About Spider Plants
Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are some of the easiest houseplants to grow, even for people who don’t think they have a green thumb. They’re a great choice for beginners because they’re not fussy about temperature or humidity, and even though they’re native to tropical regions, spider plants will survive in less-than-perfect conditions.
Spider plants do best in warm temperatures that stay between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (15–26 degrees Celsius), but if you keep your house at 70°F (21°C) during the day and 65°F (18°C) at night, your spider plant will be just fine. These plants like bright indirect light, but they tolerate low light well, too.
They thrive in tropical environments with warm temperatures and humid air, so if you can provide them with those conditions, you’ll be rewarded with stunning leaves that stretch from 12 to 18 inches long. The leaves are green or striped green and white and look like slender arches rosettes.
Benefits of Spider Plants
Purifies Air
One of the best and most effective air-purifying plants out there, the spider plant is a common houseplant that is easy to grow and maintain. It’s a part of the NASA Clean Air Study and is shown to be an efficient air purifier by removing carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene from the air.
As per the National Wildlife Federation article, it removes more than 95 percent of toxic agents from the air. If you are looking for easy-to-maintain indoor plants for your home and office, the spider plant can be your go-to plant.
Pet-Friendly
You may already be aware of how well spider plants improve indoor air quality. But, did you know that these also make a fantastic addition to your home if you have pets?
Spider plants are toxic to most insects, but not to cats and dogs! The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) clearly states that spider plants are not toxic to cats and dogs. We did our own research too, and we didn’t find any evidence of spider plant toxicity to pets.
Helps with Patients Recovery
Case Study: Spider Plant and Other Indoor Plants
In this study, patients who were recovering from surgery were split into two groups. One group had spider plants placed in their rooms, and the other group did not. It was found that those in the plant group had lower systolic blood pressure, and lower ratings of pain, anxiety, and fatigue.
Cultivation of Spider Plants
Spider plants, also called airplane plants, are one of the most popular houseplants, and they are easy to grow in your home. Once you have a plant established, it will produce plantlets that can be propagated and grown into new plants.
- Light: Spider plants need moderate to bright indirect light to thrive. They do not tolerate intense direct sunlight well.
- Soil: Use a good-quality potting soil for the plant, or mix your own using equal parts houseplant potting soil, peat moss, and perlite or coarse sand.
- Water: Spider plants are fairly drought-tolerant and need to be watered only as needed. Before watering, check the soil of the plants to see if it’s still moist. If it is, wait another day and repeat until the soil is dry. Although the plant may be in need of water, it does prefer to have its soil dry out periodically.
- Temperature and Humidity: Spider plants originate in much of Africa, including Ethiopia and Nigeria. Spider plants come from a wide range of habitats and are used to varying temperatures. However, they will perform best when kept between 50-90ºF. With that said, they can tolerate temperatures as low as 40ºF and as high as 100ºF. Moderate to high humidity is typical. You can expect humidity to fall between 50-80%
A simple tip: Spider plants grow best when they are in a bright room and the soil is kept slightly wet.
Care of Spider Plants
WATERING
Our Spider plant likes to stay moist, but not wet. Water them once a week or so—when their soil is dry—using lukewarm water instead of chilled water from the tap.
LIGHT
Keep our Spider plant in bright to moderate light. It will do fine in indirect light as well. Avoid placing them directly in front of windows, because even though they like lots of light, direct sun can scorch their leaves.
If your plant is getting leggy and its leaves are starting to droop, it needs more light! Move it to a brighter spot in your home.
TEMPERATURE
Our Spider plant likes a comfortable room temperature, ideally between 65-80°F (18-27°C).
HUMIDITY
The Spider plant can tolerate low humidity. Spider plants thrive in a warm, humid environment. If you keep your home cool or it’s particularly dry inside during the winter, try using a humidifier to increase the moisture in the air.
Pest and Disease Control
One issue that spider plants sometimes encounter is brown tips on their leaves. Brown tips on spider plant leaves will often result in entire leaves turning brown and dying off. This can eventually kill the plant if left unchecked. Fortunately, there are several ways to prevent and treat spider plant brown leaf tips
It’s normal for older leaves to turn brown and die off. If you see a few brown tips on spider plant leaves here and there, don’t worry! New growth should come along to replace them in no time at all.
However, it’s not normal for entire leaves to turn brown and die off, or for young leaves to get brown tips. There are several things that can cause this problem:
Dry Air
Spider plants thrive in humid environments and tend to wilt and discolor when exposed to dry air for long periods of time. Use a room humidifier or pebble tray filled with water to raise the humidity level around your plants. Also, mist the foliage regularly if you notice it wilting or curling inward at the leaf edges
Water Quality
If your Spider Plant’s leaves are turning brown on the edges, you may want to consider changing your watering habits.
Most tap water contains salts, chlorine, minerals, and fluoride – all of which can build up in the soil of your plant causing the tips of the leaves to burn and turn brown.
You might also consider flushing your plant by running lukewarm water through the soil to remove any excess salt build-up then drain thoroughly before returning it to its normal location.
Aphids
Aphids are soft-bodied pests that attach themselves to greenhouses and feed off their plants. They inject toxins into the plants, which cause the plants to release a sticky substance called honeydew. This substance attracts ants.
To treat an aphid infestation, spray leaves and stems thoroughly with insecticidal soap, making sure you coat all parts of the plant that are infested with aphids; repeat every five days until control is achieved. As an alternative, spray plants with neem oil extract, following label instructions carefully; it kills aphids on contact
Mealybugs
If you have a spider plant, you need to watch out for mealybugs, which appear as white, cottony growths on the plants.
But don’t worry! You can still treat your plant. Insecticidal soil drenches formulated for houseplants and applied exactly as label directions recommend may be needed to eradicate these pests.