Your spider plant must have reached maturity for spiderettes to develop. Spiderettes will usually appear during the summer. They start as flowers. Without pollinating the flowers, they will become spider babies.
Why do spider plants grow babies? The 'babies' you see growing from your spider plant are a form of reproductive growth from which a new spider plant can develop, and are a sign your plant is happy and healthy.
In addition, the more babies it produces, the more the plant needs fertilizer and water as this uses up much of its energy. Therefore, the spiderettes should be removed as well. These can then be placed in moist soil or water to make additional plants, which root within a few weeks.
Keeping the plant in one size smaller pot than required and in a slightly root-bound state will help it to produce more babies. Large pots dry out slowly and enhance the chance of root rot. Use containers that are slightly bigger than the root ball to boost the development of flowers and plantlets.
Well, you can do that by looking at the reproductive organs! In a female the epigyne is situated on the underside of the abdomen. In a male, there are two thickened pedipalps at the front of the head. They look like two "boxing gloves" and are usually clearly visible!
While it can be draining on the mother spider plant, it's completely fine to leave spider babies on the mother spider plant. Wait for the mother spider plant's offshoots to produce babies that grow roots and remove them from the mother plant to propagate an entirely new spider plant.
If your spider plant has put out spiderettes, it's telling you it's ready to take over the world. Of course, you don't need to remove these baby spider plants. You can leave them attached, and they will continue to grow right along with the main plant, even creating spiderettes of their own.
Detach Baby Plants & Place in Moist Soil
In this method, simply cut any spider plantlets off of the runners, and instead of putting them in water to root like method #1 that I just described, you can simply pot them right up in a small pot that has drainage holes.
If your mother plant has baby plantlets, you can detach them from the stolon (the long stem the baby grows from) and root the babies. Cut the babies off, clipping as close to the spider plantlets as possible, removing the unattractive, yellowed stolon.
Growing spider plant babies is the most common method of propagation, and there are a few ways you can do it. You can root them in soil while they're still attached to the mother plant. Or you can cut them off and either root them in water, or propagate your spider plantlets in soil.
Step 1: Wait until the spiderettes have grown roots. Once you see small knobs and roots on the bottom of your spiderettes, that's when you'll know they're ready for cutting — either by snipping the runners or leaving them attached to the parent plant.
These babies can be kept on the stem until they have developed roots, which will look like small protrusions at the base of the spiderette. You can choose to root these spiderettes in soil or water. Snip off your spiderette and plant its tiny roots in a well-draining potting soil in a pot with drainage holes.
Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are popular hanging houseplants that are very easy to propagate. With the right care, mature spider plants grow babies, or pups, on long runner stems. Propagation is simple and the spider plant babies grow roots fairly quickly. Usually in about a week or two.
Repotting spider plants is only necessary when the roots have become very visible, and the plant is pushing itself up out of the pot. If you plan on splitting your spider plant at the same time, it is best to repot in spring. Avoid repotting spider plants in winter.
How often should I water my spider plant? A light drink every week or so is all your spider plant needs, watering less frequently in autumn and winter. You're just looking to dampen the compost. A good way to check if it needs watering is to dip your finger into the soil, up to the second knuckle.
Spider plant needs are simple: Place the plant in bright to moderate light in a room that's a comfortable temperature for everyone. Keep the soil slightly moist. Once-a-week watering is sufficient in spring and summer; in winter, allow the soil to dry a bit more between waterings.
For the most part, spider plants do not need pruning. To prevent your spider plant from forming its poisonous seeds, prune away any withered flowers. You can also cut off the offshoots, known as spiderettes or pups, and use them to propagate spider plants. Pluck any completely withered leaves off the plant.
Use a pair of clean sterilized pruning shears to cut off all of the soft and mushy roots until you reach healthy roots. You can cut off thick tubers as well if they are soft and mushy. Repot the plant to fresh soil.
For Your Houseplants
You will want to just add just a tablespoon or two of milk to a quart-size pitcher filled with water. Mix it and then pour the diluted milk into the soil once or twice a month. I've tried it and had great success with my Jade Plant, English Ivy, Parlor Palm, and Spider Plant.
Once your spider plant's leaf tips turn brown, there is nothing you can do once the damage is already done. Simply trim the brown leaf tips off with a pair of sharp scissors. What is this? What you can do though is to focus on addressing the potential cause(s) so that new growth will be free of brown tips.
Problems: The most common problem for spider plants is the tips of the leaves can shrivel and turn brown or black. Overwatering is usually the problem, not underwatering. Be sure to let the soil dry out completely before watering again. Spider plants are from the tropical rainforest, so they prefer humidity.
Grow in a soil-based, well-draining potting mix. Spider plants like even moisture; they don't like to be too dry or too wet. Keep plants in bright to moderate indirect sunlight. Spider plants do not appreciate direct, hot sunlight, which can burn their leaves, causing brown tips and spots.
If you want a thick, bushy plant, start several spider plant babies in the same pot. Similarly, if your adult spider plant isn't as full as you would like, plant a couple of spiderettes alongside the mama plant.
The most important spider plant indoor benefit is its ability to filter and purify the air in your home. 'This non-toxic plant is also perfect for filtering toxins from the air such as formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene – so breath deeper with this plant in your environment' recommends Megan.