Potted spider plant wants to keep producing runners? Master these three tips

If a potted spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is to keep producing branches and runners, it is best grown in soil, kept in a spot with good ventilation and light, and kept at a temperature above 10°C year-round. Some people like to hang spider plants in the air to grow them, and the methods below can encourage them to keep producing runners.

If you want your spider plant to produce more runners, you need a suitable growing environment, and it is best to care for it roughly and avoid frequent attention. If you water your spider plant often, it will be very hard to get it to produce runners. To get your spider plant to produce more runners, you need to master the following points.

Point one: control watering

Spider plants have fleshy roots. If you pull up the roots, you will find that they are very large, swollen white roots full of water, which is also why spider plants are so drought-tolerant. Frequent watering not only fails to encourage runner production, but also leads to root rot, yellow leaves and other problems.

During care, be sure to wait until the potting soil has completely dried out before watering thoroughly, and control watering even more after the weather turns cold in autumn and winter.

Point two: give a bit more light

Although spider plants can grow well indoors, if you want to encourage them to produce more runners, you need to give them a bit more light every day.

Grown on an east- or south-facing windowsill or balcony, with about 3-6 hours of bright indirect light per day, it not only encourages the spider plant to produce more runners but also helps promote flowering.

Although spider plants are also very shade-tolerant, in shaded spots the leaves tend to grow soft and delicate, and it becomes even harder to encourage them to produce branches.

Point three: keep the environment warm year-round

The spider plant is a plant that likes warmth and moisture year-round, and the best growing season for caring for it is spring and summer, with the temperature kept between 18-28°C.

The minimum care temperature should stay above 5°C, otherwise frost damage is likely. In daily care, also remember to mist water around it regularly to keep the air humidity high, and in spring and summer you can add a balanced fertiliser or a slow-release organic liquid fertiliser once every 2-3 weeks.