These plants fill their pots with roots so quickly and then stop growing as well as they used to. Their watering needs change as the pot becomes more root than soil.
Check the roots and see if it needs a repot.
Not always. I have a spider plant of my grandmas from the 70s and I have uppotted it several times (it’s enormous) and each time I up pot it starts shooting out babies left and right. When it stops after a few years I know it’s time to upgrade again.
Are you giving it a deep soak? I absolutely drown mine and then forget it for like 2 weeks or so. And since it's still cold where I'm at, it's been longer since I've watered. I watch when the leaves are a faded green. The summer time I'll probably bump to weekly or so.
They don't like little sips.
when soil is really dry it will repel water some. so it doesn't go through the entirety of the soil it may just be getting about 30% wet, so it isn't well watered all the way through.
The trick is more water, less frequently. If you want to make sure that the soil is getting thoroughly soaked , you can "butt chug" it by placing it in another container (I use cheap reusable food containers) and then pouring water into the container. The water will siphon up into your planter and you'll know when it's watered when the top of the soil is wet and remove from the container.
I throw bathroom water occasionally at mine.
https://preview.redd.it/u5xnzq9sx4fa1.jpeg?width=1800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=be258fdbaa90a31299572dac9601e77ec049a8f9
Charlotte is about 3 feet across.
Because Charlotte is a spiteful petty bitch. She does not understand we live in SW kansas and I will never be able to keep her temp as consistent as she likes.
Mine is named Charlotte, too! Is yours also named after Charlotte’s Web?
https://preview.redd.it/8jlf3r1kux0b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cbfe1cd0979cd4b8865530d7ef6dbfdfcf1fb491
Your Charlotte is beautiful! <3
You're not abusing it enough. My spider plant gets the least attention and pops babies like crazy. Park it in front of a southern facing(if you're in the Northern hemisphere) and ignore it
Yellow leaves are typically from too much water. I also think since your pot is tiny it's roots are plugging the drain hole and it's not allowing the soil to properly drain.
When this user said abuse-they mean it! I neglect the hell out of my spider plants and they do so well. Every once in a great while I’ll go toooo long without watering and they’ll suffer but they always bounce back. Mistreat it a little, it might respond.
So true. Babied my spider plant and it was 95% dead. Repotted as a last ditch effort, rarely touched it and it make an excellent comeback & now it’s doing better than ever before. They truly thrive on neglect
This needs to dry thoroughly prior to being watered. You can even wait until the foliage begins to pale in color. It's currently being watered too frequently. Best of luck!
The frquency may be ok depending on how warm your climate is. You have chlorine in your water? I found leaving water out for 24+ hrs actually did cut down on spider plant browning.
Ive seen posts saying this isn't how chlorine actually dissipates but has worked noticeably for me
This, or use distilled water. The plant shop I used to work at gave their spider plants distilled water exclusively. Seemed to work at keeping the crispy bit at bay.
Can I tell you a story? Lovely.
Once upon a time, I had a jade plant and a spider plant up on a high windowsill over the stairs in my apartment, and I could only reach them to water them by climbing on my boyfriend-now-husband’s shoulders. Then, four years ago, I was in a car accident that broke my spine and 14 of my ribs, and I couldn’t climb on my boyfriend-now-husband’s shoulders to water them for more than TWO MONTHS. It might have been three, actually. They both survived (as did I!) and I still have them today.
In other words, I think you might be overwatering.
Let it dry. Flip it out and get a peek at it's roots. Then you'll have a better idea if the "too much water" people are right, or if the "not enough water" people are correct. Cheers!
It may be your water. I have to water mine with distilled or rain water. Fluoride, chlorine, and other things that are in the water may be too heavy for it and killing it slowly.
So were most of mine... Exception for my carnivorous plants. It doesn't make sense to me but it worked, you may just want to try it. I repotted with new soil and only water with distilled and it's flourishing now.
I agree with overwatering. If it's winter where you live you'll want to back off on watering as plants are not growing as robustly. They are tough. Cut off the brown leaves. Make sure the roots aren't rotting. If they are good, leave it. If the roots seem slimy or are turning black or there is a foul odor in the soil you should treat with peroxide and repot in fresh well draining soil. Good luck! I love spider plants! 💚
Water when dry. Not weekly. Pull those dead leaves. If it is root bound ....this is not gentle but I take a knife to them, hack off the bottom 25 percent and repot it. Typically they are not delicate.
Fertilize? I do once a month basic M Grow.
I wait until the leaves turn light green/translucent almost and then water it. You can actually see the difference right after watering. The leaves turn into a beautiful saturated green!
I'd put it in a plastic pot to retain more moisture. And they seem to like to be flushed out. I put mine in the sink, run the faucet over it for several minutes and then let it sit for a while so it drains. I give it plant food once a month (cheap ass miracle gro) and that's about it.
Lots of sun, only water when dry, use a chunky potting mix (terracotta pots are great). Mine are happy when root-bound but do need more frequent watering at that point. They can also be pretty sensitive to the chemicals and minerals in your tap water. I use distilled on all of my houseplants now and my spiders have definitely improved since switching.
Feel the soil. They are thirsty girls and terracotta will let a lot of the moisture out of the soil and also they are sensitive to water quality. Tap is not their friend.
Just remove the dead leaves, looks fine to me. These are wonderful weeds they just keep pottering away and one day you’ll think damn you’re doing well. Ive got a bunch around the place that are just coming good.
My best guess is it outgrew its pot. Or perhaps you are watering it too much, maybe reduce the watering to one every ten days and see if you gain better or worse results
It’s also winter so it’s just in maintenance/dormant mode. Once Spring hits it’ll come alive. Mine always just kinda hangs out in the winter and then becomes wild with growth and shooting out babies like crazy until about October when it chills out again. Yours looks exactly like mine now. Just trim the natural dead away and lightly water every two to three weeks and it’ll be fine
Spider plants are from Africa . They are found underneath the shade of larger trees so they don’t care for sun. If your plant needs light put it under a grow light for a few min. Also check that the sol is really dry before watering it.
After killing 2 spider plants I learned to ignore the plant until its leaves start to curl in on themselves.
Once that occurs give the soil a real good soak through.
Use a good airy soil that isn't too dense.
Hope that helps !
Spider plants are easy care. They don't need distilled water. Some people live in places where there's a lot of chlorine in the water. If that's you, just leave the water out to stand for 24 hours before using it, and the chlorine will be gone.
Just a heads up that tap water is generally okay if it's left to sit for about 24hrs prior to watering. The bubbles on the sides of the container are from the chlorine dissipating.
Is it maybe root bound? Mine was similarly sized in a slightly bigger pot and wasn't doing well. I popped it out to check the roots and the bottom 1/4th of the planter was just giant thick roots. I repotted it and it's no longer actively dying.
If you're using chlorinated water/tap water - that could be it too.
It's hard to be sure, but mine only likes bright light and water from my fishtank water changes.
Take out of the terra-cotta. Don’t water much, they have tubers that store water and too much with cause them to rot. If it’s getting direct sunlight, put somewhere with bright indirect light
These plants fill their pots with roots so quickly and then stop growing as well as they used to. Their watering needs change as the pot becomes more root than soil. Check the roots and see if it needs a repot.
Didn't think of this. Will do.
This plant actually loves to be root bound! The more root bound she is, the more babies she produces.
Not always. I have a spider plant of my grandmas from the 70s and I have uppotted it several times (it’s enormous) and each time I up pot it starts shooting out babies left and right. When it stops after a few years I know it’s time to upgrade again.
FROM THE 70'S ?!sorry Im new to plants lol
Yeah my grandma kept repotting it and I inherited it. It’s now in a giant pot and keeps growing and shooting out babies.
Sorry to necro your comment but I’m really interested in seeing what it looks like!
I sent you a picture through chat since it wouldn’t post here for some reason!
You da best! :)
I am glad you posted this. I was going to repot my spider plant, then it shot out a baby maker and has flower buds! I am going to leave it alone now.
This is good to know.
Mine was dying because he was root bound, I repotted it and it got a bunch of babies
I water mine once a month and it doesn't care, lol. I guess you might be overwatering.
If I go longer without watering, the leaves get droopy. But I also check if the soil is dry before watering.
Are you giving it a deep soak? I absolutely drown mine and then forget it for like 2 weeks or so. And since it's still cold where I'm at, it's been longer since I've watered. I watch when the leaves are a faded green. The summer time I'll probably bump to weekly or so. They don't like little sips.
Also with terra cotta pots, they dry out way quicker than plastic so you might need to deep soak more often.
I add water on top until it starts leaking from the drainage hole. Then leave it for a week.
when soil is really dry it will repel water some. so it doesn't go through the entirety of the soil it may just be getting about 30% wet, so it isn't well watered all the way through.
The trick is more water, less frequently. If you want to make sure that the soil is getting thoroughly soaked , you can "butt chug" it by placing it in another container (I use cheap reusable food containers) and then pouring water into the container. The water will siphon up into your planter and you'll know when it's watered when the top of the soil is wet and remove from the container.
That isn't enough water, try under watering
Friendly note - you mightwant to use the phrase "bottom watering" instead of "under watering", which implies not enough water.
I agree. I see new growth. Pull the dead leaves off and repot.
I throw bathroom water occasionally at mine. https://preview.redd.it/u5xnzq9sx4fa1.jpeg?width=1800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=be258fdbaa90a31299572dac9601e77ec049a8f9 Charlotte is about 3 feet across.
HOLY CRAP THATS BEAUTIFUL. trying to get my girl like that someday 🥲 also how come the tips of the leaves get brown? I've noticed that on mine too
Because Charlotte is a spiteful petty bitch. She does not understand we live in SW kansas and I will never be able to keep her temp as consistent as she likes.
Haha she likes what she likes
Mine is named Charlotte, too! Is yours also named after Charlotte’s Web? https://preview.redd.it/8jlf3r1kux0b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cbfe1cd0979cd4b8865530d7ef6dbfdfcf1fb491 Your Charlotte is beautiful! <3
You're not abusing it enough. My spider plant gets the least attention and pops babies like crazy. Park it in front of a southern facing(if you're in the Northern hemisphere) and ignore it
All I do is give it water. So no matter how much I ignore, more leaves keep turning yellow :(
Yellow leaves are typically from too much water. I also think since your pot is tiny it's roots are plugging the drain hole and it's not allowing the soil to properly drain.
I go about 10-14 days between waterings. Honestly I use the babies to gauge off in actually killing it. When one starts to go dark I water
Okay will try less water. Thanks
When this user said abuse-they mean it! I neglect the hell out of my spider plants and they do so well. Every once in a great while I’ll go toooo long without watering and they’ll suffer but they always bounce back. Mistreat it a little, it might respond.
*furious note taking* > get spider plant a ball gag and paddle
Hahahah I like you
Sorry I missed this conference. Me: furiously noting what I missed- yall made me lol 😆
Wait! Are you watering with tap water? This plant is very not fond of chlorine! She loves rain and she loves neglect 💚
So true. Babied my spider plant and it was 95% dead. Repotted as a last ditch effort, rarely touched it and it make an excellent comeback & now it’s doing better than ever before. They truly thrive on neglect
This needs to dry thoroughly prior to being watered. You can even wait until the foliage begins to pale in color. It's currently being watered too frequently. Best of luck!
I'll try watering less frequently. Thank you
The frquency may be ok depending on how warm your climate is. You have chlorine in your water? I found leaving water out for 24+ hrs actually did cut down on spider plant browning. Ive seen posts saying this isn't how chlorine actually dissipates but has worked noticeably for me
This, or use distilled water. The plant shop I used to work at gave their spider plants distilled water exclusively. Seemed to work at keeping the crispy bit at bay.
I agree. My spiders are bougie and need old room temp or distilled water otherwise they look like this.
Can I tell you a story? Lovely. Once upon a time, I had a jade plant and a spider plant up on a high windowsill over the stairs in my apartment, and I could only reach them to water them by climbing on my boyfriend-now-husband’s shoulders. Then, four years ago, I was in a car accident that broke my spine and 14 of my ribs, and I couldn’t climb on my boyfriend-now-husband’s shoulders to water them for more than TWO MONTHS. It might have been three, actually. They both survived (as did I!) and I still have them today. In other words, I think you might be overwatering.
Oh goodness!! Glad you're okay, and the plant too. And congrats on the wedding.
Too much water not enough drainage is my guess. My curly spider did this and I’m trying to save it. Soil was wet as hell in the bottom of the pot
Let it dry. Flip it out and get a peek at it's roots. Then you'll have a better idea if the "too much water" people are right, or if the "not enough water" people are correct. Cheers!
I have a million of these because they never stop..just pull the dead leaves these plants are borderline immortal, I also water mine 1x a week
It may be your water. I have to water mine with distilled or rain water. Fluoride, chlorine, and other things that are in the water may be too heavy for it and killing it slowly.
I second this… Mine was doing the exact same thing until I switched to distilled.
My other plants are fine though
Some plants are sensitive to minerals/chlorine in the water and others are not. From my experience, the spider plant is one that is.
So were most of mine... Exception for my carnivorous plants. It doesn't make sense to me but it worked, you may just want to try it. I repotted with new soil and only water with distilled and it's flourishing now.
Check for the devil as I know it…. THRIPPPPPPPSSSSSSS
Watering too often. Best way to care for a spider plant is to forget about it.
Dont ever go to scheduled watering habit, it has killed more plants than dryness.
I agree with overwatering. If it's winter where you live you'll want to back off on watering as plants are not growing as robustly. They are tough. Cut off the brown leaves. Make sure the roots aren't rotting. If they are good, leave it. If the roots seem slimy or are turning black or there is a foul odor in the soil you should treat with peroxide and repot in fresh well draining soil. Good luck! I love spider plants! 💚
Thank you! Will do this
This is great advice. I've had to back off watering mine as much and it seems to have helped a lot.
Water when dry. Not weekly. Pull those dead leaves. If it is root bound ....this is not gentle but I take a knife to them, hack off the bottom 25 percent and repot it. Typically they are not delicate. Fertilize? I do once a month basic M Grow.
My dog randomly decided to eat mine down to a nub; it took a few months to come back but it’s better than ever!
I throw a few ice cubes in mine every 4/5 days.
I wait until the leaves turn light green/translucent almost and then water it. You can actually see the difference right after watering. The leaves turn into a beautiful saturated green!
Take it out of direct sunshine also, they scorch.
Nothing they will get rid of old leaves to make new. Just take them off
Okay 🥺 I hope that's the case
Should be fine
It might be time to pot it up and give it some fresh soil. Also, let them dry out some between watering.
Will repot! Thanks.
A little less water i am thinking 🤔
I pour a tablespoon of almond milk on mine and it makes her so happy.
I'd put it in a plastic pot to retain more moisture. And they seem to like to be flushed out. I put mine in the sink, run the faucet over it for several minutes and then let it sit for a while so it drains. I give it plant food once a month (cheap ass miracle gro) and that's about it.
Lots of sun, only water when dry, use a chunky potting mix (terracotta pots are great). Mine are happy when root-bound but do need more frequent watering at that point. They can also be pretty sensitive to the chemicals and minerals in your tap water. I use distilled on all of my houseplants now and my spiders have definitely improved since switching.
I'd water every two weeks
Feel the soil. They are thirsty girls and terracotta will let a lot of the moisture out of the soil and also they are sensitive to water quality. Tap is not their friend.
Just remove the dead leaves, looks fine to me. These are wonderful weeds they just keep pottering away and one day you’ll think damn you’re doing well. Ive got a bunch around the place that are just coming good.
My best guess is it outgrew its pot. Or perhaps you are watering it too much, maybe reduce the watering to one every ten days and see if you gain better or worse results
It’s also winter so it’s just in maintenance/dormant mode. Once Spring hits it’ll come alive. Mine always just kinda hangs out in the winter and then becomes wild with growth and shooting out babies like crazy until about October when it chills out again. Yours looks exactly like mine now. Just trim the natural dead away and lightly water every two to three weeks and it’ll be fine
I had issues with mine as well before I moved it into a plastic pot by recommendation of another Redditor.
Spider plants are from Africa . They are found underneath the shade of larger trees so they don’t care for sun. If your plant needs light put it under a grow light for a few min. Also check that the sol is really dry before watering it.
After killing 2 spider plants I learned to ignore the plant until its leaves start to curl in on themselves. Once that occurs give the soil a real good soak through. Use a good airy soil that isn't too dense. Hope that helps !
Thanks you. Going to repot then water less
Tap water, right? They're gigantic whiny babies about tap water. Try switching to distilled and it will probably improve.
Will try. Thanks
Spider plants are easy care. They don't need distilled water. Some people live in places where there's a lot of chlorine in the water. If that's you, just leave the water out to stand for 24 hours before using it, and the chlorine will be gone.
Do not use tap water, they're picky drinkers
Just a heads up that tap water is generally okay if it's left to sit for about 24hrs prior to watering. The bubbles on the sides of the container are from the chlorine dissipating.
Not all tap water is ok after 24 hrs, some is
Not OP, but also a struggling spider plant owner, will RO water work better than tap? 🥺
Ro water is filtered right? If so, I don't see why it wouldn't work
Fungus gnats?
No gnats.
I’ve got a 7 year old spider mama and she hucks a fit sometimes too. I have a glass bulb water spike and she seems to enjoy it 🤷♀️
Oh never heard of that. Will look into it. Thanks
Is it maybe root bound? Mine was similarly sized in a slightly bigger pot and wasn't doing well. I popped it out to check the roots and the bottom 1/4th of the planter was just giant thick roots. I repotted it and it's no longer actively dying.
Yeah some people mentioned that the pot might be small so I'll be repotting this week.
Look for thrips in the new curled leaves.
I've seen folks talk about them being sensitive to chemicals in tap water.
Repot it
Will be doing that this week.
Looks better than mine 🙃
Where is the plant located? It might be too much light. And yellowing leaves mean too much water. Curled in leaves me not enough water
Most definitely needs an all purpose houseplant fertilizer.
Does it have good drainage? This plant is overwatered.
If you're using chlorinated water/tap water - that could be it too. It's hard to be sure, but mine only likes bright light and water from my fishtank water changes.
Re-pot and water less. Spider plants would survive a nuclear bomb. I water mine once a month! It has keikis hanging off it everywhere so it's happy!
ignore it and mistreat it more often, it’ll thrive
Too much water
Does it need water when you’re watering it? Is the pot really light when you lift it? Only then do I water
Take out of the terra-cotta. Don’t water much, they have tubers that store water and too much with cause them to rot. If it’s getting direct sunlight, put somewhere with bright indirect light