How to Grow Golden-rayed Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum') as a Houseplant and Points to Note

The golden-rayed spider plant likes warmth and humidity and partial shade, and hates the scorching sun in summer. 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 must not fall below 5°C. Its flowering period is between spring and summer. Spider plants like a warm, shady and humid climate and are suited to growing long-term in a moist, semi-shaded environment. Spider plants are rather poor at tolerating cold and also dislike a hot growing environment, so shade them in summer and keep them warm in winter.

The Value of Growing the Golden-rayed Spider Plant

1. Ornamental value: the golden-rayed spider plant is an excellent indoor hanging foliage plant. It can also be planted in the cracks between roadside stones, or used to accent rock-and-water arrangements or tree-stump bonsai, and in every case it has a distinctive character.

2. Medicinal value: the golden-rayed spider plant has high medicinal value; 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 dispelling phlegm, and invigorating the blood. It can be used to treat feverish infections, lung heat or lung yin deficiency, cough, and spitting or coughing blood. In addition, it can be decocted and taken to treat pharyngitis and other oral complaints.

3. Environmental value: the golden-rayed spider plant does an excellent job of purifying the air. It can absorb carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, benzene and other gases in the air that are harmful to human health; in addition, the scent given off by the spider plant can also kill airborne germs.

How to Propagate the Golden-rayed Spider Plant

Division is the usual method of propagation. In March in spring, that is, before it is brought out of the greenhouse, separate the clustered old plants and replant the divisions, or cut off the small plantlets on the stolons and grow them on; they will also quickly grow into large plants. Spider plants love fertilizer, so during cultivation the fertilizer and water must be generous. During the growing season apply a top dressing once every 10 days. If fertilizer and water are insufficient, the leaves easily turn yellow, the leaf tips wither and yellow, and growth is poor. Except in winter it can be grown outdoors, and it can also be grown in an ordinary room. Be careful to tidy the plant and keep it neat. It likes partial shade in spring and autumn, hates the midday sun in summer, and needs plenty of sunlight in winter; if there is not enough sunlight in winter, the leaves will wither and yellow.

How to Plant the Golden-rayed Spider Plant

The golden-rayed spider plant is a perennial evergreen herb of the genus Chlorophytum in the family Liliaceae. The leaves are linear, green at the edges, with yellow-white longitudinal stripes in the centre. From its leaf rosette it often sends out stolons, and at the nodes small plantlets often form and hang down outside the pot, making it very suitable for growing suspended, hence the name "flower of the air". Hanging it up in a flower basket or hanging basket for display as a suspended specimen is more distinctive than ordinary potted display. The golden-rayed spider plant likes a warm, moist and semi-shaded environment. Its requirements as to light intensity are not so strict. Its vigorous growing period is roughly from March to September, and in winter, as long as the temperature does not fall below 7°C, it can grow normally.

The golden-rayed spider plant grows better under constantly moist conditions. Because it also has fleshy roots, it can endure a period of dryness, so when watering, take care to let the soil dry out and then water again. In spring and autumn, water once every two to three days; in summer, water once a day; in winter, when the plant grows slowly, reduce the amount of water appropriately. A dry environment with air humidity that is too low often causes the leaf tips to wither, affecting growth and the ornamental effect, so spraying regularly to raise the air humidity is more favourable for growth. During the vigorous growing period, the golden-rayed spider plant can be fertilized once a fortnight. Outdoors, apply dilute, well-rotted cake fertilizer water or human waste; indoors, apply some compound fertilizer. In general, repot once every one to two years, and use loose, fertile, well-drained sandy soil for the potting mix.

Care and Management of the Golden-rayed Spider Plant

1. Changing the soil and repotting: in managing a potted spider plant, in order to have luxuriant stems and leaves, change the soil and repot once every year in March. If the pot is fairly deep and the base fertilizer fairly plentiful, repot once every two years. When repotting, knock the plant out of the pot, cut off dead and rotted roots and surplus roots, replace with fresh culture soil rich in humus, and apply livestock hoof and horn pieces or well-rotted cake fertilizer as a base fertilizer. After planting, place it in a semi-shaded, warm spot to recover. The most suitable growing temperature for spider plants is around 25°C. Once the plant has recovered and is growing strongly, hang the pot under the eaves of a corridor or in a suitable indoor position. Generally a height at which you will not bump your head is suitable, and pay attention to ventilation.

2. Appropriate light: spider plants like a semi-shaded environment. In spring and autumn, avoid direct strong sunlight; in summer the sunlight is especially strong, so they can only receive a little slanting light in the morning and evening, and during the day 50%-70% of the sunlight must be shaded out, otherwise the leaf tips will wither. Variegated varieties in particular are even more afraid of strong sunlight; the golden-edged spider plant will grow more beautiful in a spot with weak light, with the yellow edges more pronounced and the leaves glossier. In winter, however, it should be given more sunlight so that the leaves stay tender and fresh green. A spider plant grown in a pot at home should be placed in front of a south-facing window, otherwise the leaves lose their lustre or even wither.

3. Appropriate fertilizing: the spider plant is a foliage plant that tolerates fairly rich fertilizer. If fertilizer and water are insufficient, it easily becomes scorched and aged, the leaves turn yellow and it loses its ornamental value. From late spring to early autumn, apply an organic fertilizer solution once every 7-10 days, but for variegated varieties such as golden-edged and golden-rayed, apply less nitrogen fertilizer, so that the variegation does not fade or even disappear and spoil the appearance. You may appropriately apply organic fertilizer fermented from bone meal, eggshells and the like; once fully fermented, take a suitable amount of the diluted liquid and water it on once every 10-15 days, which can make the variegation bright and vivid.

4. Appropriate watering: spider plants like a moist environment, and the potting soil should be kept moist at all times. In summer, water generously, and around midday and in the evening also spray water on the branches and leaves to prevent the leaves from withering. Indoors there is often a lot of dust; if a lot of dust collects on the spider plant, it affects its growth and also spoils the fresh, bright look of the branches and leaves, so spray and wash the branches and leaves regularly to keep them bright and attractive. Dead and yellow leaves at the bottom should be picked off at any time, and normal humidity should be maintained at ordinary times; it should not be too dry or too wet.

Pest and Disease Control for the Golden-rayed Spider Plant

Spider plants have few pests and diseases; the main problems are physiological disorders, with the front part of the leaf turning yellow, in which case fertilizer and water management should be improved. Check regularly and promptly remove scale insects, whiteflies and the like from the leaves. Spider plants are not prone to pests and diseases, but if the potting soil is waterlogged and ventilation is poor, besides causing root rot, root rot disease may also occur; it can be treated by drenching the roots with a 500-800 times dilution of carbendazim wettable powder, once a week, for 2-3 times in succession.

How to Grow the Golden-rayed Spider Plant and Points to Note

Although spider plants have very strong vitality, in growing them you will still run into all kinds of problems, such as those of watering, light, and disease and pest control. Handled properly, the spider plant will grow healthily and luxuriantly; left untreated or mishandled, it will inevitably have a negative effect on growing spider plants. So what are the methods and points to note for growing the golden-rayed spider plant?

I. The Growing Habits of the Spider Plant

The spider plant, commonly known as the hanging-basket grass, originated in Africa, and is now cultivated and grown all over the world, while Europeans call it spider grass or airplane grass. The spider plant's greatest feature is that a mature plant will from time to time send up new stems, and the new stems will in turn produce small plantlets. It likes a warm, moist, semi-shaded growing environment and is suited to long-term indoor cultivation. The flowers of the spider plant are mainly white, in clusters of several blooms, and look clear and lovely, with fairly high ornamental value.

II. Types of Spider Plant

There are many types of spider plant; the common ones include the spider plant, purple spider plant, flowering spider plant, golden-leaved spider plant and silver-edged spider plant. Among them, the spider plant's stems and leaves are not differentiated, the leaves hang down, and the leaves are dark green; it flowers every year in June and July, and the flowers come in pale yellow and white. The purple spider plant, also called the painted-leaf spider plant, has a purple main vein, jointed stems with a leaf at each node, and thick, glossy leaves that all hang downwards; it flowers from June to October each year, and the flowers are pink. The flowering spider plant has trailing stems with hanging branches and leaves, the leaves are peach-shaped, the leaf edges have golden patterns that run through the centre of the veins, and the underside of the leaf is purple and glossy. The golden-edged spider plant has yellow lines running around the edge of its green leaves, and the contrast is especially attractive. The silver-edged spider plant has white edging applied to its green leaves, making it even more vivid and distinctive to look at. In addition, there are also the golden-rayed spider plant, silver-rayed spider plant, broad-leaved spider plant, and variegated spider plant, among others.

III. How to Grow Spider Plants

Growing spider plants actually does not require much effort; in day-to-day upkeep the main things are watering regularly and guarding against accidental damage, but the hard part is keeping up your attention and not forgetting about them and leaving them unattended for long periods. Here the Tubatu editor mainly breaks down how to grow spider plants according to the 9 aspects of the growing process that need attention or where problems may arise.

1. Suitable light: spider plants like a semi-shaded environment and are very sensitive to light. If exposed to direct sunlight in summer and autumn, the leaves will wither and yellow, or even the whole plant will die, so avoid direct strong sunlight, place it in a cool, ventilated spot, and take care to keep the environment humid. At most it can only receive a little slanting light in the morning and evening. In winter, since the sunlight is not strong, the spider plant can be allowed to receive some direct sunlight.

2. Growing temperature: the spider plant likes a warm, moist climate and cannot tolerate severe cold or great heat. The most suitable growing temperature for spider plants is 15-25°C, and the winter room temperature must not fall below 5°C. In hot periods, avoid direct strong light and keep it in light shade; in cold, cool conditions it should be given more sunlight so the leaf colour stays bright. In Guangdong province in China, the temperatures in spring, summer and autumn are all suitable for growing spider plants, but when the winter temperature falls below 5-7°C, take care to protect them from the cold and keep them warm.

3. Watering: spider plants like water. Because their fleshy roots have well-developed water-storing tissue, they are fairly drought-resistant, but from March to September, the vigorous growing period, they need a good deal of water, so water and mist them frequently to increase humidity and keep the potting soil thoroughly moist. During the winter dormant period, water once the top roughly one centimetre of potting soil has dried. Note that if the soil is too dry, the leaf rosette will temporarily lose colour; although the original colour returns after watering again, the leaf tips may turn permanently brown. Around midday and in the evening, also spray water on the branches and leaves.

4. Fertilizing: the spider plant is a plant that tolerates fairly rich fertilizer. If fertilizer and water are insufficient, it easily becomes scorched and aged, the leaves turn yellow, and it loses its ornamental value. For a spider plant that has already begun to produce small plantlets, apply a nitrogen-based top dressing once every half month. A spider plant that is growing well can go without fertilizer.

5. Soil: for growing spider plants, a light, fertile sandy loam is suitable, and the soil should contain humus and be highly permeable. For potting, use leaf mould or peat soil, garden soil and river sand mixed in equal parts with a small amount of base fertilizer as the growing medium. After repotting, take care to prepare fresh soil again.

6. Changing the soil and repotting: growing spider plants generally means repotting once every 2-3 years, but in specific care, in order to have luxuriant stems and leaves, you can change the soil and repot once every year in March.

7. Pest and disease control: spider plants grown at home are generally not prone to pests and diseases. When problems do occur, they are usually root rot and root rot disease caused by waterlogged potting soil and poor ventilation, in which case spray promptly to control them.

8. Pruning: as for pruning, at ordinary times cut off yellow leaves at any time, and once every year in March you can repot, cutting off old roots, rotted roots and surplus fibrous roots. In early to mid-May you can cut away some of the old leaves of the spider plant, which will encourage it to put out more new leaves and small spider plants.

9. Hydroponic spider plants: spider plants can also be grown hydroponically. To grow them this way, first tip the potted spider plant out of its pot, wash the soil off with water, cut off old leaves and old roots, place it in a hydroponic vessel, and pour in clean water. Take care not to use too much water; just enough to reach the root crown is suitable. For vigorous growth, drip a few drops of nutrient solution into the water. The vessel can be a wide-mouthed glass bottle, glass cup or other container. The water in the container can be changed every few days, or you can simply top it up with a little water.

IV. What to Do When Spider Plant Leaves Turn Yellow

The causes of spider plant leaves turning yellow and the solutions are as follows:

1. Too much fertilizer, exceeding the plant's needs: stop fertilizing, water generously with clear water, or repot, clean the roots and replace with fresh soil.

2. Not repotting or changing the soil for a long time, so that the various nutrient elements contained in the potting soil have been used up and the plant lacks nutrients: promptly change to fertile loam.

3. Too little light, so that chlorophyll decreases: increase its exposure to light.

4. Poor air permeability and water permeability of the potting soil, making it hard for the roots to breathe: loosen the soil promptly.

5. Not having watered thoroughly for a long time, so that the spider plant's roots have lost water: water thoroughly once and keep the potting soil warm and moist.

V. The Benefits of Spider Plants

Spider plants have an extremely strong ability to absorb toxic gases. Generally, if 1-2 pots of spider plants are grown in a room, the toxic gases in the air can be almost completely absorbed. According to scientific analysis, spider plants can absorb 95% of the carbon monoxide and 85% of the formaldehyde in the air. Therefore the spider plant is not only an excellent indoor hanging foliage plant, but also a good indoor air-purifying flower, which is why it has the fine name "green purifier".

VI. Propagating Spider Plants

A beautiful spider plant flower

Spider plants can be propagated by division. Except in winter, when the temperature is too low for division, it can be done in any other season. For a plant that has been potted for 2 to 3 years, when repotting in spring, the crowded seedlings in the pot can be taken out, the old growing medium removed, and divided into two to several clumps, each potted up separately to become new plants. In addition, spider plants can also be propagated from the small plantlets on the stolons: during the growing season, cut off the small plantlets on the stolons and plant them in growing medium or water, and once the plantlets have grown roots, transplant them into pots to become new spider plant specimens.

VII. The Flower Language of the Spider Plant

The flower language of the spider plant is "helpless yet giving people hope". This is related to its growing habits: at ordinary times it needs little care and will not give people great expectations of surprises, but the helpless part is that you have to keep paying attention to it and watching over it, and it always grows stubbornly and well, so it can always bring people hope.

There is also a legend about the flower language of the spider plant. It is said that long ago there was a chief examiner who was jealous of talent. In order to get his adopted son admitted, he tried every means to suppress a talented scholar named Lin Dexiang. But while he was marking Lin Dexiang's paper, the emperor happened to be travelling in disguise, and in his panic the chief examiner hid the paper among the orchids on his desk. He did not know that while the emperor was admiring the brilliantly blooming orchids, he inadvertently learned the truth, and so dismissed the examiner from office. Not long afterwards the chief examiner died of depression, and the stems and leaves of that pot of orchids never straightened up again, gradually evolving into today's spider plant.

That is all for this article. If, in the process of growing spider plants, owners can follow the above requirements, it would be impossible for the spider plants in your home to be grown badly: on the one hand your methods are right, and on the other hand it is because spider plants really do have strong vitality. We hope that, with the support of Tubatu's services, owners will grow luxuriant, beautiful spider plants.

How to Grow the Golden-rayed Spider Plant and Points to Note

How to Grow the Golden-rayed Spider Plant and Points to Note

Spider plants are much loved by everyone for their seven morphological features and their powerful air-purifying ability, and there are many types of spider plant. The method of growing the golden-rayed spider plant is actually very simple. There are many kinds of spider plant, such as the broad-leaved spider plant and the golden-edged spider plant, but the growing methods are all much the same, and spider plants are relatively easy potted plants to grow. Below we explain how to grow them according to the growing habits of the golden-rayed spider plant.

1. Growing the Golden-edged Spider Plant

The golden-edged spider plant is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant of the genus Chlorophytum in the family Liliaceae. It can flower (the flowers can generally be ignored, because they are very small), usually flowering in spring and summer. Its place of origin is South Africa. It likes warmth and humidity and partial shade, and hates the scorching sun in summer. The soil should be loose and fertile. At a room temperature of 20°C, its stems and leaves grow rapidly, and in winter the temperature must not fall below 5°C.

From the leaf rosette of the golden-rayed spider plant, stolons are often sent out, and at the nodes small plantlets often form and hang down outside the pot, making it very suitable for growing suspended, hence the name "flower of the air". Hanging it up in a flower basket or hanging basket for display as a suspended specimen is more distinctive than ordinary potted display.

The golden-rayed spider plant likes a warm, moist and semi-shaded environment. Its requirements as to light intensity are not so strict. Its vigorous growing period is roughly from March to September, and in winter, as long as the temperature does not fall below 7°C, it can grow normally. It grows better under constantly moist conditions. Because it also has fleshy roots, it can endure a period of dryness, so when watering, take care to let the soil dry out and then water again. In spring and autumn, water once every two to three days; in summer, water once a day; in winter, when the plant grows slowly, reduce the amount of water appropriately. A dry environment with air humidity that is too low often causes the leaf tips to wither, affecting growth and the ornamental effect, so spraying regularly to raise the air humidity is more favourable for growth.

During the vigorous growing period, the golden-rayed spider plant can be fertilized once a fortnight. Outdoors, apply dilute, well-rotted cake fertilizer water or human waste; indoors, apply some compound fertilizer. In general, repot once every one to two years, and use loose, fertile, well-drained sandy soil for the potting mix.

2. Propagating the Golden-edged Spider Plant

Division is the usual method of propagation. In March in spring, that is, before it is brought out of the greenhouse, separate the clustered old plants and replant the divisions, or cut off the small plantlets on the stolons and grow them on; they will also quickly grow into large plants. Spider plants love fertilizer, so during cultivation the fertilizer and water must be generous. During the growing season apply a top dressing once every 10 days. If fertilizer and water are insufficient, the leaves easily turn yellow, the leaf tips wither and yellow, and growth is poor. Except in winter it can be grown outdoors, and it can also be grown in an ordinary room. Be careful to tidy the plant and keep it neat. It likes partial shade in spring and autumn, hates the midday sun in summer, and needs plenty of sunlight in winter; if there is not enough sunlight in winter, the leaves will wither and yellow.