The Spider Plant or Chlorophytum
- Spider plants grow between 1 and 2 feet tall and hang between 2 and 3 feet over the sides of a hanging basket. Their long, arched, lance-shaped leaves are approximately 0.75 inches wide, with pointed tips. Cultivated varieties often have white margins and yellow or white stripes depending on the variety. Spider plants produce small, bowing clusters of white flowers, followed by leathery seed pods that each contain between three and five seeds. Small spider plants grow from hanging stalks after the plants have completed their flowering and seeding process. The young plants take root if they touch soil.
- Spider plants are available in several different cultivars. Vittatum yields 4- to 8-inch-long light green leaves with white central stripes. Vittatum tends to grow more slowly than some of the other cultivars, according to Edward F. Gilman at the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Variegatum plants have 10- to 16-inch long leaves with white margins. Mandainum, a dwarf variety, produces 4- to 6-inch leaves with a yellow stripe. Wild Chlorophytum comosum plants generally have solid medium- or dark-green leaves.
- Indoor spider plants will grow nearly anywhere you put them. They can tolerate shady spots or bright light, moist or dry soil, high or low humidity, and you can repot them whenever necessary, regardless of the time of year. They grow best, however, in all-purpose potting soil with bright but indirect light. They benefit from occasional fertilization during the growing season and enjoy daytime temperatures that range between 65 and 75 degrees. Allow the soil to dry out slightly before watering.
- Outdoor spider plants are not especially tolerant of cold temperatures and may die during periods of frost. Insect pests such as aphids, scales, mealybugs and whiteflies drain sap from spider plant foliage. Infested plants may lose vigor or die. The insects also exude large amounts of a sweet, sticky liquid called honeydew that adheres to the foliage. Honeydew serves as a growing medium for sooty mold, an unsightly black fungus. Overwatered plants or plants that grow in poorly-drained soil may develop root rot infections, and bright sunlight can scorch or bleach the foliage.