In reflection on the past year in which I’ve forayed into the world of houseplants, there have been two lessons that stand out above all others.
- Choose your plants wisely.
- Choose a location wisely.
These nuggets of information weren’t anywhere to be found when I initially started experimenting with adding plants to my home, but if they had, I would have saved a great deal of time and effort, not to mention the lives of plants!
How is this at all relevant, I hear you asking? Well, the spider plant is one of the few plants which is still with me today, despite all the trial and error it took to get me here. It really is an incredibly forgiving species, one which is perfect for the new gardener. With that in mind, here’s a little information about this wonderful plant.
What’s in a name? The spider plant.
Chlorophytum comosum, which roughly translates to ‘pale green hairy plant’ goes by a number of names but is most commonly known as the spider plant. It gets the moniker due to the offshoots it sends from the main plant, affectionately referred to as ‘spiderettes’. Grown for its foliage, the spider plant is interestingly a member of the asparagus family – though personally I don’t see the similarities!
The ultimate starter plant and ideal house guest.
If a spider plant can survive the baptism by fire that I put my plants through when I began home gardening, it says something for its indestructible quality. My spider plants have been alternately over-watered, left for weeks without water, put in full sun and condemned to the darkest corner of a room. Yet they live on.
It’s this durability that makes the spider plant such an ideal purchase for the beginner gardener. Ultimately, the plant prefers well-drained soil, indirect light, and to dry out between waterings, but failing to provide this combination will simply result in a slightly less happy spider plant.
What I love in particular about my spider plants is that they’re both currently sat in dark areas of my home, creating interest, colour and texture; one hangs from a shady corner of my dining room, while the other sits on a shelf in my children’s south-facing bedroom. Without the bright indirect light they won’t flower or produce spiderettes, but conveniently remain a stable size and require little input.
There aren’t many plants that don’t protest about poor location choice, but the spider plant is one of them.
Spider plant: The plant that keeps on giving.
If unlike me, you opt to provide the spider plant with a location and feeding cycle that makes it flower, you’ll be rewarded with all the baby spider plants that your heart desires.
Being able to propagate multiple cuttings from an original plant is a great bonus to look for when choosing a houseplant. Not only can you fill your home with greenery without it costing the earth, but you’ll have gifts at the ready for loved ones.
While other plants, such as my beloved Pilea peperomioides, can be a little more temperamental to care for, a spider plant makes an excellent gift for even the least green-fingered of your friends or family.
To propagate, simply snip off the spiderette and place upright in shallow water to encourage rooting (removing any lower leaves to prevent rot); then replant into soil. Alternatively, to avoid the risk of transplant shock, you can also leave the spiderette attached to the mother, but plant the shoot in a new pot. Eventually, the spiderette will set roots and you can detach the connecting shoot between the plants.
Get experimenting
In my experience, the spider plant is a fantastic tool for honing your gardening skills. Move it around your home to better understand how location affects growth, practice different methods of propagation to see which you prefer, and enjoy sharing your newfound love of plants with your nearest and dearest by gifting them their own tiny spider plant.
If you’ve been putting off indoor gardening there’s never been a better time to start, or a better plant to take with you on the journey!
