Spider Plant
Chlorophytum comosum
A popular houseplant featuring arching, linear leaves that are typically variegated with green and white stripes. It produces long, slender stems that carry small plantlets.
- Light
- Bright, indirect light for 6 to 8 hours per day; protect from harsh direct afternoon sun to prevent leaf scorching.
- Water
- Water thoroughly when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil feel dry. Prefers consistent moisture during the growing season but can tolerate short periods of drought due to its fleshy roots.
- Growth
- Perennial herbaceous plant with a clumping growth habit, featuring tuberous roots. Typically reaches a mature height of 1 to 2 feet with a similar spread, growing at a moderate rate.
Care instructions
Provide bright, indirect sunlight and allow the soil to dry out partially between waterings. Use a well-draining potting mix and feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer during the spring and summer growing season.
Growing details
Sunlight
Bright, indirect light for 6 to 8 hours per day; protect from harsh direct afternoon sun to prevent leaf scorching.
Watering
Water thoroughly when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil feel dry. Prefers consistent moisture during the growing season but can tolerate short periods of drought due to its fleshy roots.
Soil
Well-draining, loamy potting soil with a neutral to slightly acidic pH range between 6.0 and 7.5.
Hardiness zone
USDA zones 9 through 11 when grown outdoors, though commonly kept as an indoor container plant in colder climates.
Growth habit
Perennial herbaceous plant with a clumping growth habit, featuring tuberous roots. Typically reaches a mature height of 1 to 2 feet with a similar spread, growing at a moderate rate.
Bloom season
Blooms intermittently throughout the year with small, star-shaped white flowers borne on branching stems.
Propagation
Propagated easily by detaching the small plantlets (pups) that form on the flowering stems and rooting them in water or directly in moist potting soil.
Common pests & issues
Prone to brown leaf tips caused by dry air, fluoride in tap water, or irregular watering. Pests such as mealybugs, spider mites, and scale can occasionally affect indoor specimens.
Similar species
Ribbon grass (Phalaris arundinacea) and certain varieties of Pandanus, but distinguished by the tuberous root system and characteristic arching rosette form of the spider plant.