Ah, the spider plant. An absolute classic. It’s painfully easy to take care of, inexpensive and often the first plant one starts off their houseplant journey with. Some of you may think it’s unattractive or boring. But its demure appearance and low-drama nature is deceiving. It’s truly a special houseplant in many ways. Not convinced? We’ll do our best to change your mind! The spider plant, or Chlorophytum comosum, is a legend for three reasons.
First, it’s unbelievably forgiving. It’s like the energizer bunny of the houseplant world. You can forget it outside for a week (in the summer) not water it for a month, bring it inside and burn it in direct light and then overwater it and it will still keep on kicking! It wouldn’t look great, but with the right after care, it would bounce back like nothing ever happened. They can tolerate very low light and temperatures, infrequent watering and rough handling. They have dense, tuberous roots that help them retain water through periods of drought. Some plants get stressed when you trim them, while the spider plant can be given a heavy haircut and bounce back better than ever!
Second, it can grow exponentially, due to the incredible little “spider babies” it produces! These pups, sometimes dubbed “spiderettes” are small plantlets that grow off of stems from the mother plant. If you let them grow, they will multiply into an impressive waterfall of tiny spider plants! How cool is that? If you choose to cut them off, they can be easily rooted in water and potted up as new plants! These make excellent gifts and look good just sitting in propagation jars on your windowsill.
Third, spider plants are safe for your pets. No need to worry about leaving your beloved furry children alone with your plants anymore. No more trying to shove them above your fridge where you can’t even enjoy them so that your cat doesn’t eat it! Feline reactions to eating spider plants are similar to their reactions to eating catnip. It’s a mild hallucinogenic, however not life threatening. That was only 3 fantastic things about spider plants. If you get one for yourself, we’re sure you’ll be able to add many more things to the list!
