A Gardener’s Guide to Spider Plant Propagation

This the reason most people tend to carry out spider plant propagation without any hassle. Just follow the simple rules of propagation and you will have beautiful, flourishing plants in your pot. If you too are trying to grow these houseplants in your home, then here are ways that will surely help you learn more about them.

The scientific name for spider plant is Chlorophytum comosum. It is also known by its common names such as airplane plant, ribbon plant, spider ivy, etc. These are the easiest plants to grow and the most preferred by beginners. They rarely give you problems and not only are they pretty looking plants, but environmental friendly too.

Before we go into the details of spider plant propagation, let us look at the requirements. These plans need a well-drained potting soil. The soil should drain well as these plants do not like their soil wet. They need medium to low light conditions and should be kept near a sunny window twice a week.

If you over water or over fertilize your plants, they tend to turn brown. Do not keep them under direct sunlight. Water the plants once a week and do not use tap water. The chemicals in the tap water tends to dry them out. They need constant temperature to grow and will wither if the temperature falls below 40 °F.

There are two ways you can grow them. Either plant the plantlets in soil or divide the mother plant. You will find you plant will send out stalks or shoots from the mother plant. At the end of these stalks you will find baby plants hanging like tiny spiders. You need to cut off these baby spider plants.

Now, you can carry out spider plant propagation in water using these baby plants. Just place the plantlets in water and after a few days you will find the tiny roots reaching a length of about 1 inch.

This is the right time to transfer the plants from water to well-drained, potting soil. Once the plant establishes itself it will start producing the stalks and giving out baby plantlets.

You can even try dividing the mother plant. When you find baby plantlets growing, you need to place the babies into another pot while it is attached to the mother plant. Take care of the baby plant just as you would care for the mother plant. Once the roots are fully established in the new pot, cut off the baby plant from the mother.

The baby plant will soon flourish and produce plantlets of its own. This method is also known as 'catch the baby' when propagated in its natural South African habitat. You can just place the fleshy part of the plantlets in water and wait for the roots to grow an inch or more in length. Then place them in rich potting soil that is well-drained.

Just make sure you do not use water that is treated with chemicals as these plants are very sensitive to chemicals. Make sure you mist these hanging indoor plants regularly to keep away spider mites. These plants are really easy to grow and care for. Hope this information has been useful for all those trying to propagate spider plants.