After pruning, repot the spider plant, giving it a good root pruning as well prior to returning it to the pot of fresh soil. I’ve been through it too with my spider plants. For more tips from our Gardening co-author, including how to propagate baby spider plants, read on! How do I propagate my spider plant? It is recommended to cut the leaves and let them re-grow. Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. % of people told us that this article helped them. Remember to add new soil to the pot so your plant gets enough nutrients. Potbound plants don’t hold as much water as those which have a bit of room for the roots to grow. Similarly, if your adult spider plant isn’t as full as you would like, plant a couple of spiderettes alongside the mama plant. This article has been viewed 55,193 times. Clip off tendrils from the base of the baby spider plants in the same manner. hello, my names Katrina. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. To keep these plants looking their best, it is occasionally necessary to trim spider plant leaves and spiderettes. This. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014. As a result, spider plants benefit from an occasional pruning. When you think of it, keeping … By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Not at all. This article has been viewed 55,193 times. As the plantlets grow in size, I clip off the larger ones and place them in water. I don't mist my spider plant either. Spider plants are hardy, and without pruning, they can grow up to three feet in both diameter and length, so removing some of the foliage from the base will not hurt the plant at all. This way it could take a little longer for the plantlet to settle in, and show new growth. Once you’ve removed the baby, you can cut the stem away from the mother plant as nothing new will grow on it. Even though those roots & tubers store water, they weren’t able to absorb it. Keep them in the water until they sprout roots. Choose a container that's a 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm) larger in diameter. Remove all discolored, diseased, or dead foliage as needed. Pruning spider plants keeps them at a more desirable and manageable size and rejuvenates their overall health and vigor. 1. Also, don’t have to throw these little plantlets away, but you can start growing them into separate plants. While spider plant propagation is hugely popular, there are times when you may need to remove any plantlets attached to the mother plant. Hose off spider mites and remove unsightly spider webs by using your bathroom shower. Keep spider plants out of direct light and mist the plants when the humidity is low. Water the fledgling spider babies as needed to keep the soil slightly moist, but never saturated, until healthy new growth indicates the plant has rooted. However, they will grow in conditions ranging from semi-shady to partial direct sun. Ensure the soil stays moist and the plant is protected from direct sunlight while it's recovering from the pruning. Sign up for our newsletter. 2. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. To remove the spiderettes, cut the long stems back to the base from both the mother plant and the baby. Last Updated: February 22, 2020 Tap water with too much fluoride or chlorine can also damage the leaves. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! I frequently cut off babies (much smaller than yours and without roots) and put them in moist potting soil then give them away. Prune it each spring when its leaves can easily grow back. If you're having trouble finding the baby spider plants, look for the miniature versions of a full-grown spider plant that are growing on the … Method One - If the babies have been hanging on the parent plant for while and have their own roots (see photo below), you can cut them off the flowering stem and push them directly into a pot filled with moist compost. In my experience, spider plant babies are rarely preceded by tiny white flowers. After a few weeks, the new spider plant should put on new growth. Although you can divide an overgrown plant into multiples, you don’t have to wait for the plant to double in size to propagate it. Water the fledgling spider babies as needed to keep the soil slightly moist, but never saturated, until healthy new growth indicates the plant has rooted. You may want to re-pot overgrown plants. Spiders plants are super sturdy, so you can cut if it bothers you. I May Be Lazy, but There’s Another Reason to Root Spider Plants in Water. Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. The flowers that form in response to increasing day length will develop into mini spider plants, called “spiderettes,” which are easy to grow into new plants. You’ll only need to prune your spider plant briefly once a year to keep it healthy. article was clear on that. If you notice that your spider plant is producing these little spider plant babies, you should remove them as they are really sucking all of the energy from the main plant. When it gets too big for the lid, transplant it into a bigger container like a small teracotta pot . The simplest way to propagate the spider plant is just to cut off the babies and plant them directly into the soil in their own pots. Oftentimes this is due to the type of water being used during irrigation. The flower shoots are the long shoots that all the baby spider plants are growing off. The mother plant had a ton of babies, even some with their own babies, so it did not suffer at all even losing a lot of them. Plus, these off-shoots are virtually fool-proof. When my spider plants start sending out out off-shoots, they go big. Remove any leaves that have brown tips as well as any that may be yellowing. Shower Plants to Remove Spider Mites. Using scissors, cut the baby plantlet off the mother’s stem. I have a beautiful spider plant. For overgrown or pot bound plants, repotting in addition to pruning may be necessary. This is normally done during spring, or in most cases, summer. Those are planted in the soil and will grow into roots. Spider Plant Care: Gardening Tips For Spider Plants, Spider Plant Problems: Tips For Getting Spiderettes On Plants, Do Spider Plants Need Fertilizer – How To Fertilize Spider Plants, Pohutukawa Info – Growing New Zealand Christmas Trees, Olive Tree Appetizer: Creating A Christmas Tree Made Of Olives, Garden Inside During Winter: How To Plant An Indoor Winter Garden, Harvesting Rutabaga And How To Store Rutabaga Grown In Garden, Roses From Cuttings: How To Start A Rose Bush From Cuttings, Collecting Rose Seeds – How To Get Rose Seeds From A Rose Bush, Fertilizing Tomatoes: Tips For Using Tomato Plant Fertilizer, Fresh-Cut Pine Tree Smell: Perfect Christmas Tree Memories, Norfolk Island Pine - The Perfect Christmas Tree, Winter Survival Guide: Creative Ways To Garden In Winter, Evergreen Favorite: Container Grown Olive Trees. Spider plants are one of the easiest houseplants to care for, but don't worry if yours develops a few brown leaves. When I came back home, I cut all the dead yellow leaves, which was the whole plant, haha. Sometimes the babies will come off easily when you disturb them. Keep going! How to Rejuvinate a Spider Plant. ", https://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/sanitizingpruningtools.html, http://www.gardenloversclub.com/houseplants/spider-plant/pruning/, https://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/spiderplant, https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/spider-plant/pruning-spider-plants.htm, https://plantcaretoday.com/spider-plant-care.html, https://getbusygardening.com/how-to-propagate-spider-plants/, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Brown tips can also occur from too much sunlight and low humidity. New to DG and some gardening taks..but I've never cut the runners on my spider plants. Here are the steps to propagate spider plants in water. •The easiest way to root spider plant babies is by putting them in water until new root shoots pop out. Sometimes you may not even need to cut the baby off, as the plant will release the offshoot easily. Nell. These babies can be propagated in either water or soil by simply detaching them from the offshoot. This lets the mother plant direct more energy toward the smaller babies still attached. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Detaching the Babies. Over time these chemicals will build up in the foliage, eventually burning the tips and subsequently turning them brown. The spiderettesthat the plant produces are nutrient hogs. This is to allow the spiderettes to quickly grow roots and be planted in their own pot, but if you leave them attached too long, your main spider plant may begin to suffer from a lack of nutrients. If its leaves continue to turn yellow, tip the plant out of its pot and trim the sides and bottom of the roots so it will have more space when you return it to the pot. Removing the spiderettes and trimming the plant will help ensure that it remains healthy… If the leaves aren't a healthy green, the plant may be getting too much sunlight. I like to cut it as close as possible to the baby so there’s no unsightly stem left sticking out. While you can use a 10% bleach solution, the bleach will corrode the blades on your shears if you regularly use it on the shears. When they are hanging from the mother plant, they soak up a lot of the fertilizer and the water. ... Hi – I’ve never tried that. Remove all discolored, diseased, or dead foliage as needed. Should I cut the babies off my spider plant? I'm fixing to pull pups off and put them in pots. This will ensure that my new planter looks like this one soon! Spider plants naturally produce root runners at the end of their stalks that can be simply removed and planted as new plants. Keep the new soil moist, and cut the stem between the new and old plant after the spiderette has rooted. Spider plants prefer bright light and tend toward scorching in direct sunlight. They make excellent additions to hanging baskets with their long, ribbon-like foliage and arching stems of spiderettes spilling over the edges. If your spider plant is overgrown, cut away the excess leaves near the base of the plant. A happy spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is eager to produce plenty of babies when it matures. Then remove some of the baby plants to keep the main plant healthy. This is my spider plant. Spider plants typically produce off-spring during the shorter days of the year. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014. Spiderettes can also be cut off and rooted. I always start my baby spider plants in a small container like a laundry detergent lid. To prune the babies – called spiderettes! First, look for a spider plant baby that has little nubs on it. I cut my bent SP leaves off. Spider Plant (Good Things to Know) My Spider Plant was even more tight in its pot than I thought. You’ll just need an existing spider plant, a clean knife or pair of scissors, and a container of water. Set the new baby plants into a cup of water for a few days (about five) to help the roots grow out a bit, and then you can plant them in potting soil. You can also use rubbing alcohol or white vinegar. Therefore, the spiderettes should be removed as well. By using our site, you agree to our. Any foliage being pruned should be cut at the base of the plant. It takes a week or so for them to get roots and then you can plant them. Waiting until the roots … But that is nothing to worry about. If you choose to let them hang till the babies appear, you can cut them off then and stick the babies in dirt and they will start a new plant. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. Consider doing root pruning every 2 years or so if your spider plants are growing a lot of foliage. Don’t be afraid to cut the root ball. For overgrown or pot bound plants, repotting in addition to pruning may be necessary. Move the plant to an area where it gets 4 to 6 hours of sunlight. Leaves usually start turning a brownish color due to various careless mistakes on our part – moisture, stress, and sunlight overexposure being the most common factors. I just pinch off the babies and put them in … Replace the water in the container every few days, or when it becomes oily or dirty. "It's difficult to find instructions about exactly where to cut the baby stem away from the mother plant. If you'd like a natural product, use a mild household cleanser. Try to add fertilizer and move the plant to a sunny place. I'm fixing to pull pups off and put them in pots. When my spider plants start sending out out off-shoots, they go big. If you do a severe prune, you can go a few years in between pruning. There is no shortage of spider plant babies. My mother gave me this last September ALMOST dead. You can spray it good and water it at the same time. Always use sharp pruners or scissors when pruning spider plants. This is my spider plant. For more tips from our Gardening co-author, including how to propagate baby spider plants, read on! In other instances, you can leave them attached, to begin with. Use clean shears to snip away leaves near the base of the plant. Spider Plant Propagation in Water. These babies can be propagated in either water or soil by simply detaching them from the offshoot. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Should I cut the babies off my spider plant? For my project, I cut the largest spider babies on the ends of the long runners about 1 inch from the plant and trimmed the runner back to the baby. Cut the baby spider plants at the stems connecting them to the flower shoot. Should I Cut the Babies Off My Spider Plant? Prune the stem between the baby and main spider plant. Also, don’t have to throw these little plantlets away, but you can start growing them into separate plants. It is part of the charm of spider plants to have dangling shoots with babies. Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are another commonly grown houseplant. Now I can raise my separated baby. I chose well developed ones that had a good root system showing and also chose some with babies of their own starting to form. Root spider plant babies in soil while still attached to the mother plant. My mother gave me this last September ALMOST dead. I've always had it in the corner by window … You should water them liberally through the summer and mist them occasionally. Planting baby spider plants Let the soil dry out a bit in between watering. Generally, it’s a good idea to include root pruning at least once every year or two. The plant should start again stronger. All you need to do is properly care for your spider plant and it will do the rest of the work "making babies" on its own. If you grow spider plants, you don't really need to do much to make them "have babies." I’ve have it for about 2 years and have never repotted it but can’t get it to grow babies. If the baby plants don't have roots, put them in a container with water. This is known as water stress. Before you put them in water, cut or pinch off any foliage that is growing at the base of the baby or growing under the … Should I cut the babies off my spider plant? Spider Plant (Good Things to Know) My Spider Plant was even more tight in its pot than I thought. how cute is that? {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b6\/Prune-a-Spider-Plant-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-a-Spider-Plant-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b6\/Prune-a-Spider-Plant-Step-1.jpg\/aid10064393-v4-728px-Prune-a-Spider-Plant-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"