Easy to care for house plant

Botanical Name: Chlorophytum comosum

Spider Plant is an impressive house plant for beginners. It's easy to care for, tolerates average room conditions, and is easy to propagate.

The slender, arching leaves are dark green with a creamy white stripe. Leaves grow from a central crown and can reach up to 1 ft (30 cm) long. Give this plant plenty of light for the best leaf color. Plants grown in low light may lose their variegation.

When less than a year old, the plant produces small, white flowers on the tips of wiry, upright stems, called runners.

The runners are soon weighted down with plantlets giving it a spidery appearance.

These plantlets -- often called "babies" -- are easy to propagate, giving you an ongoing supply of plants.

Repot in spring when the plant has outgrown its pot. Move up to a slightly larger pot. These plants like to be slightly root-bound and will flower and produce plantlets best when grown in a smallish container.

Spider plants look best in hanging baskets or on tall stands or pedestals to show off their trailing foliage. Their variegated leaves and graceful, fountain-like growing habit add a beautiful contrast and texture when grouped with other house plants.
Origin: South Pacific and South Africa

Height: Stems grow to 3 ft (90 cm) or more in length.

Light: Bright light.

Water: Keep soil evenly moist. If your tap water contains fluoride, use distilled or rainwater.

Humidity: Average indoor humidity.

Temperature: Average room temperatures 65-75°F, 18-24°C

Soil: Any good potting mix.

Fertilizer: Feed every 2 weeks spring through summer with a liquid fertilizer diluted by half.

Propagation: Plantlets. Set a small pot filled with damp potting mix next to the plant. Sink a new plantlet into the soil of the small pot, so that the root buds are barely covered. You may need to place a small rock to hold the plantlet in place. It should root in 2-3 weeks. After that time, sever it from the parent plant.