plant

Spider plants don’t need to be repotted every year, but if they do need a new, larger container, spring is the best time to make the move. If your plant is root-bound, it will benefit from getting a roomier pot. Gently lift the plant out of its container to check if it needs a new pot. It is root-bound if the root ball is tight and dense and nearly as large as the container.

Choose a new pot that is a little larger than the old pot. It should be about one-third larger than the root ball. While being cramped in a pot isn’t ideal, spider plants also don’t grow well in containers that are very large. Set the spider plant to the same depth as it was in the smaller pot and fill in the new container with fresh, high-quality potting mix. Rosy Soil's houseplant potting mix, which can be found at Amazon, has biochar and worm castings mixed in for ultimate houseplant nutrition.

This is also a good time to propagate your spider plant. Cut off and place plantlets in new containers. If you don’t have any yet, you can propagate the plant by dividing the root ball. Gently pull it apart into two or more divisions. Be sure each division has several intact roots and repot them in new containers.

April care for your beloved spider plant is all about water, fertilizer, and keeping roots healthy. These simple chores will ensure your plant develops healthy new growth this summer.

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