How to Propagate Spider Plants Babies

Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are classic house plants that have remained popular through many decades. I remember seeing many of these plants in our home, but also at my friends and families places. They were everywhere and they never left.

Mature plants grow small baby plants on long stems. These offshoots are very easy to propagate. So the spider plant is often gifted as a cutting, passed down through the generations. Never leaving the houseplant scene.

The babies grow from the parent plant and can be cut off and placed in water or soil to grow roots. For a stunning visual, baby plants can be kept attached to the runners and the mother plant. Large plants can also be propagated by division.

Read More: Spider plant Care Guide – Common Spider plant Problems.

When to Propagate Spider Plants

Propagation may be done at any time of year but is best done in spring or early summer, as in winter growth slows down. The warmer weather and longer daylight help encourage new growth. 

When your spider plant matures and grows in plenty of bright light, it will send out multiple long stems. These stems produce small, white star-shaped flowers. When the flowers have bloomed and faded, baby plants begin to develop at the end of these stems.

Be patient. After a while, the baby plants will grow small white nubs on the bottom. These are aerial starter roots. They tell you the plants are ready to be propagated.

Related reading: Simple Tips to Propagate your Plants.

How to Propagate Spider Plants

1. Water Propagation: This is the most common method. Cut off one of the baby plants, place it in a container with water, and wait for roots to grow. Once the roots are established, you can plant it in soil.
2. Soil Propagation: Instead of placing the baby plant in water, you can plant it directly into soil. Keep the soil slightly moist and in a few weeks, it should have developed roots and start growing as a new plant.
3. Attached to Mother Plant: In this method keep the baby spider attached to the parent plant. You don’t cut the runner. You simply place it on top of a pot of soil. Once it develops roots and starts to grow, you can cut it from the mother plant.
4. By Division: Large plants can be separated into smaller portions. Make sure each division has roots attached, and plant it in a new pot. This is a great method if the parent plant is becoming too large or crowded, or is not growing any baby plants (yet).

Spider plant babies grow roots fairly quickly. Usually in about a week or two. Making this a fun and easy plant project and a great way to get the kids involved and interested in plant care!

Read more about plant propagation: 6 different ways to propagate your plants. 

Want to buy a Spider Plant? Find plants for sale on Amazon or get a variety of babies ready for propagation.

Do you Need to Cut the Babies Off?

You can remove the spider plant babies for propagation. But you don’t have to. As long as the runner stems are healthy and not dried out, you could leave the babies attached to the main plant if you like.

The small plants will get their water and nutrients through the stems. They eventually can even have babies of their own, trailing down like a waterfall.

As long as the stem hasn’t dried up, it can grow new baby plants. So don’t be too quick cutting the runner off.

Propagate Spider Plant Babies in Water

• Gently remove the baby from the parent plant by removing it from the long stem. Follow the runner and cut where the baby plant attaches.
• Place it in a small container with a little water. Just enough to cover the nubby roots on the bottom.
• Keep in bright, indirect light and change the water regularly.
• Once roots have grown to about 1 or 2 inches long, you can transfer them to a small pot with well-draining soil and resume regular care once the plant has settled in and shows new growth.

Read more: How to Water Propagate Plants.

Propagate in Soil

Another way to propagate your spider plant is by removing the babies from the stems and planting them directly into soil in their own pots.     

• Gently remove the spider plant baby. Follow the stem and cut right above where it attaches.
• Dip the nubby ends in rooting hormone. This powder helps the roots grow faster and stronger and prevents fungus growth. If you don’t have any, you can skip it. The process might take a little longer without it. 
• Plant the cutting in the potting soil, just covering the bottom with the starter roots.
• Place in bright, indirect light. 
• Water very sparingly until you see new growth. At that time, continue with regular care. 

Keep Spider Plant Babies Attached to the Mother Plant

Keeping the pups attached to the parent is most like how they grow in nature. As multiple long stems grow from the main plant, the baby spider plants dangle from them until they reach the soil and grow roots themselves.

To replicate this at home, don’t cut the babies from the main plant. Instead, let the stems grow longer, then place the baby plants in small pots with moist soil next to the parent plant. Don’t plant them too deep, only the starter roots need to touch the soil.

Keeping the baby plants attached will provide nutrients from the soil in their own pots, while still being cared for through the stem by the parent. Wait until the baby shows new growth, at that time separate it from the mother plant and continue regular care.

Propagation by Division 

The easiest way to propagate a large Spider plant is by division. This means separating the plant, including its roots into smaller parts. 

• Carefully remove the plant from its pot. Loosen the soil around the edges and gently lift the plant out, trying not to damage the roots.  
• Look for natural divisions in the plant where it has formed separate clusters of stems and leaves. These are the sections you’ll want to separate.  
• Using your hands or a clean, sharp knife, gently separate the parts. Each should have its own set of roots.  
• Plant them in their own pots filled with a well-draining potting mix. The pot should be deep enough to accommodate the roots and allow for growth.  

Can you Grow Spider Plants in Just Water?

You can grow spider plants in water for quite some time. The roots can grow pretty long in water.

If you want to grow a spider plant in water permanently, it will need nutrients that soil would provide, but water does not. If the plant is kept in water for an extended time, it will require additional liquid nutrients to survive.  

Other than that you should watch out for algae growth. This means regularly changing the water. You can also add a bit of activated charcoal to the water to filter chemicals and bacteria.