How to grow spider plants? Master these care essentials
Spider plant is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant of the Liliaceae family. Long stolons often emerge from the leaf cluster, and small rooted plantlets grow from the nodes at the tips of the stolons. The flower stems are slender and rise above the leaves. The flowers are white and open in summer. Common cultivated varieties include variegated spider plant, golden spider plant, and golden-hearted spider plant.
It likes warmth, semi-shade and humid air, and prefers loose, fertile soil with good drainage and aeration. The key to growing spider plants is to do a good job with fertilizing, watering, shading, and increasing humidity. Spider plants have well-developed root systems, so potted plants should generally be repotted once every early spring. The potting soil can be a growing medium mixed evenly from 4 parts leaf mold, 4 parts garden soil, and 2 parts sand.
During the peak growing season, apply a dilute chemical fertilizer or cake fertilizer water mainly based on nitrogen fertilizer once every 15-20 days, and keep the potting soil moist at all times. Spider plants like a semi-shade environment and can be kept year-round indoors in a spot with bright scattered light, but to make them grow vigorously, it is best to hang them in a shaded spot on a balcony or under the eaves in spring and late autumn. If kept indoors for a long time, the leaves become soft, wilted and weak, and growth is slow.
In summer, when the indoor temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius, be careful to open doors and windows and use an electric fan to blow air and cool things down, which can prevent growth from stagnating due to extreme heat. In winter, you can hang it in front of a window or place it on top of a bookshelf so it gets more sunlight, and at the same time reduce the frequency and amount of watering, keeping the room temperature at around 10 degrees Celsius. If dead branches appear on the lower part of the plant, remove them promptly, and prune the flower stems appropriately so the branches and leaves are well balanced.
Spider plants have the function of purifying the air. Keeping 1-2 pots of spider plants indoors has an effect similar to installing an air filter indoors, which can keep indoor air fresh.
Spider plant care methods: how to care for spider plants
Some netizens have asked about spider plant care methods and how to care for spider plants. The spider plant care methods are introduced as follows: Spider plant is a perennial evergreen foliage plant of the Liliaceae family. It has clustered cylindrical fleshy fibrous roots and rhizomes. The leaves are basal, linear to linear-lanceolate, narrow and long, flexible like orchid leaves. The base clasps the stem and is borne on a short stem. Mature plants produce stolons, and small plantlets grow at the tips of the stolons. The scape is slender, longer than the leaves, and drooping. The raceme is single or branched, with white flowers. Spider plant is native to southern Africa. It likes a warm, humid, semi-shade environment. It is highly adaptable and relatively drought-tolerant. It is not picky about soil and grows better in loose sandy loam. It is not strict about light and is generally suitable for growing under medium light conditions, and it also tolerates weak light.
1. What are the key points for growing spider plants well?
When caring for spider plants, pay attention to doing a good job with fertilizing, watering, shading, and increasing humidity. Spider plants have well-developed root systems, so potted plants are generally repotted once every early spring. The potting soil can be a growing medium mixed evenly from 4 parts leaf mold, 4 parts garden soil, and 2 parts sand. During the peak growing season, apply a dilute chemical fertilizer or cake fertilizer water mainly based on nitrogen fertilizer about once every 15-20 days, and keep the potting soil moist at all times. Spider plants like a semi-shade environment. To make them grow vigorously, it is best to provide shade and ventilation in spring and autumn. If they are kept stuffy indoors for a long time, the leaves become soft and weak, and growth is slow. In summer, when the indoor temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius, pay attention to ventilation and air circulation to prevent growth from stagnating due to extreme heat. In winter, provide plenty of sunlight, and at the same time reduce the frequency and amount of watering, keeping the room temperature at around 10 degrees Celsius, and they can overwinter safely. During care, if dead branches appear on the lower part of the plant, remove them promptly.
2. Why do spider plant leaves easily develop dry tips?
Dry tips on spider plant leaves are a physiological disease, mainly caused by poor care and management. For example, if light is too strong or too weak, or watering is too much or too little, the leaf tips easily turn yellow and dry out and lose vitality; insufficient or excessive fertilization can also easily cause leaf tips to turn yellow, burn the roots, and in severe cases even cause death.
3. What is the main cause of spider plant leaves drying out?
Leaf drying is mainly caused by direct strong light and dry air. When caring for spider plants in northern regions, in summer they should be placed indoors in a spot with scattered light or outdoors in a cool, shaded spot to prevent direct strong light. When caring for spider plants, it is necessary to frequently spray water around the plant with clean water in all four seasons to increase air humidity. This not only prevents dry leaf tips, but also keeps the leaf surface clean, which is beneficial for photosynthesis, and has a clear effect on promoting leaf growth and the emergence of scapes. When applying liquid fertilizer, be careful to gently lift the leaves to avoid soiling them, otherwise it will also damage tender leaves and leaf tips. In addition, placing spider plants on a heated iron flower stand or near a frame or wall can easily cause leaves to dry out. For this reason, when hanging them, be sure to keep a certain distance between the flower pot and the wall or frame.
Key points for spring care of household potted flowers
Spring has arrived, and potted flowers and trees that endured a winter indoors can finally “hold their heads high” and enjoy the spring sunlight. Because spring weather is changeable, the management and care of household potted flowers in spring is very important. The city urban greening management office reminds the general public to do the following aspects of spring flower growing well:
First, propagate good seedlings. Chinese rose, geranium, pomegranate, winter jasmine, and others can be propagated in spring by taking healthy branches for cuttings. Azaleas and jasmine like acidic soil, so you can take sturdy new branches 5—10 cm long, remove the lower leaves, and keep 3—4 top leaves for cuttings. For cuttings, black mountain mud and yellow sand can be used as the medium. Spray the cuttings moderately to maintain a certain humidity, and generally they will root after about 1 month. Orchids, agave, and spider plants can be propagated in early spring by division or by stolons respectively.
Spring-sown herbaceous plants grown from seed, such as asparagus fern, ornamental pepper, mimosa, garden balsam, scarlet sage, morning glory, and marigold types, can be broadcast or sown in spots. Sowing method: first put soil in a pot, press it down slightly, then sow the seeds, and cover with fine soil. For watering after sowing, generally place the flower pot into a water basin and let water slowly seep in from the bottom of the pot. Most germinate 1—3 weeks after sowing; after germination, move the pot to a sunny spot. After the seedlings grow 2—3 leaves, they can be divided and transplanted. When transplanting, be careful not to damage the roots or break the stems.
Second, repot and change the soil. This is a method of replenishing fertilizer for potted flowers in spring. Generally, small pots are repotted once a year, and large pots once every 3—4 years. Tall plants need to be moved into larger pots. Some plants whose root systems are too dense or that have dead or rotten roots need appropriate pruning. After repotting, generally the first watering should be thorough, then place the pot in a cool place, and water again when the potting soil is seen to be dry. Generally, after new roots grow, resume normal watering and move the plant to a sunny spot.
Finally, pruning and trimming. This should be done according to different plants. Azaleas, winter jasmine, and others should not be pruned excessively. For pomegranate, Chinese rose, and others, dead branches, damaged branches, or overly dense branches can be cut off in early spring to encourage abundant flowers and lush leaves. Jasmine should have old leaves removed when repotting to encourage more new branches to sprout. Climbing vine plants such as Boston ivy, banksia rose, wisteria, and rose can be trained so that the leaf surface receives as much sunlight as possible and grows vigorously.
There are three taboos in spring care of potted flowers: avoid spring cold; when the outdoor temperature has not exceeded 10°C, do not move potted flowers outdoors too early. Avoid spring wind; because spring is windy, flowers that are moved outdoors should be placed in a sheltered spot. Avoid leaving them out overnight; flowers in early spring should not be left outdoors overnight. In addition, watering should be moderate and can be increased as the temperature rises; just keep it appropriately dry or moist.