Curly Spider Plants & Why Your Home Needs One

Spider plants are one of the most attractive plants that are also doing an excellent job of taking care of us.  Similar to regular spiders protect us from being bitten by a mosquito because they eat them, these curly spider plants help purify the air, making them great indoor air cleaners. About fifteen of these spider plants can improve the ventilation of the average house. If you’re concerned about fifteen being quite a lot, don’t you worry because these plants are known to produce very quickly. The spider plant grows babies called plantlets that sprout from the plant’s main bush, giving it a spidery look.  

Also known as Chlorophytum Comosum of the Asparagus family.  They are native in Southern Africa and the African tropics, and they are commonly grown as ornamental houseplants. They are known to have long grassy, green, and white striped leaves. These curly spider plants can grow from twelve to twenty-four inches in length. Our fellow plant people recommend that you let them grow in hanging baskets where the end of the leaves can hang down freely.  

There are six main types of spider plants. First is the Variegated spider plant or Vittatum. This plant is the most popular type of spider plant with creamy and broad vertical stripes that are slightly curved and has medium green leaves on the sides of the leaves. The second one is Bonnie, commonly known as a curly spider plant, similar to the first one but more curly and has narrower leaves. The third is the zebra plant; also, the same to our first plant’ is that the edges on the plant will turn yellow that eventually turns white later. Fourth is the Variegatum, also known as the reverse spider plant; From the name itself displays curly leaves with white edges and dark green streaks in the center, the exact opposite of Vittatum. The fifth plant is also known as the Hawaiian Spider Plant, and unlike all the other variegated plants, the shiny green leaves characterize this plant. And the very last is the Variegated Bonnie Spider Plant, which exhibits arched green leaves with white edges. 

And now that we know the different types of spider plants let’s go and start in on How to take care of these beautuful air-purifying and curly spider plants. 

Let’s start with the temperature and Lighting. Since the plant is variegated, it is better to place them near a window where it gets a good amount of indirect sunlight, or you can also put them outside for a couple of hours only to get some direct sunlight. If these plants do not get that too adequate amount of the sun, they will still survive, but they might lead to slower growth and the plant losing its stripes. 

Just like all the other plants, these lovely and curly spider plants need watering as well. It is always better to keep them moist, and the best way to do this is to check the soil by simply sticking your finger in the plants’ soil and feeling them. Also, when watering them, make sure that you let the water drip out from the pot entirely as it is harmful to keep them from sitting in water for too long. Another way to check if the plant needs watering is by checking the leaves if they have already curled up. But when this happens, it simply means that the plant is already dehydrated and needs water immediately.  

As I have mentioned earlier, these plants are considered fast growers, so eventually, there would be a need for you to re-pot them as they fill the entire plant with their fleshy roots. We recommend that our fellow plant people do the plant propagation during times where the sun is abundant for a healthier new set of curly spider plants.

Since the spider plant produces runners with many plantlets, we would also need to do some propagation aside from repotting. There are two ways on how to propagate them. Growing them directly in soil or the second one is the traditional way of sticking the plantlet in a glass of water and placing it on a windowsill. 

To grow them in soil, simply cut closest to the end but be mindful not to trim a part of the plantlet. And just place it in lightweight soil and ensure that the pot has drainage holes for the excess water to drain from the plant to ensure that we aren’t drowning our curly spider. plant

As for fertilization, spider plants are great for keeping nutrients in their tubers, which is why they do not need too many fertilizers. There is no specific spider plant fertilizer, but we just need to give them sparingly because we do not want our curly spider plants to have brown leaf tips due to too many fertilizers. 

Get your own healthy spider plant here!