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maidinmontana

spider plants

maidinmontana
16 years ago

I have never been able to grow these with much success, I am a glutten for punishment I guess cuz I bought one a few weeks ago, determined to get one to do well.

I read somewhere that they don't like chlorinated water so I water it w/ water that has been sitting for a day or so, I let it dry out well in between waterings, I give it moderate light, sits on the fridge where it gets morning sun as well as light from the skylight, I repotted it in a size up bigger pot than the one it came in, I understand they like to be tight in the pot ? ? ? I feed it when I feed my other plants, is there anything else I should know before I sabatage my success once again?

I have some gorgeous house plants but for some reason these will not do well for me.

TIA to any and all comments.

Comments (22)

  • Mentha
    16 years ago

    I had one that completly died down to the roots and I watered it, and it came back. They are picky, yes, but they tend to be indestructible as long as the roots stay alive. I have mine outside on a metal shelf, it gets water from the hose, and rarely gets fed. If I do feed it it's via foliar feed when I spray my other plants. I've tried to kill it many times, but have decided if it wants to live, I should let it.
    They get spider mites, but the good thing is you can cut all the leaves off, drench the roots, and the leaves will grow back if the top is not damaged on the root system. They do like to be potbound, this is when they start "walking" but they also "walk" out of their pot if it get's too tight. You can repot in new soil yearly as they deplete their soil very quickly. Too much food will cause brown tips, so will lack of humidity, too much light will cause yellowing of the leaves. Other than that, they are really easy. Keep them moist, since they will become one root mass quickly. I'd go ahead and leave it in it's new pot and let it fill in the pot. It will happen quickly. It will then throw out it's spiders. Those can be rooted in water easily. I like to use clear marbles in a clear bowl filled half way with water, so I can watch the development of the roots. I just set the plantlets on top of the marbles, the roots will attach to the marbles eventually. When the root get to about two inches long I pot them up, or they can live in the water forever almost.

  • susancva
    16 years ago

    I think I've finally gotten the hang out of these plants..I practically murder them in the winter and in the spring, trim the dead, put them outside and just water. Within a month, they are back looking as good as ever. I kept a baby spider in a dessert cup all winter (with drainage holes) and in the spring, I potted it in a 6inch pot and within a couple of weeks, it had practically filled up the 6 inch pot. I would say their care would be lots of light, lots of water (potting soil+perlite), all purpose plant food (no acidity)=easy care plant.

    Susan

  • susancva
    16 years ago

    One amendment on above post...I have all varieties of spider plants and I have observed that the all-green, the hawaiian and the one with green in center/white margins seem prefer a little less sun than the others.

    Susan

  • shiver
    16 years ago

    Just a note---spider plants are sensitive to *flouride* (I don't think chlorine is a problem, but I could be wrong). Flouride will not evaporate out of water by letting it sit---you need to use bottled water or well water. My spiders will quickly go to h*ll if I use the city water out of my tap, which is flouridated. ;)

  • maidinmontana
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I am using well water now as it is easy to get to, this winter may be a different story tho, we winterize the faucet, I will think of something tho. You all make it sound like they are a piece of cake to grow, I don't know what I do wrong but mine never never survive. I even got a baby from a mamma plant of my friends a few months ago and stuck it in water to root so I could plant it, it got roots, I planted it and next thing I know it is withered up and gone.

    I think the light is about perfect for it, high light but never directly shinning on the plant. I do notice it dries out faster on the fridge since it is warm up there, so I do keep an eye on it.

    I have some beautiful house plants, friends are always getting clippings off of my plants as they are complimenting how pretty they are, they just haven't seen one of my spiders yet. . . lol

    Thanks for all the great advice and tips, I will do my best and see what happens I guess, I am determined to grow one into a beauty. . . crossing fingers toes eyes. . . lol

  • shiver
    16 years ago

    I had to giggle a bit when you said, "you make it sound like a piece of cake to grow these!" As you'll discover, what other people find "easy" will sometimes just not work with your particular growing conditions. I have over a hundred housplants, many of which others might classify as "difficult." Yet some if the "easiest" plants die the moment they pass my threshold! Dieffenbachias, phalenopsis orchids, peace lillies---can't grow'em to save me life. People tell me my plants are beautiful, and I tell them it's cuz I don't display the dead one! ;)

  • birdsnblooms
    16 years ago

    Maid, have you grown all the now dead spiders on top of the fridge? Maybe it's too warm in that spot? I think spiders prefer somewhat cooler temps. None of my spiders are in heated rooms..semi=heated, but no vents.
    One sits right up against the window summer and winter.
    I too keep water set out in old milk containers..When I first started growing houseplants, I remember reading, a spider should be water w/water that's sat out at least 24 hours.
    It works..no brown ends.
    As far as a spiders being kept potbound, that depends..Roots on spiders get pretty big when mature..I had to break a couple pots trying to wedge them out to repot. So, if you bought a spider in a 4" pot, you should repot to a 6"..especially now, while they're growing..and rooting..
    One other thing..if you have baby shoots, remove a few, and keep in water..this way, if the mom passes on to plant heaven, you'll have the babies to start new..Toni

  • maidinmontana
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    As to wether or not the spiders die on top of the fridge, no, I have never had one up there, I just put it there cuz there is a sky light close by so it can get some indirect but bright light from that. And every other spot has too good of light lots of windows and not enough room across from windows. And last but not least, I am running out of room for my plants. I think it's happy up there, I did repot it in a 6" pot from a 4" one so that was a good move, I did so about 3 weeks ago and so far no brown tips,no dropped leaves, no bugs, like I said I think it's happy so far. And according to what I read here and the advice all of you have passed on I think I am on the right track.

    No babies yet, it was/is a very young plant from the looks of it. I mentioned the stale water but one post mentioned it was floride not chlorine they don't like, so for now it gets well water. As do all of my plants in the summer until I put up the hose for the winter.

    BTW it is a stripped one not solid green. I like the solid ones better but I haven't seen one for sale for a long time. I have seen the bigger ones that have lots of babies but I decided to start with a new smaller one cuz sometimes those bigger ones are hard to figure out. . . transplant or not due to size etc. So this way I can hopefully grow it from a young plant into a mamma with babies plant.. emphasis on "hopefully" lol.

  • micke
    16 years ago

    The solid green are the easiest to grow seems like, the striped ones seem to be a little picker. The Hawaiian for me is the hardest to keep alive, I pray and hope for late winters and early spring when it comes to that one so I can get it out under my pine tree where it seems to grow like gangbusters, just got to get it through the Winter:)
    another thing I do is I put out containers when it rains and I use that water to water my plants, of course I will never, NEVER try to keep this rain water again, that was a horrible experiance!!!! or experiment, either way you want to look at it, it did not turn out well.

  • maidinmontana
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I have a baby! I was so thrilled yesterday while examining my spider plant, it has a 4-6" shoot coming up! I have done nothing out of the ordinary but took all of the advice from here and now, for the first time ever I can actually say my spider plant is GROWING ! rather than existing or worse yet, dying!

  • ulster61
    15 years ago

    Hello Group,

    I had moved into a new home this past December. I live in the Hudson Valley/Catskills area of New York State near Kingston. Anyway, In about January I got some cuttings from plants from work. These plants were nice but not doing that great. I got some spider babies and what I know as Swedish Ivy. I rooted the baby spiders in water and then replanted about 4-5 of them in a nice big pot to hang in front of one of my windows. Well the plant is growing like crazy all spring and summer. I water most of the time with water that has sat out for a few days or somtimes water from a mountain spring. well in the pot are about 4 all green plants and 1 mixed white and green plant. Now in the last few weeks I noticed a stem with many babies starting to grow and just this last week I see another new stem starting with babies. WoW, I am very happy because I want lots of babies hanging and I didn't know how long before they would start prducing babies. I would LOVE to learn more about Spider Plants and if anyone knows where else to read up on them let me know. Also What's there True Plant Name. I would also like to know how to ship babies if I can find somone who will exchange with me. Thank you in advance for helping to educate me better. ( Ulster61@Aol.com )

  • amccour
    15 years ago

    I have a variegated one. I dunno if it was multiple plants on a rhizome (do these have rhizomes?) or just multiple seperate plants, but half of the basket died. From low light. I stuck some of the offsets in the pot, and moved it to a more well lit location, and it did a lot better after that.

    Seriously, funniest thing is that I left it in my dorm for three weeks over winter break. No water or anything, and temperatures were probably in the 50s consistently since the heaters aren't on during break. It actually *grew* during that time.

  • hallgal2
    15 years ago

    The botanical name of the spider plant is Chorophytum comosum. As far as reading up on them, check out your local library for some houseplant books - I just found two good ones in my library, and am enjoying them. I also found "Success with Houseplants" by Reader's Digest, which is an older, out-of-print book that still has great information in it. I couldn't find it locally, but found it very cheaply on eBay.

    Can't help you with shipping, because I've never done that. Good luck with your plants.

  • petzold6596
    15 years ago

    Good point 'amccour', good light and NEGLECT are ingredients for success with spider plants. The rule of growing most house plants: the lower the light - the lower water needed - the lower fertilizer needed = great success.

  • jodik_gw
    15 years ago

    The only problem I've ever had growing spider plants are the brown leaf tips associated with very dry air. Other than that, they've been one of the easiest plants I've ever grown.

    I tend to neglect mine a bit too much these days, and I always end up with a lot of dying leaves because of my neglect! However, once cared for properly, I find they recover quite well and quite quickly. I wish mine would grow some babies! I think it may be too young... or too neglected!

  • michi81
    15 years ago

    I live in Miami and mine hangs outside in full sun all day. I water it when I water the rest of my plants. I just cut the brown tips off if there are any and she seems pretty happy. i have never had one before her and she is a solid green variety. She has plenty of babies that I have traded so far. I still have more if anyone is interested. :)

    {{gwi:40287}}

  • mccaba
    14 years ago

    What exactly is a Hawaiian spider plant? I have solid green ones, white with green edges and green with white edges.

  • albert_135   39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
    14 years ago

    Apparently the leaves of a "Hawaiian spider plant" are larger. I never heard of it until today but Googling for ~Hawaiian spider plant gives a few ghits and Google images has several pictures.

  • lazyhat
    14 years ago

    My mother has one of these, it has White strips. The thing has been alive for EVER. I'm in my twenties and this thing was around before I even born. The thing is ancient!

    There very easy plants to grow btw. When growing up I remember my mother only watered it once a month. They grow those babies that spider down from the pot. You can cut those off and pot them up and sell them or give them away. Its a nice plant to hand around your window. Doesn't need much direct light. And yes the dont mind being root bound. When I visit my Mother the thing still has been the same pot for more then 10 years.

  • Moosetrackz
    12 years ago

    I LOVE my variegated spider plant. Its so easy to care for and produces so many babies. My grandmother had one for 10+ years and I always liked it and remembered how easy a keeper it was and when I got mine I wasn't disappointed. I live in an apartment in zone 9 and keep it outside under the upstairs balcony so it gets bright light and just a few hours of direct sun in the evenings. It seems to be flourishing under these conditions. Its also planted with some variegated english ivy and they seem to be doing well together.

    Here is a link that might be useful: My spider plant

  • thirdyearbonsai
    12 years ago

    Do you guys pot your babies directly into soil or in water first? I've been using water, then transplanting. Attaching some pics.

    What do the experts think?

    -3rd year

    Here is a link that might be useful: Spider plant from water

  • plantomaniac08
    12 years ago

    I'm pretty new to spider plants, one of those varieties I never thought I could grow. I received a pup from my mother-in-law and to my amazement, it has taken off and seems pretty happy outside on my patio. Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to put it in a hanging basket so hopefully the table will do. :D
    March 2011:
    {{gwi:95355}}
    May 2011:
    {{gwi:95357}}

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