How to Grow Variegated Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum')? Latest Care Guide Explained
The golden-centered spider plant prefers warmth and humidity, and likes partial shade. It should be kept out of the scorching summer sun. It has fairly high soil requirements and prefers loose, fertile, sandy soil. At a room temperature of 20°C, its stems and leaves grow rapidly, and in winter the temperature should not drop below 5°C. Its flowering period is between spring and summer. Spider plants like a warm, damp climate and are suited to growing long-term in a moist, semi-shaded environment. Spider plants have poor cold tolerance and also dislike hot growing conditions, so shading is needed in summer and warmth retention in winter.
The Cultivation Value of the Golden-Centered Spider Plant
1. Ornamental value: The golden-centered spider plant is an excellent indoor hanging foliage plant. It can also be planted in the crevices of roadside rocks, or used to accent water-and-stone or tree-stump bonsai, all of which have a distinctive charm.
2. Medicinal value: The golden-centered spider plant has high medicinal value, and the whole plant can be used as medicine. It has the effects of nourishing yin and moistening the lungs, clearing heat and resolving phlegm, relieving cough and expelling phlegm, and promoting blood circulation. It can be used to treat fever, lung heat or lung yin deficiency, cough, and blood-streaked spitting or coughing up blood, among other conditions. In addition, it can be decocted and taken to treat pharyngitis and other oral conditions.
3. Environmental value: The golden-centered spider plant has a good air-purifying effect. It can absorb harmful gases in the air such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde and benzene; in addition, the scent released by the spider plant can also kill bacteria in the air.
Propagation Methods for the Golden-Centered Spider Plant
Division propagation is commonly used. In March of spring, that is, before it leaves the greenhouse, separate the clustered old plants and replant them individually. Alternatively, cut off the small plantlets on the stolons and plant them, and they will also quickly grow into large plants. Spider plants greatly enjoy fertilizer, so during cultivation there should be sufficient fertilizer and water. During the growing period, apply a top dressing once every 10 days. If fertilizer and water are insufficient, the leaves tend to turn yellow and the leaf tips become scorched and yellow, and growth is poor. Except in winter, it can be grown outdoors, and it can also be cultivated in ordinary rooms. Take care to clean up the plant and keep it tidy. It likes partial shade in spring and autumn, should be kept out of the midday scorching sun in summer, and needs plenty of sunlight in winter; if there is insufficient sunlight in winter, the leaves will turn scorched and yellow.
How to Plant the Golden-Centered Spider Plant
The golden-centered spider plant is a perennial evergreen herb of the genus Chlorophytum in the family Liliaceae. Its leaves are linear, with green edges and yellow-white longitudinal stripes in the center. From its leaf clusters it often sends out creeping stems, and on the nodes small plantlets often grow, hanging down outside the pot, making it very suitable for hanging cultivation, which is why it is called an “air flower”. Hanging it up in a flower basket or hanging basket for trailing display is more distinctive than ordinary potted display. The golden-centered spider plant likes warm, humid and semi-shaded environments. It is not very strict about light intensity. Its vigorous growth period is roughly from March to September, and as long as the winter temperature does not drop below 7°C, it can grow normally.
The golden-centered spider plant grows better under consistently moist conditions. But because it has fleshy roots, it can endure a period of dryness, so when watering, take care to alternate between dry and moist. In spring and autumn, water generally once every two to three days; in summer, generally water once a day; in winter, when the plant grows slowly, reduce the amount of water appropriately. A dry environment with too-low air humidity often causes the leaf tips to dry up, affecting growth and ornamental effect, so spraying water regularly to raise air humidity is more beneficial to growth. During the vigorous growth period, the golden-centered spider plant can be fertilized once every half month. For outdoor cultivation, dilute, well-rotted cake fertilizer water or human waste can be applied; for those kept indoors, some compound fertilizer can be applied. Generally, repot once every one to two years, and the potting soil can be loose, fertile sandy soil with good drainage.