Spider Plant Propagation: Step-by-Step Guide

The popular spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum, also known as the ribbon plant, spider plant, or love plant) is one of the most common houseplants. One of the reasons it’s so beloved is because propagating a spider plant is incredibly easy. A mature spider plant can produce enough miniature versions of itself to decorate an entire room or provide countless gifts.

So, how do you propagate a spider plant? The following article explains all the steps to create your own army of these plants.

Baby Plants With Ribbon

The main reason Chlorophytum comosum (spider plant) is so easy to propagate is that a healthy, mature plant will produce offsets. You can propagate this plant by division, but it’s not the easiest way. A better option is to wait until it starts producing offsets.

The offshoots are the origin of some of the common names for this plant (spider plant, mother-in-law’s vine). They grow from thin stems from which they hang like tiny spiders in a web, waiting to touch the ground at some point so they can continue growing on their own.

Separating a spider plant pup is quite easy. All you have to do is detach the pup from its parent plant by cutting or pinching the stem that connects them. That’s it. Although the new spider plant won’t have roots yet, it’s not difficult to get it to develop its own root system. It will continue to grow independently.

Propagate spider Plant in water

Once you have your spider plant baby, the next step is to get it to take root. There are two ways to do this: propagation in water or in soil (described in the next paragraph).

My favorite way to propagate any houseplant is in water, because with a pretty vase, you get a lovely little display while you wait for the results. Plus, it makes it easier to see the spider plant’s progress.

• All you need to propagate a spider plant in water is a container large enough to submerge the bottom of the plantlet while keeping the leaves dry. Fill the container, place the plantlet inside, and find a bright, warm spot, but out of direct sunlight. Then, it’s time to wait!
• Spider plant pups tend to root very quickly, and almost all propagation attempts will be successful. During warm summer days, you may see the first roots appear within a week.
• During the colder seasons or with less light, it can take up to four weeks for anything to happen.
• Once your new plant has rooted, you can choose to leave it in water indefinitely or prepare a pot for it to continue growing. All it needs is some standard potting soil, kept slightly moist but never wet.

Propagating spider plants in substrate

As mentioned earlier, propagating spider plants in substrate isn’t for those who want to follow every step of the process. Since the plantlets root before new leaves appear, it can take several weeks before you see new growth confirming that the propagation attempt has been successful.

On the other hand, propagation in substrate saves time, since you won’t have to pot the rooted plant afterwards. It all depends on your preferences.

• To propagate spider plants in substrate, prepare a small pot with ordinary potting soil (possibly with some perlite to improve drainage). A standard plastic nursery pot works well, as it has drainage holes at the bottom that prevent the soil from becoming waterlogged.
• You just need to insert the plant into the soil far enough so that it doesn’t fall over and keep it slightly moist.
• Once you see new leaves growing, you can be sure that your attempt to propagate the spider plant has been successful.
• If you’re impatient and want to know if roots have developed, you can also gently tug on the cutting. If you feel resistance, congratulations! A root system has formed, and the plant will soon begin to grow.

Divide Plant Tape

While most houseplant enthusiasts prefer to propagate their spider plants using offsets, there’s another way. This species grows in clumps, meaning it can be easily divided.

The best way to divide a spider plant is after you’ve removed it from its pot for repotting. This way, you can easily see the different clumps and select the ones you want to separate. In most cases, simply separating the plants is sufficient, although you can always use a sharp, sterilized knife if necessary.

Cut away the dead roots and leaves from the clumps and plant them in a pot with regular potting soil. Since each new plant almost always already has roots, you can continue watering as usual. Very easy.

If you have any further questions about spider plant propagation or would like to share your own experiences with spider plant propagation, please feel free to leave a comment below. 🌱