This attractive houseplant has been attributed to increasing productivity, decreasing stress and sending out happy vibes. It’s exceptionally easy to grow and has variegated leaves that add a splash of contrast to your home. Spider plant has green with white-striped leaves. The leaves or blades can get up to 3 feet long and resemble blades of grass. It produces long, thin, and slightly arched foliage. Other common names for spider plant include Airplane plant, Spider ivy, Ribbon plant, and St. Bernard’s lily.

Benefits of Spider Plant

If easy care and unusually attractive are not big enough selling points for this houseplant, there are other spider plant benefits as well.

Researchers at NASA conducted a study to determine the best methods of keeping the air clean at space stations. According to this comprehensive Clean Air study, there are many excellent benefits to keeping live plants in any setting. The benefits of having indoor plants and spider plant benefits include an increase in negative ion, oxygen and humidity levels, along with reduction of negative elements, such as: bacteria, allergens, carbon monoxide, airborne dust, formaldehyde, mold spores…

Improve the air quality and appearance of your home or office. It purifies the air like a champion, and is non-toxic to pets. There are almost 200 Chlorophytum species, 191 at last count. The most popular is the well-known spider plant Chlorophytum comosum.

How To Propagate Spider Plants

There are a variety of different ways to propagate your spider plants. When they flower in the summer, they produce babies right from the flowers.

Spider plant babies are the offshoots (also called spiderettes or plantlets) that grow out from the main plant. These offshoots will usually flower in the summer, and babies will grow out of the spider plant flowers if they’re not pollinated. If the flowers are pollinated, then they will produce seeds instead of plantlets. Once they are mature enough, the spider plantlets can be used to grow new plants. The simplest way to propagate is thus to cut off the babies and plant them into pots.

Propagate in Water

To start your new plant, just very gently pinch off the new plant, right at the end of the plant. Now you will need water and a clear glass. Fill the glass about 3/4 of the way, and place the new plants in it. Set it directly in a bright window so that it gets ample sun. It will start to grow roots and be ready to plant in just a couple of weeks. You can do a bunch at once to make larger plants, or separate them when it’s time for planting to make smaller plants. Once you notice the roots are starting to grow a good base, they’re ready for planting. Fill your pot with dirt, leaving about 2 inches of space between the dirt and the top of the pot.

Directly in Soil

The simplest way to propagate the spider plant is just to cut off the babies and plant them directly into the soil in their own pots. This way it could take a little longer for the plantlet to settle in, and show new growth. But that is nothing to worry about. Your plant is working on its root system first. Until you see new leafs appearing, keep the soil slightly moist, but not too wet.

Soil

Spider plant grows very well in aerating, well-draining soil. You can use general-purpose potting soil for Spider plant, but the soil should be slightly alkaline, pH level of 6.0 and 7.2.

Light

Spider plant is happy in most indoor environments, but it doesn’t tolerate direct sunlight, blasts of cold or hot air. They do best when kept in indirect lighting and even grow well in artificial lighting. Spider plants are one of the best low light plants for the bathroom. Some refer to them as toilet plants. Plants that receive at least 12 hours of bright, indirect light per day will produce more offspring. Place them 4-6 feet away from a south-facing window and they’ll perform well. Keep the temperature above 60 F and avoid breeze blowing over your plant.​

Watering

When it comes to watering, aim for one day a week. Plants need extra watering during the summer months and less frequent watering in the winter. Be careful to not water them too much or they’ll become soggy which can lead to root rot. Put your finger into the soil before water to see if it’s still wet (which means don’t water it more) or if it’s dried out and ready for more water.

Spider plants are sensitive to fluoride and salt, which can be found in tap water. So, it is advised to water Spider plants with purified water or distilled water. Using tap water might kill your plant because tap water contains many of other minerals that build up in the plant’s roots.

Average humidity slightly inclining to the warmer environment is good for a Spider plant. During the winter, the humidity is low in most houses. To help your Spider plant thrive as much as they do during the summer, you can mist it frequently. Misting will also keep the plant protected from the attacks of spider mites and other pests.

Repotting Spider Plants

Surprisingly, they do well when they are root-bound in a small pot. Eventually have to be transplanted into a larger pot. For best results, repot them into a pot that is 2″ larger than the current pot. It should have drainage holes and be made of something sturdy, the tuberous roots have been known to burst pots. The soil moisture can let you know when the plant needs re-potting. If the soil is dry down to 1/2 inch within several days after watering, it’s probably time to re-pot.

Pruning

To keep them looking their best, you can trim leaves. Spider plant can grow up to 2 to 4 feet wide and high. But occasional pruning will make it more beautiful and it will also rejuvenate their overall health. You should prune it during the summer or spring. Like any other foliage, when pruning you should cut the leaf at the base of the plant. Use sharp shears and remove all dead or discolored leaves as needed.

Spider plants are extremely durable plants that will thrive in your office or at home. Not much can cause harm to these plants, even neglecting to water them will not cause any damage. If you are looking for a plant that does not take a lot of effort to grow, you now know what type of care is required to maintain a healthy spider plant. Just remember, if the roots are growing out of the flower pot, it is time for a larger growing space.