Spider plant care: watering and light
The spider plant sends out babies on long, arching stems, and each one can become a new plant. One of the easiest and most generous plants you can own.
Spider plant needs water roughly every 5 days in summer and every 10 in winter (east-facing window, in a 16 cm plastic pot with a drainage hole). Before watering, always check with a finger in the soil: if it’s still damp, wait.
At a glance
- Scientific name
- Chlorophytum comosum
- Preferred light
- Bright indirect light
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Tolerates drought
- No
- Tolerates shade
- Yes
- Where it lives
- Indoors
Where to put it
It prefers plenty of indirect light: an east-facing window or a bright kitchen. It copes with less, but the white stripes fade and it stops making babies. Strong midday sun scorches the tips.
How to water
Its thick roots store water, so a spider plant handles a missed watering well. Water when the top layer of soil is dry, and let it drain fully. Less often in winter.
Common mistakes
Brown tips are the most common problem: dry air, too much feed or very hard water. Trim them with scissors, following the shape of the leaf. To make new plants, rest a baby on a pot of compost while it’s still attached to the mother, and cut the stem once it has rooted.
How many days between waterings, spot by spot
| Where it lives | In July | In January |
|---|---|---|
| South- or west-facing window | 4 days | 8 days |
| East-facing window | 5 days | 10 days |
| North-facing window | 8 days | 15 days |
| Hallway or corner with no window | 11 days | 22 days |