Spider plant care: water, light and brown tips

Light

The Illinois Extension rates spider plant a medium-light plant, roughly the brightness directly in front of a north window or a few feet back from an east or west one. It responds to more: Clemson says it grows best in bright, indirect light, and the Illinois Extension notes it prefers bright light yet adapts readily to medium. NC State adds that it will hang on in deep shade, though growth there is sparse and slow.

Hot sun is another matter. Clemson warns that midday light can scorch the leaves, and NC State calls the plant intolerant of direct sunlight, so an hour or two of soft morning sun through an east window is about the limit. Remember the photoperiod rule as well: a basket hung beside a lamp that stays on late into the evening may never form runners, because it never gets the long nights it needs.

Water

Spider plants sit between the drought-lovers and the ferns. UF/IFAS advises letting the upper inch of soil dry out briefly between waterings, and Clemson suggests checking the soil daily, since a plant in a small hanging basket in warm, bright air can go from moist to bone dry quickly. When the surface feels dry, water until it runs from the bottom, and empty the drip tray. NC State says the plant grows best in moist soil yet tolerates drought, and the fleshy roots will tide it over a missed watering or two.

Water quality matters more for this plant than for almost any other common houseplant. NC State advises against tap water because chlorine and fluoride cause leaf tip burn, and UF/IFAS describes spider plant as particularly sensitive to fluoridated water, recommending rainwater or distilled water where the supply is treated. Skip water from a softener too; the Illinois Extension warns against softened water for houseplants in general.

NC State recommends reducing watering in winter, when growth slows under short days and the mix dries more slowly. Letting the top inch dry a little further before each drink is enough of an adjustment. Leaving the roots parched for weeks browns the tips just as surely as hard water does.

Soil and pH

Clemson and the Illinois Extension agree that a general-purpose potting mix is all a spider plant needs, provided it drains well. NC State lists a loamy soil that stays moist but drains freely, with a pH between 6.0 and 8.0, a range most bagged houseplant mixes fall within. Avoid mixes loaded with added fertilizer, which deliver salts straight to the tips, and use a container with a drainage hole; Clemson links root rot to mix that does not drain quickly.

Humidity

Average household humidity suits it, and NC State describes medium air humidity as ideal. In winter, when the Illinois Extension notes most heated homes fall below 30 percent, the long leaf ends are the first part to dry and brown. NC State suggests a humidifier or a tray of pebbles and water under the pot; keep the pot base above the waterline so the roots do not wick up standing water.

Temperature

Clemson gives ideal temperatures of 65 to 75°F by day and 50 to 55°F at night, and advises moving plants a few feet back from windows in winter to escape drafts. UF/IFAS considers anything below 55°F too cool and anything above 80°F too warm. NC State sets the hard floor lower, saying temperatures should stay above 45°F (about 7°C). The ordinary range of a heated home is right, and a basket hung near the ceiling in summer is the spot most likely to overheat.

Fertilizer

Spider plants need far less food than their growth rate suggests. Clemson recommends a water-soluble or time-release houseplant fertilizer during active growth, following the label, and the Illinois Extension's general guidance of once every 1 to 3 months from March to September is plenty. NC State gives a specific reason to hold back: over-fertilizing decreases plantlet formation. Surplus salts also burn the tips, so leach the pot with a large volume of plain water every 4 to 6 months, as the Illinois Extension suggests for houseplants. After repotting, Clemson advises waiting four to six months before feeding again.

Work out the dose for your watering can with the fertilizer dilution calculator →

Repotting

Check the roots before the leaves. Spider plants build thick, white, tuberous roots, and Clemson advises dividing and repotting before they expand enough to crack the container. UF/IFAS suggests repotting once a year while the plant is young and every other year once it matures. Roots pushing out of the drainage holes, or a pot that dries out within a day, are the practical cues.

There is a tradeoff worth knowing. The Illinois Extension notes that spider plants produce plantlets when potbound, so a plant kept a little crowded makes more runners. Clemson says repotting can happen at any time of year, though spring and early summer, the window the Illinois Extension recommends for houseplants, lets roots recover fastest. Move up only 1 or 2 inches in pot diameter, as Clemson advises.

• Fleshy white roots push out of the drainage holes or bulge the pot
• The soil mass is packed with tuberous roots
• The plant wilts within a day or two of watering

Propagation

Few houseplants make propagation easier. Each plantlet dangling from a runner is a ready-made plant, and Clemson notes they root readily once they touch soil. The surest method is to pin a plantlet, still attached, onto a small pot of moist mix set beside the parent, then cut the runner once it has rooted. Plantlets already showing root nubs can be detached and potted straight into moist mix, which Clemson says works at any time of year.

Division suits an overgrown clump, and NC State lists it as the recommended strategy. Slide the plant out, pull or cut the fleshy root mass into sections that each carry several leaf rosettes, and replant them at their old depth.

Methods: Plantlets (offshoots) from the runners, Division of the root clump · Best season: any time of year; runners form mostly as days shorten in fall.

Common problems

Brown tips are the signature spider plant complaint. Clemson pins them on too much fertilizer or water high in soluble salts, with low humidity and very dry soil as secondary causes. Trim the brown ends at an angle with clean scissors to keep the natural taper, then correct the cause, or the browning simply returns. Root rot, from mix that drains slowly or too much water, is the other common failure. Clemson lists whiteflies, spider mites, scale and aphids as the pests most likely to appear, and NC State reports no significant disease problems.

Not sure which one it is? Try the plant problem diagnosis tool →

Is the spider plant toxic to cats and dogs?

The ASPCA lists the spider plant, Chlorophytum comosum, as non-toxic to both cats and dogs, and it appears on the ASPCA lists under several other names too, including ribbon plant, spider ivy and walking anthericum. That makes it one of the most popular choices for homes with pets. Cats in particular love to bat at and chew the dangling leaves and runners. Non-toxic does not mean the leaves are food, and a chewed plant quickly looks ragged, so hanging the basket out of reach protects both cat and plant. If a pet vomits repeatedly or seems unwell after chewing any plant, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

Check any other plant against the ASPCA lists →