Chlorophytum comosum Variegatum – Indoor House Plants

Chlorophytum comosum Variegatum is the top most popular air-purifying, indoor house plant. It has dark green leaves with white margins and the long stems are green. Small white blossoms form in separate clusters connected by short stems that also bear small plantlets. Perfect as a hanging plant. According to a NASA clean air study, it is a great air-filtering plant and produces oxygen whilst removing impurities from the home or office. Spider Plant is non-poisonous to pets.

Scientific Name: Chlorophytum comosum Variegatum
Common Name: Spider Plant

How to grow and maintain Chlorophytum comosum Variegatum (Spider Plant):

Light:
It thrives best in a bright, indirect sunlight to maintain the variegation on the leaves. Keep the spider plant out of direct sunlight because it can scorch leaves and even grow well in artificial lighting.

Soil:
It grows well in a well-drained peat-moss based potting mix, such as an African violet mix. The soil should be slightly alkaline ( pH level of 6.0 and 7.2).

Water:
Water regularly, during the growing season (April to September), but water sparingly when dormant (autumn and winter). Allow the top of the soil to slightly dry out before watering again.

Temperature:
It prefers average room temperatures of 65°F – 75°F / 18°C – 24°C suit this tropical plant perfectly. It doesn’t like the cold, don’t expose it to anything below 50°F / 10°C.

Fertilizer:
Fertilize every two weeks during the growing season, from spring through summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted by half. Do not fertilize during the winter.

Humidity:
It prefers moderate indoor humidity. If the leaves turn brown and crispy, raise the humidity around it.

Pruning:
You can prune spider plant leaves in the spring or summer. Remove all discolored, diseased, or dead foliage as needed. Always use sharp pruners or scissors when pruning spider plants. To remove the spiderettes, cut the long stems back to the base from both the mother plant and the baby.

Re-potting:
Re-pot in spring when the plant has outgrown its pot. If you see roots growing out of the drainage holes, just change the pot to one size bigger for the best growth and flowering.

Propagation:
It can be easily propagated by division in late spring or by plantlets. Once your plant outgrows its container, simply remove it, break or cut it in half or thirds, and re-pot the new chunks in new pots. Mature spider plants will also produce plantlets at their end of long, stiff stems. Simply cut off the small plant, stick it in a small pot of moist indoor Potting Mix, and water gently.

Pests and Diseases:

Chlorophytum comosum Variegatum plants are susceptible to the mealy bug, scale, spider mites, and Aphids. To get rid of these pests, you can spray a Spider plant monthly with an insecticidal soap or green solution.