Spider Plants: Know all about it

Despite a forbidding name, the spider plant scientifically known as the (Chlorophytum comosum) is a humble house plant that can occupy one corner of your living room or bedroom without drawing attention to itself and yet charm you with its simple beauty. A hardy plant which is difficult to kill, spider plants were a favourite in Victorian era households and have survived to this day as house plants of choice. Here is a guide to help you to care for these plants and grow them.

Spider Plant Benefits

The two most significant health benefits of spider plants are ability to purify the air and improve the health. Spider plants absorb carbon monoxide which is lethal for humans. According to researchers at the Kansas State University, adding spider plants to hospital rooms speeds the recovery rates of patients.  It is said that Spider Plants come with many health benefits too. If you plant some of these in your offices, it can decrease fatigue, you will catch cold lesser, lesser throat infection and headaches, which means lesser use of medicines and more productivity. Now that you know the health benefits of the spider plant it is time to know the varieties of this wonderful plant.

Varieties of the Spider Plant

There are four common varieties of the spider plant. They are as follows:

Bonnie Spider Plant – The most distinguishing feature of this spider plant is that it has leaves that twist and curl.

Hawaiian Spider Plant – The Hawaiian Spider Plant gives a multi-coloured look thanks to variegation on its new leaves and as the leaves age, the variegation also fades away which gives rise to more colours.

Variegated Bonnie Spider Plant – This kind of spider plant has green leaves stripped with creamy white.

Zebra Grass Spider Plant – Green leaves edged with white give its name.

Above mentioned are the types of Spider Plants that you can go for.

Spider Plant Indoor Care Guide

It is very important to take care of these plants while being in the indoors. Here goes the way how you will take the indoor care of this lovely plant.

The best pots for the spider plant are those that are four to six inches in diameter so that they can accommodate a sapling. Try to avoid clay pots as the plant will not have enough space for the roots to grow and once the plant becomes big the pot will break. . A free draining planter is going to be the best planter for this fast-growing plant.

Organic soil is the best way to go about it when tending to the spider plant as things such as fluoride can damage the plant,so you do not want to use any soil that is fertilized. Instead, a mix of compost, peat, loam, and coarse sand is perfect.

Spider Plant Outdoor Care Guide

Spider plants don’t thrive in direct sunlight so make sure that they have moderate to deep shade available to them during the day. When young, they need moist soil.

Water requirements

During the initial growing period, these plants require a lot of water with slow consumption in winter. However, be careful about over watering as the roots tend to hold a lot of water and excessive watering may cause root rot.

As stated previously, fluoride can cause damage which will in the form of the leaves turning brown. Try to avoid giving tap water and give distilled water as much as possible.

Having said that, the spider plant is a very hardy and adaptable plant which grows well in a variety of environments so even if you were to leave it without water for few weeks, it would be fine.

Growth Rate of Spider Plants

These plants are not difficult to grow. It grows very well in humid condition. Try letting it sit in the bathroom once a while so that it can get hang of the nice humid environment. You can hang it in a hanging basket, it will grow there easily as well. Just remember the growth rate of this plant is quite faster.

Spider Plant Propagation

If you want to do spider plant propagation, then read on. We will tell you how you to do it properly. If you want to grow spider plants from seeds, you will need to collect seeds which are available once the blossoms start drying out.  Once these blossoms they are replaced with small green pods which contain the seeds.  Let these pods dry out for few days before you collect the seeds from inside. Once you have the seeds, plant them immediately in the organic soil mentioned above about ½ inch deep in the soil.  Spider seedlings are fragile, so do not attempt to move them until they have three or four leaves.

Where to buy Spider Plants

You want to buy these lovely plants? Want to know where to buy them? Spider plants can be purchased everywhere ranging from online to offline florists. Following are some places where you can buy them online.

• You can check out nurserylive.com, they have some huge collection of spider plants along with verity of other plants.
• com also has a great collection of spider plants.
• You can also check out Amazon.in.

Spider plants look beautiful and has many health benefits too. Decorate your indoor and outdoor this summer with this gorgeous plant.