Description
The Irish Spider Plant is everything you love about the popular spider plant but with a twist.
Key Information and Plant Overview
- Other Common Names: Spider Ivy, Ribbon plant
- Binomial Name: Chlorophytum comosum
- Care Level: Easy
- Light: Bright to medium indirect light
- Water: Allow the top 2 of soil to dry before watering
- Pet Friendly: Yes
The Irish Spider Plant is everything you love about the popular spider plant but with a twist. The Irish Spider Plant has greenish-white flowers, wider and shorter leaves, and reversed variegation. This compact variety houseplant is considered to be easy to maintain and fast-growing.
Not only a popular houseplant, but the Irish Spider Plant is also a great air purifier. Spider plants participated in the NASA Clean Air Study, where they found a special characteristic in chlorophytum comosum that can clean contaminated air by filtering out substances like formaldehyde.
PlantX Top Tip: Avoid over watering spider plants, due to their thick tuberous root systems, the Spider plants can survive prolonged droughts.
How to Care for Irish Spider Plant
- Light: Bright to medium indirect light with no direct sun.
- Water: Allow the top 2 inches of the soil to dry before watering and drain any excess water. Remember the tuberous roots can retain moisture – think of a storage unit for excess nutrients and water.
- Humidity: Average relative humidity of 25% to 49%
- Temperature: Average from 18C to 24C ( 65F – 75F )
- Fertilizer: Follow a monthly fertilizing schedule when the plant is actively growing. In most cases, this is in the spring and summer. Use a balanced fertilizer – this means a ratio of NPK that is all the same. Ex: 10-10-10.
- Soil: Use a well-draining, high organic matter soil mix.
- Propagation: Spider plants produce stolons that can be propagated by removing the babies and placing them in moist soil or water until the roots become 2-3 long then repot into moist soil.
- Repotting: This can be done every 12-18 months. Choose a pot that is 2 larger in diameter than the original pot.
- Cleaning Tip: Wash the leaves of dust and debris with a showerhead
- Toxicity: Non-toxic.
Irish Spider Plant – Common Problems
Should I cut the brown tips off my spider plant: The brown tips are more of an aesthetic problem than anything else. The two main causes are a dry environment or salt and fertilizer build-up from regular care. Feel free to up the humidity by misting the plant and flush the plant on a yearly basis to reduce chemical buildup.
Why are the leaves on my spider plant becoming dull and lifeless: Spider plants cant tolerate direct sunlight but if you have placed your plant in a dark room, it will also start to fade due to lack of light. Place your plant in a spot with bright to medium indirect sunlight.
My spider plant is beginning to rot at the base and turn brown: Reduce watering as this is usually a sign of overwatering. Allow the top 2 of the soil to dry before watering again.
Signs of Overwatering: Drooping leaves, brown spots and marks on the leaves, and stunted growth are some signs of ill-health or unhappiness.
Common Pests: Susceptible to aphids, whitefly, and spider mites. Always check your plants on a weekly basis.
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