Spider Plant Care Indoors (Chlorophytum comosum)

The Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is a classic house plant. And no wonder. It is very easy to care for and looks great on a pedestal or as a hanging plant.

Spider plants are low maintenance and can grow in almost any soil, any location, and in almost any lighting conditions. But they do have certain care preferences that will make them live their best life.

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Spider Plant Care

Make sure to give your spider plant enough room to grow. The long grass-like leaves grow from the center of the plant and can grow fairly fast. And baby plants will eventually cascade down from long runners.

The three most common types of Spider plants are the solid green (Chlorophytum Comosum), the variegated green with white stripe (Chlorophytum Comosum ‘Variegatum’), and the curly spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum ‘Bonnie’).

Further reading: More low maintenance plants, perfect for beginners!

Plant care refresher: Guide to Basic Houseplant Care.

Light Requirements

Spider plants are often listed as low-light plants. While they could survive in a low light situation for a while, they can not grow without any light at all. It does best in a spot where it gets plenty of indirect bright light.

Rotate your plant regularly to make sure it gets light on all sides and grows evenly. You don’t want it to stretch out toward the light and grow all lopsided. 

Watch out for too much direct sun, it can scorch the leaves, leaving behind dry brown spots.

Watering

In spring and summer, when the spider plant is actively growing, water regularly to keep the soil evenly moist.

Stick your finger into the top inch of the soil. If it feels moist, don’t water but wait a few days and check again. If the soil feels dry, go ahead and water thoroughly. If you are uncertain, you can use a moisture meter to help you out.

Spider plants tend to droop when they need water, but will quickly recover once you give them a good watering. 

During the winter the plant is resting and should be watered less often. Let the soil dry out slightly between waterings, but don’t let it stay dry for too long.

These plants are known to be very sensitive to chlorine found in tap water. Using tap water often causes yellow or brown leaf tips. To prevent this, use distilled water, or let tap water sit overnight before using it.

Read more: How and when to water your indoor plants. 

Propagate Spider Plant Babies

Another great thing about spider plants is that they are super easy to propagate. You can plant the spider plant babies, and let them grow into new plants.

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

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

Ways to Propagate your Spider Plant:

1. Remove the baby spider plants and root them in water.
2. Remove the plants and propagate them directly in soil.
3. Large plants can be propagated by division.
4. Keep the baby plants attached to the mother plant and root on soil.

Read more: How to propagate your spider plant.

Are Spider Plants Toxic to Cats?

Just like ponytail palms, the green grass-like leaves attract almost every cat. Fortunately, spider plants are considered non-toxic. They are safe to grow at home around your cats or dogs. You might want to keep it out of reach, but in this case, it will be more to protect your plant than your pet.

Want more hanging plants? Check out this list full of hanging houseplants!