Can Spider Plants Be Grown in Water? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Hydroponic Method

Spider plants can be grown in water. Spider plants have clustered, cylindrical, fleshy fibrous roots and rhizomes. The leaves are basal, linear to linear-lanceolate, with long, narrow, flexible leaves resembling those of an orchid. The flower scape emerges from the leaf cluster, slender and curved, bearing small white flowers that bloom in spring and summer, and after flowering it becomes a creeping stolon, with new plantlets bearing aerial roots sprouting from the top. It likes a warm, humid and semi-shaded environment, with an optimum growth temperature of 15°C to 25°C. In winter it must not go below 5°C.

Choosing a Container for Growing Spider Plants in Water

Any container that can hold water can be used to grow spider plants in water. It is best to use a transparent vessel, so you can admire the striking white roots in the water. The container for growing a spider plant in water can be single-layered or double-layered. A single-layer container is a bottomless glass bottle or plastic bottle in which the spider plant is planted directly. A double-layer container uses a plastic sieve (also called a planting basket) as the upper layer and a bottomless bottle as the lower layer; the spider plant is planted in the upper plastic sieve, with its roots extending down into the lower bottle.

How to Grow Spider Plants in Water

1. Take a potted spider plant with an attractive shape out of its pot and wash off the soil.

2. Cut off old roots and yellowed, withered leaves. Cut away some of the leaves (old leaves, diseased or pest-damaged leaves) and keep the healthy ones, generally leaving 6 to 10 leaves.

3. Insert it into a plastic sieve and fill in orchid stone or maifan stone to increase permeability and hold the plant in place. Then place it in a wide-mouthed transparent glass bottle to grow in water.

Care and Management of Spider Plants Grown in Water

1. The roots must not be completely submerged; leave about a quarter of the roots above the water surface so they can breathe better.

2. It is best to use cooled boiled water, as it has no pests, diseases or algae spores and the chlorine has been removed from the tap water, which is better for healthy plant growth; in particular, the roots can stay white and tender for a long time without turning green, improving their ornamental value. Generally change the water once every three or four days, and less often in winter.

3. Place it in a spot with diffused light. Apart from winter, when it should get plenty of sunlight, avoid direct sunlight in the other seasons.

4. Spray the leaves with water every day; the finer the droplets, the better. Increase the frequency of spraying in hot weather.

5. Nutrition does not matter much, as the water itself contains quite a few nutrients. If conditions allow, it is even better to add some nitrogen fertilizer or granular compound fertilizer to the water about every 20 days, at a ratio of 1:1500 with the water. Of course, you can also let rice-washing water sit for three or four days (to ferment), take the clear liquid from the top, and mix it into the water for the spider plant (mixing ratio 1:10).