Spider plants are easy to grow indoors and in the garden
The spider plant is one of the easiest houseplants to grow. Beginning gardeners who choose a spider plant as their first houseplant will gain confidence as it thrives under their rookie care.
Botanically named Chlorophytum comosum, spider plants are native to South Africa and hardy to zone 9. Folks living on the coast of California or in the southern tips of Texas or Florida could plant them in their perennial borders. The rest of us must treat them as annuals or houseplants.
Shoppers will usually find one of three cultivars. Vittatum has green leaves with a wide white stripe down the middle. Variegatum has dark green leaves with white margins. Bonnie has the same variegation as Vittatum but its foliage curls.
As houseplants, they not only enhance the décor but also clean the air. Spider plants reduce our intake of benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene, chemicals introduced into our homes by a wide range of household products, including everything from carpet, upholstery fabrics and paint to cosmetics, air fresheners and tissues.
Spider plants prefer a spot with bright indirect sunlight but are quite adaptable. Variegated types must have a bright location to maintain their stripes. Direct sunlight may cause leaf scorch on all varieties.
Plant them in light potting mix in a pot with drainage and water thoroughly. Let the soil begin to dry before watering again. Rhizomes, or thick tuberous underground stems, store water. In the summer while plants are actively growing, they require more water but never want to sit in soggy soil.
Fertilize spider plants with a liquid fertilizer every few weeks or with a slow-release fertilizer beginning in spring. Do not over fertilize - more is not better. Roots store reserve food, too.
In spring, as daylight increases, mature plants sport white flowers on long stems that become spider-like plantlets. It is best to leave these attached to the mother plant until they develop their own roots. With roots, they can be cut away from the mother plant and planted directly into their own pot.
Plantlets without roots can also be planted as above but left attached to the mother plant. Wait until new growth begins before detaching them. Or cut them away from the mother plant and set them in a glass of water - just barely touching the water. After roots form, they can be planted.
Spider plants prefer to be pot bound and only need repotting when rhizomes emerge at the surface. Repot to a slightly larger pot in spring if new digs are necessary.
Use spider plants in the landscape, too. Plant them outside after the danger of frost has passed in the spring. Perfectly suited to hanging baskets, they are also ideal candidates for shady containers where plantlets can spill over edges.
Plant them directly into a shade garden. Their gracefully-arching, strappy, variegated foliage contrasts beautifully with bold-foliaged hostas and ferns with lacy fronds. Spider plants are also dazzling as edging plants or planted where plantlets can cascade over a wall.
• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield. She blogs at gardenwithdiana.com.