How to grow spider plants

Why grow spider plants?

Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are among the easiest houseplants to grow, making a fountain of attractive striped foliage and thriving in a range of indoor locations. They’re best known for producing numerous plantlets suspended on long, thin stems, like dangling spiders – the source of this plant’s common name. Popular in the 1970s, they add retro style and are ideal for hanging up or placing on a shelf, where they’re shown off to best effect. 

Choosing spider plants

As well as the traditional spider plant, with its long green-and-white variegated leaves, there are now several species and cultivars available too. These include smaller, curly leaved or all-green forms and those where the variegation is reversed. Good choices include:

• Chlorophytum comosum ‘Variegatum’ – the traditional spider plant, and the most widely available

• C. comosum ‘Vittatum’ – similar to the above, but with longer, gracefully arching leaves

• C. comosum – the wild species, with all-green leaves that lack variegation

• C. comosum ‘Bonnie’ – a compact cultivar with curled, distorted leaves

• C. comosum ‘Ocean’ – has reverse-variegated leaves, with a green central stripe and cream margins

• C. comosum ‘Lemon’ – with all-green but distinctly paler leaves  

• C. capense ‘Variegatum’ has broad, variegated leaves and doesn’t produce plantlets 

• C. orchidastrum ‘Green Orange’ has broad green leaves with orange leaf stalks, and no plantlets

While the above grow best as houseplants, C. saundersiae ‘Starlight’ is hardy enough to grow outdoors in mild regions. Just make sure you bring it indoors if a particularly cold snap is forecast.

Buying spider plants 

Spider plants are widely available in garden centres, supermarkets and florists’ shops that also stock houseplants, although the choice of cultivars may be limited. They are sold by most online houseplant retailers too, with specialist suppliers offering the widest range.

When buying in person, choose healthy-looking plants that aren’t pot bound – remove the pot to check the roots. Don’t worry if there are no spider-like offsets, as young plants can take up to a year to begin producing them. 

As these plants are so easy to propagate, you may not need to buy them – if you know anyone with a flourishing spider plant, they’ll usually be happy to share some of their abundant offspring with you.  

Grow spider plants individually in pots or in mixed containers of houseplants. They work particularly well in hanging planters, where their cascading leaves and spidery offsets can be best appreciated. 

Newly bought plants can usually stay in their current pot for the first year, but the fleshy roots will quickly fill it. So from then on, repot every year or two into a slightly larger pot using peat-free multi-purpose or houseplant compost. 

Location

Spider plants are best placed in bright but indirect light. While they can tolerate relatively low light, growth will be slower and the leaves may lose their variegation. If they get too much strong sunlight, the leaves may turn yellow or brown.

To show off this plant’s cascading habit, use a hanging planter or place on a shelf or mantlepiece.

See our video guide to choosing the right location for houseplants:

Humidity

Spider plants don’t generally need high humidity, but if the air is very dry they may develop brown tips on the leaves. Avoid placing plants near a heat source, such as a radiator, which can dry the air. Mist the leaves occasionally, expecially if you notice any browning.

Watering 

Water regularly, aiming to keep the compost just lightly moist to the touch. These plants are robust enough to tolerate a certain amount of over- and underwatering, but they dislike standing in water for any length of time. Always pour away any excess water that collects in the saucer or outer pot after watering. In winter, when growth slows, water slightly less frequently.

Feeding 

Spider plants don’t generally need feeding if repotted regularly using fresh compost. Yellowing of the leaves is usually due to a lack of light rather than nutrient deficiency. However, if moving your plant to a brighter spot doesn’t help, feed with a balanced liquid fertiliser every other month throughout the main growing season (April to Sept). 

Remove any browned or dead leaves, pulling them firmly out at the base or snipping them off.   

The spider plantlets become gnarly-rooted and heavy over time, at which point it’s best to trim them off to improve appearances if you aren’t going to pot them up. The plant will soon produce fresh flower stems that will go on to sprout more new spidery offsets.  

To renovate a damaged or neglected plant that has lots of bent, split and browning leaves, cut all the foliage down to 5–8cm (2–3in). A new flush of growth will emerge from the centre, to replace the damaged leaves, as long as you look after the plant well.

• By offsets – spider plants are very easy to propagate from the plantlets (offsets) they produce after flowering. Detach good-sized offsets once they have their own roots and pin them down into pots of moist peat-free compost using a U-shaped piece of wire. Alternatively, detach the ‘spiderlings’ and place in a glass of water. Once their roots lengthen, pot them up individually. 

• By division – mature plants can be divided to create several smaller plants. Their roots are thick and fleshy, so if you can’t pull them apart, use a knife to slice through the clump. Repot healthy pieces with at least one growing point, into individual pots. This method is particularly useful for cultivars that don’t produce offsets.

Spider plants are generally resilient, vigorous and trouble free, but occasional problems to look out for include:

• Aphids – these sap-sucking insects feed on soft new growth. Wash them off as soon as you spot them  

• Brown leaf tips – this common problem can spoil a spider plant's natural good looks. It can be caused by too much or too little water, or by the fluoride in tap water, so use rainwater or filtered water whenever possible. It can also be caused by bright sunlight or very dry air, or by a combination of the above. You can snip off the browned tips, or entire leaves, to improve the plant’s appearance in the short term, while you remedy its growing conditions in the longer term

• Lack of offsets – most spider plants won’t flower or produce plantlets until they’re at least a year old. Too little light, cool temperatures and an overly large pot can also discourage flowering. Some cultivars, including Chlorophytum capense ‘Variegatum’ and C. orchidastrum ‘Green Orange’, don’t produce offsets

• Leaf scorch – this occurs when variegated plants are exposed to direct sunlight. Avoid positioning them in hot, bright locations, especially in summer 

• Loss of vigour – spider plants are usually fast-growing, so the roots will soon fill their pot. Once pot-bound, growth will slow. Repot in fresh compost every few years, or if the plant has become too large, pot up any offsets and discard the original plant