Spider plant: care, watering, repotting and propagation by plantlets

Complete care of the spider plant: position, watering and feeding, repotting, propagation by plantlets, fixing brown tips and safety for cats.

In short: The spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is an undemanding houseplant from southern Africa. It wants light without direct midday sun, a temperature above 10 °C and watering once the top layer of compost has dried. It is propagated by plantlets from runners, which root in water or in compost. According to the ASPCA it is non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Latin name	Chlorophytum comosum, asparagus family
Light	bright spot, without direct midday sun
Temperature	ideally 15–24 °C, not below 10 °C
Watering	summer once every 5–10 days, winter once every 2–3 weeks, depending on drying
Feeding	April–September, once every 4–8 weeks
Repotting	once every 1–2 years in spring

The spider plant is the houseplant that a whole generation of growers started with. It forms a dense rosette of narrow, arching, trailing leaves and, on long runners, tiny white flowers and ready-made small plantlets. That is why it is popularly called the "spider plant". It looks best in a hanging pot or on a high shelf.

It forgives a lot, but not everything. Brown leaf tips, pale leaves or missing plantlets have specific causes that are easy to remove. That is what this article focuses on. A wider choice of undemanding houseplants is in the article houseplants for beginners – top 15 undemanding.

Varieties of spider plant

Variety	What it looks like	What to bear in mind
'Vittatum'	green leaves with a white stripe down the middle	the most common, readily forms plantlets
'Variegatum'	white or cream leaf edges	needs more light, otherwise it loses the pattern
'Bonnie'	curly, twisted leaves with a stripe	more compact, suits a table
plain green spider plant	all-green leaves	tolerates partial shade and a cooler room best

Variegated (striped) varieties are propagated only vegetatively, by plantlets and division. From seed mostly green plants grow.

Where to put a spider plant

It does best in a bright spot without direct midday sun: by an east- or west-facing window, or a metre or two from a south-facing one. In direct sun the leaves fade, turn yellow and scorch. In a dark corner it survives but grows slowly, variegated varieties lose their pattern and it forms no plantlets.

Temperature. Normal room temperature suits it. It tolerates a cooler room for a short time, but in the long term not below 10 °C.
Air humidity. It tolerates even the dry air from heating, only the leaf tips go browner. Do not put it directly above a radiator.
Summer outdoors. From mid-May to September it can be on a balcony or under a tree, in partial shade and sheltered from midday sun. Bring it indoors before night temperatures fall below 10 °C.

Watering and feeding

The spider plant has strong, fleshy roots in which it stores water. A short dry spell is therefore easier for it than permanent wet. Water when the top 2–3 cm of compost are dry. In summer that usually means once every 5–10 days, in winter once every 2–3 weeks. Water that runs into the saucer should be poured away after 15 minutes.

The spider plant is sensitive to fluoride and salts in water, which show as brown leaf tips. The RHS therefore recommends watering with rainwater. If you do not have any, let tap water stand for at least a day.

Feeding from April to September with a liquid houseplant fertiliser, once every 4–8 weeks, at the dose on the instructions or even half, is enough. The RHS states that a spider plant that is repotted regularly hardly needs fertiliser. Overfeeding shows in the same way as hard water: brown tips and a white crust of salts on the surface of the compost.

Repotting

The spider plant grows fast and its strong roots can even deform a plastic pot. Repot it once every 1–2 years in spring, when the roots come out of the holes in the bottom or above the compost.

Prepare a pot only 2–4 cm wider, with a hole in the bottom. In a pot that is too large the spider plant "spreads" into roots and forms no plantlets.
Put a layer of drainage on the bottom, for example expanded clay pellets or coarse perlite.
Use ordinary houseplant compost, even lightened with about a fifth of perlite.
When repotting you can divide an old clump with a sharp knife into 2–3 parts, each with leaves and roots.
After repotting, water, and do not feed for the first month.

General principles of repotting houseplants are summarised in the article repotting houseplants, and the article drainage in a flower pot is also useful for drainage.

Propagating a spider plant by plantlets

The small plants on the runners are ready-made spider plants. As soon as they have the beginnings of roots, they root within 1–3 weeks. You have two options:

In water. Snip off the plantlet and stand it in a glass so that only the base, not the leaves, is in the water. When the roots are 2–3 cm long, plant it in a small pot.
On the runner. Leave the plantlet attached to the mother plant and press it into a neighbouring pot of compost, for example with a hairpin. After it roots, cut the runner. This method is the most reliable.

Can it be done from seed too?

Yes, but in practice it is seldom done. Seeds form only after the little flowers are pollinated and are rarely sold in shops. They are sown in spring in moist seed compost at 20–25 °C and germinate slowly, even over several weeks. Variegated varieties mostly do not come true from seed. So it is quicker to ask friends for a plantlet.

Brown tips, pale leaves and other problems

What you see	Cause	What to do
brown leaf tips	fluoride and salts from water, overfeeding, dry air, fluctuations in watering	water with rainwater or settled water, flush the compost once in a while, feed less; trim the dry tips
pale or yellowing leaves	direct sun, or on the contrary overwatering	move out of the sun, check whether water drains slowly
loss of the white stripe	too little light	a brighter place
no plantlets	young plant under 1 year, too little light, cold or a pot that is too large	wait, give more light, do not repot into an unnecessarily large container
rotting base, smelly compost	overwatering, no drainage	take it out, remove rotten roots, repot into dry compost
sticky leaves, tiny insects	aphids, in dryness also spider mites	shower the plant with lukewarm water, repeat after a week

Spider plant, cats and clean air

According to the ASPCA database the spider plant is non-toxic to dogs and cats. Cats like to nibble it, probably because of the thin swaying leaves. If they eat a lot, they may vomit briefly as after grass, but it is not poisoning. If you want to protect the plant, hang it out of reach.

It is often written that the spider plant cleans the air. This comes from a laboratory experiment by NASA in 1989 in a small sealed chamber. Later analyses showed that in an ordinarily ventilated flat the effect of a few houseplants on air quality is negligible. Ventilation is more effective. Get a spider plant because it is pretty and undemanding.

Care of houseplants in the heating season is discussed in the article how to care for houseplants in winter.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I water a spider plant?

When the top 2–3 cm of compost have dried. In summer roughly once every 5–10 days, in winter once every 2–3 weeks. Overwatering harms it more than a short dry spell.

Why are the tips of my spider plant leaves turning brown?

Most often because of fluoride and salts in tap water, overfeeding or dry air. Water with rainwater or settled water and feed less. Brown tips will not turn green again; you can trim them.

Is a spider plant poisonous to cats?

No. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats and dogs. If a cat eats a larger amount, it may vomit briefly.

How do I propagate a spider plant?

By plantlets from the runners. A plantlet roots in a glass of water or pressed into compost in a pot in 1–3 weeks. An old clump can also be divided when repotting.

Why does my spider plant have no plantlets?

Young plants under one year do not form plantlets. Other reasons are too little light, cold or a pot that is too large, in which the plant grows mainly into roots.

Can a spider plant go outside in summer?

Yes, from mid-May to September, in partial shade and out of direct midday sun. Bring it indoors before nights fall below 10 °C.

Sources

Updated: 27 September 2026

Author: Jana Vránová, the editorial name of the Pěstík.cz team. She writes about the garden, herbs and essential oils. We take safety and dosage data from specialist literature and official sources, which we cite in every article.