Can Spider Plants Be Grown in Water? A Detailed Guide to Water Culture Methods

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; after flowering it becomes a creeping stolon, with new plantlets bearing aerial roots sprouting from the top. It prefers a warm, humid, and semi-shaded environment, with an optimal growth temperature of 15°C to 25°C. In winter it must not go below 5°C.

Choosing a Container for Water-Grown Spider Plants

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 water-grown spider plants 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, with 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.

Water Culture Methods for Spider Plants

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

2. Cut off old roots and yellowed, withered leaves. Trim away some leaves (old leaves, pest- or disease-affected leaves), keeping healthy leaves, 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 to hold the plant in place. Then place it in a wide-mouthed transparent glass bottle to grow in water.

Care and Management of Water-Grown Spider Plants

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

2. It is best to use cooled boiled water, as it is free of pests, diseases, and algae spores, and also removes the chlorine from tap water, which is more conducive to 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; in winter it can be less frequent.

3. Place it in a spot with diffused light; except in winter, when it should get more sunlight, avoid direct sunlight in the other seasons.

4. Mist the leaves every day; the finer the water droplets, the better. When the weather is hot, increase the frequency of misting.

5. Nutrients do not matter much, as the water itself contains quite a few nutrients. If conditions permit, 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 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).