Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum Ocean) – Indoor House Plants

Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum Ocean) is an attractive, air-purifying, indoor house plant. It grows to about 20 – 30 cm height. It has chunkier, shorter bright green leaves edged with a cream margin. As it matures it develops stems, each of which has a baby plant at its tip. It often produces sprays of small white flowers. According to a NASA clean air study, Spider Plant can filter formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene from the air. Spider Plant is non-poisonous to pets.

Scientific Name: Chlorophytum comosum Ocean
Common Name: Spider Plant

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

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:

Spider 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.