Spider Plant Care: The Ultimate Beginner Plant

Spider plants are the plant equivalent of a golden retriever. Friendly, forgiving, enthusiastic, and almost impossible to screw up. If you’ve never successfully kept a houseplant alive, start here.

I’ve seen spider plants survive in office cubicles with fluorescent lights, college dorm rooms with zero natural light, and my own house where I forgot to water them for three weeks. They just keep going.

And as a bonus, they make babies. Lots of babies. Free plants forever.

Why Spider Plants Are Perfect for Beginners

They’re nearly unkillable. Forget to water for two weeks? They’ll forgive you. Stick them in a dark corner? They’ll survive (though they won’t love it). Underwater them, overwater them, ignore them completely - they bounce back.

They clean the air. Spider plants are on NASA’s list of air-purifying plants. They filter out formaldehyde, xylene, and other nasty stuff you don’t want to breathe.

They make baby plants. Once mature, spider plants send out long stems with mini spider plants (called “spiderettes” or “pups”) dangling off the ends. You can propagate these into new plants for free. It’s oddly addictive.

They’re non-toxic. Safe around kids and pets. Though cats love chewing on the leaves (they’re mildly hallucinogenic to cats, apparently), it won’t hurt them.

Light Requirements

Spider plants prefer bright, indirect light but will tolerate almost anything except complete darkness or harsh direct sun.

Best light: Near a window with filtered light. East or north-facing windows are ideal.

Will tolerate: Low light, fluorescent office lighting, bathrooms with tiny windows. They won’t thrive, but they’ll survive.

Avoid: Direct afternoon sun. It scorches the leaves and causes brown tips.

Pro tip: If your spider plant’s leaves are pale green or losing their variegation, it needs more light. If the tips are brown and crispy, it might be getting too much direct sun (or you’re using tap water with fluoride - more on that later).

Watering

Spider plants like to dry out between waterings. They store water in their thick, tuberous roots, so they can handle drought better than you’d think.

How to water:

Check the soil - stick your finger 1-2 inches down.
If it’s dry, water thoroughly until water runs out the drainage holes.
Let it drain completely. Never let it sit in standing water.
Wait until the soil dries out again before watering.

How often? In most homes, once a week is plenty. In winter, maybe every 10-14 days.

Signs of overwatering: Yellowing leaves, mushy roots, soil that stays wet for days.

Signs of underwatering: Leaves look droopy and wrinkled, brown tips, soil is bone dry and pulling away from the pot.

The fluoride problem: Spider plants are sensitive to fluoride in tap water. It causes brown leaf tips even when everything else is perfect. If your tap water is fluoridated, use filtered water, distilled water, or let tap water sit out overnight (some fluoride evaporates).

Soil and Potting

Spider plants aren’t picky, but they do best in well-draining soil.

Best soil: Standard potting mix works fine. Add perlite or coarse sand if your soil stays soggy.

Pot size: They like being slightly root-bound. Don’t overpot them. A pot that’s 1-2 inches larger than the root ball is plenty.

Drainage is non-negotiable. Always use a pot with drainage holes. Spider plants will rot if they sit in waterlogged soil.

When to repot: Every 1-2 years, or when roots are coming out of the drainage holes. Spring is the best time.

Temperature and Humidity

Spider plants are flexible. They’re happy in normal household conditions.

Temperature: 60-75°F is ideal. They can handle temps down to 50°F but won’t be happy. Keep them away from cold drafts and heating vents.

Humidity: Average household humidity (40-50%) is fine. They’ll appreciate a little extra humidity, but it’s not required. If your home is really dry, you might see brown leaf tips.

Fertilizing

Spider plants don’t need much fertilizer, but a little boost helps them grow faster and produce more babies.

How to fertilize:

Use a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer (10-10-10 or 20-20-20).
Dilute to half strength.
Fertilize once a month during spring and summer.
Skip fertilizer in fall and winter when growth slows.

Warning: Too much fertilizer causes brown leaf tips and can burn the roots. Less is more.

Propagating Spider Plant Babies

This is the fun part. Once your spider plant matures (usually after a year or two), it’ll send out long stems with little plantlets dangling off the ends.

How to propagate:

Method 1: Water propagation

Snip off a baby plant (spiderette) with sharp scissors.
Place it in a small jar of water. The base should be submerged but the leaves should stay above water.
Change the water every few days.
Roots will appear in 1-2 weeks.
Once roots are 2-3 inches long, plant in soil.

Method 2: Soil propagation

Snip off a baby plant.
Plant it directly in moist potting soil.
Keep the soil lightly moist until roots establish (2-3 weeks).
Then water normally.

Method 3: Let it root while still attached

Place a small pot of soil next to the mother plant.
Set the baby plant on top of the soil (don’t cut it off yet).
Pin it down with a bent paperclip or hairpin if needed.
Water lightly.
Once it’s rooted (2-3 weeks), snip the stem connecting it to the mother plant.

Before you know it, you’ll have more spider plants than you can handle. Perfect for giving away to friends, neighbors, or that coworker who keeps killing succulents.

Common Problems

Brown leaf tips: Fluoride in tap water, too much fertilizer, low humidity, or inconsistent watering. Switch to filtered water and trim off the brown tips with clean scissors.

Yellow leaves: Overwatering, poor drainage, or root rot. Check the roots and adjust your watering schedule.

Pale, faded leaves: Not enough light. Move it closer to a window.

No babies appearing: The plant might be too young (they need to mature first), or it’s not getting enough light. Spider plants produce more babies in bright light.

Leaves drooping: Needs water. Give it a good soak and it’ll perk up within hours.

Pests: Spider mites (ironic, I know), aphids, and mealybugs can show up. Spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil. Check the undersides of leaves regularly.

Why We Keep Coming Back to Spider Plants

I’ve grown a lot of plants over the years. Some are beautiful but finicky. Some are easy but boring. Spider plants hit the sweet spot - easy, attractive, and endlessly productive.

My first spider plant was a hand-me-down from a neighbor. It was half-dead when I got it, but it bounced back within a month. That plant made babies. Those babies made more babies. I’ve given away at least 20 plants propagated from that original one.

Now my kids fight over who gets to water the spider plant and harvest the babies. It’s their gateway drug into plant care. Once they see how easy it is to keep one alive, they want more.

That’s the magic of spider plants. They make you feel competent. They reward minimal effort with maximum results. And before you know it, you’re Googling “how to care for fiddle leaf figs” and realizing you’ve become a plant person.

It all starts with a spider plant.

The Bottom Line

If you’re new to plants, buy a spider plant. Put it near a window. Water it when the soil dries out. That’s it. You’ll have a thriving plant in no time, and you’ll have dozens of free baby plants to share.

And if you kill it somehow, try again. Because if you can’t keep a spider plant alive, you probably shouldn’t be trusted with anything more difficult than a cactus.

(I’m kidding. Kind of.)