Spider Plant Care: Brown Tips, Watering and Baby Plants

Give the leaves room to arch

Spider plants, Chlorophytum comosum, make an easy, informal display with their narrow leaves and trailing plantlets. A bright spot with indirect light is a good starting point. Leave space for the foliage, and keep it out of hot afternoon sun. In a hanging pot, check that you can reach both the mix and the drainage tray safely.

The familiar green-and-white forms are not the only spider plants available. Check the label when comparing growth habit and expectations for baby plants.

Keep watering responsive

Check the upper few centimetres of mix and the weight of the pot. Water when that upper layer has dried, then let the pot drain. Avoid both prolonged soggy conditions and repeated long dry spells during active growth.

If a crowded root ball makes water rush through or makes moisture hard to judge, inspect the roots. A slightly larger pot with fresh, free-draining mix may help. A very large container can hold more moisture than a small plant can use.

Brown tips are a clue, not a diagnosis

Dry tips can follow uneven watering, excess fertiliser, salts in the mix or unsuitable water quality. Hot, dry air may also contribute. Begin with the routine: has the plant repeatedly dried out, stayed wet or received more feed than the label recommends?

Adjust the most likely cause and observe new growth. Existing brown tips will not turn green again. You can trim dead ends with clean scissors for appearance, without cutting deeply into healthy tissue. Changing the water, fertiliser, light and pot all at once makes it difficult to learn which change helped.

Root a baby while it is still attached

A mature spider plant may produce plantlets on long stems. Set a small plantlet onto moist, suitable mix in a small pot beside the parent. Keep it in contact with the surface and allow roots to establish before cutting the connecting stem. The spider plant propagation guide explains the process in more detail.

A young plant may need time before it produces offsets. Avoid adding extra fertiliser just to force baby plants.

Keep the household in mind

The ASPCA lists Chlorophytum comosum as non-toxic to cats and dogs. Discourage chewing anyway: plant material can still upset a pet’s stomach, and dangling foliage can tempt an animal to pull down a pot.

Print the spider plant sheet (PDF) or visit the full species profile.

References: RHS spider plant growing guide and ASPCA spider plant listing.