Spider Plant Care Guide

Family: Asparagaceae

Genus: Chlorophytum

Botanical Name: Chlorophytum comosum

Difficulty: Easy to care for

Light

Spider plants love to be in bright indirect sunlight, but they don’t mind lower light conditions. However, they do not tolerate bright direct light at all.

Water

They like to be a little more on the dry side before you water them, so make sure you don’t water them before the top 50% of the soil is dry.

Climate

Spider plants don’t mind a little humidity. They can do pretty well in lower humidity conditions, but they will thrive if you increase that humidity even a little bit. They prefer to stay in areas around 60°-80°F that do not drop below 55°F at night.

Soil

These guys prefer a loamy, well-drained soil. They like for the soil to stay slightly moist at all times.

Pests and Diseases

They don’t usually have problems with pests, but they can sometimes be affected by aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites. The good news is that you can usually just give them a good soak to flush out all those pests if you caught them early on.

Tips

• These guys like to be misted to add a little humidity to their environment.

• Prune the roots every year or two to keep your plant happy and healthy.

• Add some of the original plant’s babies to the soil to make it more bushy and full.

Signs your spider plant is unhappy with you

• Brown leaf tips: water (or mist) those babies

• Dark colored leaves: too much water

• Curling leaves: not enough water or light

• Leaves losing pigment: too much sunlight is bleaching them

Fun Facts

• Spider plants flower regularly.

• Spider plants get their name from the little pups they grow that resemble spiders!

• They grow pretty quickly for about the first 6 months of their life.

• There are different varieties of spider plant that have slightly different stripe patterns.