A spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) grows best in bright, indirect light, in a general indoor potting mix in a pot with a drainage hole, with water whenever the top inch of mix feels dry. Keep it in a room between about 60 and 80°F, feed lightly while it is putting out new growth, and let it get a little snug in its pot to encourage the hanging runners with baby plants. Brown leaf tips are the most common complaint, and they usually come from minerals in tap water, dry air, or uneven watering rather than a serious problem. The ASPCA lists spider plant as non-toxic to dogs and cats, which makes it one of the easiest choices for homes with pets.
Light
Spider plants adapt to a wide range of light, which is part of why they are so popular, but they look their best in bright, indirect light. A spot a few feet from an east or west window, or near a bright north window, works well. In strong direct sun through a south or west window, the leaves can scorch and turn pale or brown in patches. In low light the plant survives but grows slowly, the stripes on variegated types fade, and it rarely sends out runners. If the leaves look washed out or the plant has stopped producing babies, more light is usually the answer.
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Water thoroughly until water runs out of the drainage hole, then let the top inch of mix dry before watering again. In a warm, bright room that is often about once a week. In cool rooms and during the short days of the year, it may be every two weeks or longer. Always empty the saucer so the pot is not sitting in water.
Spider plants store water in thick, white, fleshy roots, so they forgive an occasional missed watering far better than constant wet soil. Soggy mix leads to yellow leaves, a limp base, and eventually rot. If the soil smells sour or the base feels soft, slide the plant out and check the roots, and see our guide to root rot in houseplants for how to trim and repot.
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Why the leaf tips turn brown
Brown tips on a spider plant are common and rarely mean the plant is in danger. The usual causes are:
- Minerals and salts in the water. Spider plants are sensitive to fluoride, chlorine, and the salts that build up from tap water and fertilizer. Switch to rainwater, distilled water, or filtered water, and flush the pot with plain water every few months by watering heavily and letting it drain fully.
- Dry air. Indoor heat and air conditioning pull moisture from the leaf tips. Grouping plants or using a pebble tray helps.
- Uneven watering. Letting the pot go bone dry and then flooding it stresses the tips.
- Too much fertilizer. Extra feeding adds salts that burn the edges.
Brown tips will not turn green again. Trim them with clean scissors, following the natural point of the leaf so the cut looks tidy. Our guide to brown leaf tips on houseplants explains how to tell water quality from dry air.
Soil, pots, and repotting
Any good general indoor potting mix works. Adding a handful of perlite improves drainage if your mix stays wet for more than a week. Plastic pots hold moisture longer, and clay pots dry faster, so match the pot to how often you water. Hanging pots are a classic choice because they let the arching leaves and runners spill over the edge.
Spider plants produce more babies when their roots are a little crowded, so there is no rush to repot. Move up one pot size, in the warm months, when roots are pushing out of the drainage hole or lifting the plant out of the pot, or when the mix dries out within a day or two. Large clumps can also be divided into two or three plants at repotting.
Temperature and feeding
Normal room temperatures suit spider plants well. Keep them above about 50°F and away from cold drafts, frosty glass, and blasting heat vents. Feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer at half strength about once a month while the plant is growing, and skip feeding when growth slows in cool, dim months. Pale, yellowish leaves on a plant in good light can mean it needs feeding, but too much fertilizer causes brown tips, so err on the light side.
Growing new plants from the babies
Healthy, mature spider plants send out long, wiry stems with small plantlets at the ends. These babies root easily. You can pin a plantlet onto a small pot of moist mix while it is still attached to the parent, then cut the runner once it has rooted in two to three weeks. Or snip off a baby that already has small root nubs and set the base in a glass of water until the roots are about an inch long, then pot it up. Keep new plants in bright, indirect light and the mix lightly moist while they settle in. Our guide to propagating houseplants from cuttings covers the basics of rooting in water and soil.
If a mature plant never produces babies, the usual reasons are too little light, a pot that is much too large, or a plant that is still young.
Common problems
- Yellow leaves: overwatering or a pot without drainage. Let the mix dry more between waterings.
- Pale or faded stripes: too little light, or too much direct sun if the leaves also look scorched.
- Sticky leaves or tiny insects: check for mealybugs, aphids, or scale on the undersides of leaves. See our guide to mealybugs and scale on houseplants.
- Small flies around the pot: fungus gnats from soil that stays wet. Our guide to fungus gnats on houseplants explains how to stop them.
Pet safety
The ASPCA lists spider plant as non-toxic to dogs and cats. Cats in particular like to chew the dangling leaves, and eating a lot of any plant can still cause a mild upset stomach, so a hanging pot that keeps the leaves out of reach protects both the plant and your pet. If a pet eats a plant you cannot identify, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. If a child eats part of a houseplant, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
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Bottom line
Give a spider plant bright, indirect light, water when the top inch of mix is dry, and keep it in a snug pot with a drainage hole. Use rainwater or filtered water if the tips keep browning, feed lightly while it grows, and root the babies to share or fill another pot.
Related reading
- Trailing plants for shelves and mantels
- Hanging basket care: watering and feeding
- Brown leaf tips on houseplants
- Low mess houseplants
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