HouseplantsDiscover the right indoor plants for your home.
Variegated wanderer plant . Photo by : Proven Winners
If a spider plant conjures up mental image of college dorm room décor , that ’s because it ’s one of the good houseplants for beginners and one of the gentle to circularise and share . As trendy today as it was generations ago , the spider plant creates a living mobile when put in a hanging basket , where its multitude of baby spiders , or “ spiderettes ” , can drop freely from their long , arching stem .
If you imagine all spider plants await the same , you ’ll be entranced to discover that the attractive , fountainlike foliage comes in an assortment of color variations and shape , including a cultivar with curly leave of absence . And while they are usually turn indoors , wanderer plants can also flourish outdoors when sacrifice the proper consideration .
On this Sir Frederick Handley Page : Basics|Planting|Care and Maintenance|Varieties|Display Ideas
On this page :
SPIDER PLANT BASICS
Botanical name:
Chlorophytum comosum
Common names:
Spider industrial plant , plane plant , typewriter ribbon works , wanderer ivy , St. Bernard ’s lily
Origin:
Native to South Africa
Care level:
promiscuous
Size:
8 to 24 inches grandiloquent , up to 36 inches wide
Light requirements:
Bright to moderate indirect twinkle
Growth rate:
tight , often reaching its full size within a few twelvemonth
Foliage:
May be solid greenish or motley in green and white or green and yellow , depend on the cultivar .
Flower colors:
clean , sensationalistic
Is spider plant toxic?
Although spider flora is generally good for households with children and darling , it take chemical that can be gently hallucinogenic to cats , causing a euphoric effect standardized to that of catnip . It ’s best to keep the plant out of a computed axial tomography ’s range because ingesting too much can cause digestive derangement .
Other benefits of growing spider plants:
In plus to its superbly retro appearance , spider plants can gain your home ’s indoor gentle wind quality , filtering out formaldehyde , carbon monoxide , and other harmful impurities .
PLANTING SPIDER PLANTS
Where to plant:
Indoors or outside , wanderer plants opt a position with bright , collateral light . Although spider plant can endure low - light precondition , it needs adequate light in guild to bloom and produce outgrowth . Avoid direct sunlight , which can scorch the leaves . Can be grown outdoors year - beat in warmer climates ( zona 9 - 11 ) .
Temperature and humidity:
Average household room temperatures ( 65 ° to 75 ° fluorine ) and humidities are fine . Keep away from cold draft and spots near heating and cooling vents . If planting outdoors , avoid exposing to temperatures below 45 ° F.
Soil type:
Use a well - drain potting mix .
Pot requirements:
As with most houseplants , be certain to practice a flock with drainage holes to forbid soggy ground and root rot . Spider plants do n’t take care being a bit cramped in their rest home , so take a container that is only slightly larger than your plant ’s root ball .
SPIDER PLANT CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Watering:
wanderer plants like even moisture but can stomach some neglect because their thick , heavy origin are able to store piss . A just regulation of thumb is to water supply when the top column inch of land feel dry . stave off overwatering , which can result to root rot .
Fertilizing:
Spider plant can also store nutrients in their roots , so they do n’t need frequent fertilization . feed in them every two hebdomad during spring and summertime using a pee - soluble organic houseplant plant food , and less often or not at all during the pin and winter months . Avoid overfertilizing , which can do brown leaf tips and prevent your plant from producing offshoots .
Pruning:
To keep your spider industrial plant count its best , prune off any brown leaf tip or edges using a sharp pair of small scissor grip , following the natural angle of the leafage . Also prune off dead or damaged leaves and undesirable runners by cut them back to soil level . You wo n’t harm your plant by bump off the stems and plantlets , and you will often improve its health and zip .
Repotting:
If the root begin push through the drain jam or emerge above the dirt surface , it ’s sentence to transplant your plant into a newfangled container . Choose a pot that ’s only slight larger than the current one ( about 1 to 2 in ) and be sure to refresh the filth to improve drain .
Pests:
wanderer plants are generally pest - loose but may at times be bothered bymealybugs , scurf , andspider pinch . beneficial handling for getting free of these insects include washing the leaves with aninsecticidal soapand applyingorganic neem oil . ( See more oncommon houseplant pest . )
Foliage problems:
HOW TO PROPAGATE SPIDER PLANTS
Photo by : Julia Dresch / Shutterstock
wanderer plant is so implausibly easy to propagate that you will soon be impart the materialisation to all your friend and neighbors . There are several sure - fire methods you may use to grow new plants from your spiderettes .
If your wanderer plant life is n’t producing any babies or is growing too magnanimous for its locoweed , you may also propagate it through division by remove it from its container and separating the roots into clunk using your fingers or garden tongue . lead off fresh plants in a clear pot fill with unfermented soil .
SPIDER PLANT VARIETIES
picture by : Proven Winners .
' VARIEGATUM’Chlorophytum comosum’Variegatum '
Size:12 to 18 inches , give chase up to 12 inches
Strappy green leaves inch in bright white make a cascading , arching mound , from which numerous plantlets sprout on swing stems . humble , livid , star - shaped flower appear intermittently throughout the season .
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photograph by : Coplay / Shutterstock .
vary SPIDER PLANTChlorophytum comosum’Vittatum '
Size:1 to 2 foot tall
The first variegated cultivar of spider industrial plant and still one of the most democratic , instantly recognizable by the creamy white stripe running down the centre of attention of its long , slender green leaves , all the way from base to tip .
pic by : Valentinejaa / Shutterstock .
REVERSE VARIEGATED SPIDER PLANTChlorophytum comosum’Reverse Variegatum '
Size : Up to 2 feet marvellous and 3 feet wide
As the name implies , this plant ’s variegation formula is the reverse of ‘ Vittatum , ’ featuring graceful green leaves border in white . A nice variety of rate from the more commonplace variety .
Photo by : ArtCreationsDesignPhoto / Shutterstock
' BONNIE ' SPIDER PLANTChlorophytum comosum ' Bonnie '
Size:8 inches improbable and broad
Take variegated wanderer plant life , give it a permanent wave , and you get ‘ Bonnie’—a heavyset cultivar sporting curly greenish leaves with creamy bloodless stripes . It also get lovely yellow blossom rather than the distinctive clean blooms . A good choice if you ’re looking for a spider plant that takes up less distance .
Also taste :
HAWAIIAN SPIDER PLANTChlorophytum comosum‘Hawaiian ’
Variegation or no variegation ? This unusual cultivar offer a chip of both , set out out with youthful leaves variegate in green and white that slicing to all immature as the leaf mature , then continuing the cycle by producing baby with variegation again , creating a nice contrast with the parent works .
ZEBRA SPIDER PLANTChlorophytum laxum‘Zebra ’
Looks very standardised to ‘ Reverse Variegatum ’ but with bright white-livered edges that eventually turn white . be given to grow short and wider than other mixed bag .
DISPLAY IDEAS
Photo by : Aunyaluck / Shutterstock
Here are some suggestion on how to exhibit your wanderer implant indoors or out in the garden :
